Guava and Chocolate Bundt - #BundtBakers

Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate. We all love chocolate, right? If you don't, don't tell me. Don't break my heart. Chocolate is the theme for this month's Bundt Bakers. The theme made me both excited and overwhelmed. I was excited because, well, do I need to say that I LOVE chocolate? In my last year of primary school, I'd buy two chocolate bars after school every day. Every. Single. Day. But when you tell me to make a chocolate cake, decision paralysis hits. A cake with just chocolate? Is it time to try chocolate and cayenne? Mint chocolate? Rum? Caramel? Coconut? Red wine? Nutmeg and cinnamon like Jamaican hot chocolate? Basil? If basil, how much is enough? I was stuck on this last question for 72 hours.

 

I finally decided on chocolate and jam, in particular, guava jam. I had no idea if it would work. I could have used white chocolate like I've done in sweet rolls before. But I wanted real chocolate. I had lots of pictures in my mind of how I wanted this to look. I ultimately decided on making the zebra-esque stripes because I wanted to practise them. (I always seem to give up halfway through.) But I think that when I make this next, I will do a jam crown, pour the white batter first, add jam and then the chocolate batter.

So how did it taste? Good,actually. The guava was very subtle. The guava portion is slightly pink (though not discernible in my pictures) but I didn't want to add more jam or food colouring. A few bits of jam weren't thoroughly mixed. This was actually deliberate because I wanted to see where they'd end up (so I'd know how to approach a jam layer in the future). Additionally, I was still thinking about a possible "jam crown" and was really hoping they'd end up at there. They did. I really loved biting into pieces that had little bits of jam. Burst of flavour.  To boost the flavour, I melted some jam with a bit of orange juice to eat with some slices.

And let me tell you, I had MANY slices of cake on Tuesday night. I gave up added sugar/refined sugar for Lent so this cake was my last hurrah. It was a very fat Tuesday night. Had I not been stuck in indecision land so long, I would have had more time to spend with this cake. Ah well. There are slices in my freezer now. See you in April, fair Bundt!

Now scroll down for all the chocolate goodness from my fellow Bundt Bakers. I have a feeling that looking at those 30+ cakes today will make me want to get back on the sugar wagon. I'll try to be strong. No guarantees.

Guava and Chocolate Bundt

Ingredients
1/3 cup Dutch processed cocoa
1/3 cup hot water
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons milk
6 tablespoons guava jam, softened

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Thoroughly grease and flour a 10 cup Bundt pan.
Mix the cocoa, hot water and the 3 tablespoons of sugar together until thoroughly combined.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
Beat butter on high speed for a minute. Slowly add the 1 1/2 cups of sugar and then vanilla. Beat for 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until well mixed.
Add the flour in three parts alternating with half the milk. Beat until smooth.
Transfer a bit less than half of the batter to another bowl. Stir the cocoa mixture into this bowl. Stir the guava jam into the remaining batter.
To marble the batters, you can use ice cream scoops, to add scoops of each batter to the prepared Bundt pan. Gently swirl the batters together.
To try a zebra effect, add two tablespoons of chocolate batter to the pan. Pour two tablespoons of the guava batter directly in the middle of the chocolate batter in the pan. Keep alternating chocolate and guava.

Bake 45 minutes or until a long skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Invert Bundt onto a cooling rack after 10 minutes.

Here are February's chocolate themed Bundts:

