Vanilla Walnut Mocha Bundt Cake

Week 31. Vanilla Walnut Mocha Bundt Cake. That’s a mouthful.

This recipe is from Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking: From My Home to Yours“, which I got  as a bundle with her “Around My French Table” for a song off of Amazon earlier this year. I think it was $16 for both, one of the best deals all year!

Anyway. Back to the cake. This is hard for me to believe, but this recipe is the first full size bundt cake that I’ve ever made (!!).  I think the fear of the cake sticking in all the nooks and crannies of the bundt pan kept me from making one in the past.  I made mini-bundts earlier this year, using a pastry brush and melted butter to coat the pans and didn’t have any issue with sticking. I inherited a bundt pan in June and was anxious to try it out.  I used the same method here and once again, no sticking! It’s the little things.

This cake has two distinct layers, the chocolate is dense and rich, laced with coffee. The vanilla is equally dense, with a lighter flavor and studded with ground walnuts. I don’t think I swirled  the layers enough this go-round, I’ll be sure to swirl more the next time I make this.