• Apricot Almond Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache by Cassandra at Cassie's Kitchen
• Blackforest Bundt Cake by Anshie at SpiceRoots
• Chocolate and Almonds Bundt Cake by Kathia at Basic N Delicious
• Chocolate and Lavender Bundt Cake by Aisha at La Cocina de Aisha
• Chocolate & Rose Bundt Cake with Spiced Rose Ganache by Lara at Tartacadabra
• Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake by Beatriz & Mara at I love Bundt Cakes
• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Bundt Cake by Julie at Eat, Drink, and Be Mighty
• Chocolate Crumb Bundt by Catherine at Living the Gourmet
• Chocolate Custard Floating Island Bundt Cake by Jelena at A Kingdom For a Cake
• Chocolate Honeycomb Bundt by Sue at Just Sew Sue
• Chocolate Irish Cream Bundt by Anne at From My Sweet Heart
• Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake by Tux at Brooklyn Homemaker
• Chocolate Pound Cake by Renee at Magnolia Days
• Chocolate Strawberry Pound Cake by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cider White Chocolate Bundt Cake with White Chocolate Glaze by Patricia at Patty's Cake
• Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Bundt Cake by Linda at Brunch with Joy
• Devil's Food Chocolate Bundt Cake by Tanya at DessertStalking Blog
• Double Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake by Carola at En La Cocina de Caro
• False Chocolate Bundt Cake by Anna at Media RaciÛn Doble, Por Favor
• Guava and Chocolate Bundt by Kelly at Passion Kneaded
• How the Grinch Stole Valentine's Day by Lauren at Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Kickin Chocolate Bundt Cake by Kaylin at Keep it Simple, Sweetie
• Lemon Glazed White Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound Cake Mini Bundts by Laura at The Spiced Life
• Mars Bar Bundt by Tara at Noshing With The Nolands
• Marshmallows Chocolate Bundt Cake by Shilpi at SimplyVeggies
• Quadruple Chocolate Bundt by Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Red Velvet Bundt with White Chocolate Roses by Laura at Baking in Pyjamas
• Sacher Bundt Cake by Esti at Mummy & Cute
• Spicy Chocolate Mini Bundt Cake by Rocio at Kids & Chic
• Triple Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake by Teri at The Freshman Cook
• Triple Chocolate Threat Bundt by Jane at Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Tunnel of Fudge Bundt Cake by Rebekah at Making Miracles
• White Chocolate & Raspberries Bundt Cake by Samantha at Un Mordisco Un Pecado

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme.  Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on the BundtBakers home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Whole Wheat & Oat Bagels - #BreadBakers

Whole Wheat & Oat Bagel w/ Chickpea & Sweet Potato Burger

Do you watch the Great British Baking Show/ Bake-Off? I am catching up on Sunday's episode as I type this up. I am not sure how I feel about this show. In fact, a friend messaged me last night asking if he should watch it and I am still not sure what to say to him. The hosts are annoying. But the challenges are OK, I guess. I've learned a thing or two from the past episodes. For example, I'd never heard of a hot water crust before. It's something I definitely want to try at some point. Nevertheless, the show just doesn't excite me. Perhaps, I have gotten too used to cooking shows with gimmicks. "Make a ten tiered wedding cake with one hand tied behind your back. And oh, you can't use an oven." Yes, I'm mocking Cutthroat Kitchen.

So about these bagels. The Great British Baking Show doesn't excite but these bagels definitely did. I made bagels once before. I think they were the second bread/sourdough item that I ever made. Cinnamon and raisin. I was so proud of myself. I told everyone within hearing distance that I made bagels. That was back in 2011. It's taken me almost 4 years to make another batch. Why did it take so long? I have no idea. I tend to not repeat things because I am always trying to move on to something else. And there's the fact that bagels are pretty calorie-dense. I'll happily eat two without thinking about it. That's a lot of bagel (for me) in one sitting. That's why I made these smaller so that when (not if) I ate two at once, I wouldn't feel too stuffed.

The flavour was inspired by a Whole Wheat Oat and Honey bread that Joy the Baker challenged her readers to make. I made it and LOVED it. It smelled so amazing while being baked that I immediately tossed my other bagel baking plans. Plus, it had oats. We've already covered the fact that I like to put oats in every bread so this was perfect. I definitely had half a loaf within a couple hours.

Check out my recipe below and when you're finished, check out those AMAZING bagels baked by my fellow Bread Bakers.You'll want to run to the kitchen and start working on your own batch immediately.

Whole Wheat & Oat Bagels

Recipe by: Kelster    Dough formula adapted from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day

Yield: 6 - 9 bagels

Ingredients Dough 1 tablespoon honey 1 teaspoon instant yeast 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 255 grams water 54 grams ground oats 100 grams whole wheat flour 300 grams all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon Poaching Liquid 8 - 12 cups of water (enough for 4 inches of water in a pot) 1 1/2 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt

Directions Combine all the dough ingredients and knead for 3 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes then knead for an additional 3 minutes. The dough should be stiff yet supple. If it's dry and cracking, add water by the teaspoon. If it's sticky or very tacky, add flour. Allow to rise for 1 hour in a lightly oiled bowl. Lightly oil a sheet pan. Divide the dough into 6 - 9 balls. Traditionally, bagels are about 113 grams (4 oz). I used ~3 oz per bagel for 9 bagels. To shape the bagels, you can use one of two methods: A) Poke a hole in the center of the ball to form a donut shape. With two fingers in the hole, rotate the dough, gradually stretching the hole to two inches.   OR B) Roll out each ball to an 8 inch rope. Taper the rope slightly at each end and moisten the last inch or so of the ends. Place one end of the dough in the palm of your hand and wrap the rope around your hand to complete the circle, going between your thumb and forefinger and then all the way around. The ends should overlap by about 2 inches. Squeeze the overlapping ends together by closing your hand, then press the seam into the work surface, rolling it back and forth a few times to seal. Remove the dough from your hand, squeezing it to even out the thickness if need be and creating a hole of about 2 inches in diameter. I tried both methods. The donut way is quicker but I didn't have a preference. Cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator about an hour before you plan to bake them. Place a bagel in a bowl of cold water. If it floats, the bagels are ready to be boiled and baked. If it sinks, shake off the water and test it again in 10 minutes. 30 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 500 F. Bring a pot of water to a boil. There should be at least 4 inches of water in the pot. Lower heat to maintain a simmer and stir in honey, salt and baking soda. Gently lower each bagel into to the pot. After a minute, turn the bagel over. Boil for another 30 - 60 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on an OILED surface. Bagels will stick to parchment if it isn't oiled. Place bagels in the oven and lower heat to 450 F. After 8 minutes, rotate the pan and bake for another 10 minutes.

Notes You can also proof the full piece of dough in an oiled bowl overnight and then shape the bagels on baking day, 60 to 90 minutes before boiling and baking them, or as soon as they pass the float test.

• Asiago Cheese Bagels by Jenni at Pastry Chef Online
• Basic Bagels by Caro at En la Cocina de Caro
• Basic Bagels with Blueberries from Holly at A Baker's House
• Blueberry Bagels by Sophie at Sweet Cinnamon Honey
• Chocolate Chip Bagels by Cindy at Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Classic New York Water Bagels by Karen at Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cornmeal Bagels by Renee at Magnolia Days
• Easy Homemade Bagels by Wendy at A Day in the Life on a Farm
• Homemade Truffle Salt Bagels by Tara at Noshing With The Nolands
• Honey Multigrain Bagels by Laura at  Baking in Pyjamas
• Jalapeño and Cheddar Bagels by Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Montreal Bagels by Robin at A Shaggy Dough Story
• Orange Ginger Bagels by Rocio at Kids & Chic
• Parmesan Garlic Bagels by Heather at Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Simit (Turkish Bagels) by Adam at Bakers and Best
• Sour Dough Bagels from Veronica at My Catholic Kitchen
• Whole Wheat Oat Bagels by Kelly at Passion Kneaded

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to
foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com

Cherry Danishes - Foodie Extravaganza

If this is your first time joining us, the Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly party hosted by bloggers who love food! Each month we incorporate one main ingredient into recipes to share with you and this month that ingredient is a Valentine's Day classic - cherries! Be sure to check out all the dishes below.

 Two years ago, I found a Kitchen Bucket List on Saveur and proceeded to use it to create my own. I had over a 100 items listed and most of them had already been crossed off. Looking back, I know there are several more items that I could add to that list. I can't wait to update it and share my progress soon. There was one item still on that list that I really wanted to make but actively avoided - Danishes.

I knew they weren't particularly difficult. But laminating dough can be hit or miss for me. The first time that I made puff pastry, I had wonderfully flaky layers. Then I tried sourdough croissants. They were buttery and delicious but not particularly flaky. I decided to try Danishes for this month's Foodie Extravaganza because it was the easiest thing on my list of possibilities. Well, it was the second easiest. Easiest was the slow cooker cherry cobbler that's cooking right now. I'm not sure how I came to the conclusion that something with laminated dough was easiest. But I think the simple list of ingredients factored greatly into that calculation. That and the fact that I could break it up over a few days.

Laminated dough recipes look long and intimidating. But they are really just a bunch of short steps that aren't particularly difficult. When I first made puff pastry, I was still avoiding any recipe that called for a rolling pin.* I had some oozing here and there but it still worked out. The big thing to remember is to keep everything cold. Stop and chill everything often. I loved working with this particular dough. After the rest in the fridge, it was wonderfully supple and easy to roll.

*I also avoided separating eggs and making caramel. I now separate eggs without giving much thought to it. But caramel is still a no-no. I actually tried to make some two Sundays ago and ended up with a crystallized mess. That led to a Food Chemistry discussion with friends (the caramel was meant to be a topping for a cheesecake for one's birthday) and now I am convinced that I need a degree in Food Science. I am searching for schools right now. Seriously. I need to be able to troubleshoot from a scientific perspective.

Cherry Danishes 

Adapted from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Everyday

Ingredients
Dough
10.5 oz all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon instant yeast
7 tablespoons cold milk
5 tablespoons cool water
1 large egg
1 tablespoon oil

Butter Block
3/4 cup cold butter

Filling
Cherry pie filling, homemade or store-bought

Hot Glaze
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar

Directions
Dough: Combine flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Add milk, water, egg and oil. Combine with a paddle on low speed for a minute. The dough will be shaggy. Mix on low speed for 30 more seconds then increase speed to medium for 15 seconds. The dough will be sticky and soft. Place in an oiled bowl and immediately refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.

Butter block: Place the butter between two sheets of wax paper. Lightly pound and roll the butter to a 3" x 6" rectangle. Place in the refrigerator.

Laminating. Remove dough from fridge and roll to 6 1/2" x 6 1/4". Roll from center to corners and then from center to sides. This truly makes rolling a rectangle easiest for me. With a longer side facing you, place the butter block 1/4" from the left side of the dough so that there is 1/4" of dough left at the top and bottom. Fold the remaining dough over the butter.

Lift dough and lightly flour underneath. Gently roll out to a 8" x 9" rectangle.
Turn the dough so that a 9" side is facing you. Do a letter fold by folding 3 inches of dough to the right and then the uncovered 3 inches to the left.
Rest dough in the fridge for 15 - 20 minutes.

With the open seam faced away from you, roll the dough out again to 8" x 9". Do a second letter fold.  Rest for 15 minutes.

Repeat for a third letter fold and rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Roll out the final dough to 12"-14" x 9" x 1/4".

Pinwheels. Cut 2 1/2" squares. Cut notches leaving 1/2" in the center uncut. Take every other corner and fold over to the center. Place on a parchment lined sheet pan about 1/2 inch apart. Proof 2 to 2/1/2 hours until the dough is noticeably puffed.

Preheat the oven to 450 F 20 minutes before baking.
Use your finger to press an indent into the center of the each pinwheel and fill with about a teaspoon of cherry filling. 

Hot Glaze. Just before baking, make the hot glaze. Place sugar and water in a sauce pan and stir until the sugar dissolves. Lower heat and maintain a gentle simmer while the Danishes bake.

Place the pinwheels in the oven and lower the temperature to 400 F. After 6 minutes, rotate the pan and bake for another 5 - 6 minutes. Brush immediately with hot syrup.

4 Ingredient Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake Balls by Keep it Simple, Sweetie
Chocolate and Maraschino Cherry Shortbread Cookies by Making Miracles
Real Maraschino Cherries by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Fresh Cherry Crisp by Fearlessly Creative Mammas
Chocolate Cherry Brownies by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
Breakfast Yogurt with Cherries Sauce by Brunch with Joy
Cherry Apple Crumble Tart by Food Lust People Love
Cherry Pie Bites by The Freshman Cook
Dark Cherry BBQ Sauce by The Joyful Foodie
Balsamic Cherry Brie Stuffed French Toast by Pantry Friendly Cooking
Cherry Chocolate Coconut Slices by Baking in Pyjamas
Vanilla Ice Cream with Dried Cherries and Dark Chocolate by Sew You Think You Can Cook
Chocolate Cherry Protein Smoothie by Mrs. Penguin
Cherry Danishes by Passion Kneaded
Dark Cherry-Cranberry Compote by Rhubarb and Honey
National Cherry Month by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Crock Pot Balsamic Cherry Beef Roast by Rae Gun Ramblings
Cherry Glazed Cherry Muffins by We Like to Learn as We Go