Ah the Bundt Cake....that American classic 'take to the neighbourhood pot luck, BBQ, or 4th of July picnic' cake, that conjures up the shiny innocence of the 1950's where life was all about clean living, church going, family, and wives doing the bidding of their husbands.
When I think of bundt cake I imagine Doris Day in 'Move over darling'.....as a woman normally subservient to her husbands wishes, her character 'Beverly' embarks on a career of her own with hilarious results including a Cadillac landing in the swimming pool!, but at the end of the day her husband, being male and synonymous with superiority, wins the battle of the sexes and she relinquishes her career...all to appease his punctured ego!
Along the same theme, there is also the movie 'Stepford Wives' which although it has gone through a modern day remake starring Nicole Kidman with a more comedic approach than the creepy horror filled version, it still carries those assumptions and preconceived notions with which men have viewed women since time immemorial....ones virginal wife is there to tend to ones needs by providing an immaculate home, a freshly ironed shirt each morning, gourmet meals, well behaved, perfect offspring, and then in the evening when he is greeted with his pipe, slippers and a 'how was your day dear', she obligingly turns into a sex goddess in the bedroom!
Am I wrong? have these male notions altered at all in the last 60 years? deep down I bet they haven't, although people are more careful about voicing those sorts of opinions these days as the feminists will put the fear of God into them.
Occasionally I meet the odd man who still carries these ideals and expectations around with him and is quite willing to voice his opinions on the matter.....and really you can't begrudge him his beliefs and wishful thinking because regardless of our advancements in equality between men and women in the workplace, women are still more likely to shoulder the burden of housework and childcare at home, and are, truth be told, still more likely to sacrifice their career in order to care for the family....unless you are in the brigade who can afford nannies and housekeepers, but then you are vilified for letting 'strangers' raise your children....we can't win girls...dammed if you do, dammed if you don't sort of thing!But time to get off the soap box or we could be here all night....these little bundt beauties are perfect for the lunch box! or just a little treat. They are only a couple of mouthfuls each so not necessarily that naughty....as long as you can restrain yourself!
You will need......makes 12 little bundts or little mini loaf cakes, or have them as cupcakes if you can't get these snazzy little moulds which are found in most supermarkets and bakeware suppliers. The great thing about these moulds is you don't need to butter or oil them!
The little cardboard loaf 'tins' are great too, no buttering needed here either!
for the sponge mix.......
200 g unsalted butter at room temperature
100 g castor sugar
100 g soft dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
200 g plain flour
1 heaped teaspoon of baking powder
4 medium eggs at room temperature
2 tablespoons coffee granules...whichever brand is your favourite
3 tablespoons of warmed maple syrup
for the icing.......
approx 4 tablespoons maple syrup
100 g sieved icing sugar...you may need more, you may need less, just add more of either the syrup or icing sugar until you are happy with the consistency
How to..........
- warm the maple syrup in a small pan or in the microwave, add the coffee granules and stir to dissolve well, add a little hot water if you think it needs it to make the dissolving easier, set aside and leave to cool
- turn on your oven to 180oC
- place your moulds into a patty tin or muffin tray, or use papers
- beat the eggs and set aside
- sieve the flour and baking powder together twice and set aside
- cream the butter and sugars and vanilla extract until light and fluffy....as always I recommend taking the strain out of mixing by using and electric mixer, hands free preferably
- slowly add the beaten eggs to the butter and sugar, and mix well on medium to high speed
- add the coffee and maple syrup mixture and mix in
- gently add in the flour mixing on a slow speed, scrape down your bowl and mix gently once more to ensure everything is nicely combined...if you think your mix is a little too stiff you can add a little milk to help slacken it......warm the milk a little though, don't use it straight from the fridge....cold milk can split an otherwise lovely mix!
- scoop or spoon the cake batter into your moulds or cases...when using the little bundt moulds, fill the mould then scrape the excess off the top leaving it smooth and even.
- bake in the pre-heated oven 180oC for approx 15 minutes until lightly browned and the sponge springs back when you touch it
- turn out from the moulds onto a wire rack and leave to cool, the little loafs can be left to cool in their moulds
For the icing......
Sieve the icing sugar really well and stir in the maple syrup until you are happy with the consistency.
You can spoon or drizzle the icing over your little cakes as you like.
Coffee, maple and walnuts do go well together and although I do like the flavour of walnuts I can't abide eating an actual walnut....yes I know I am bizarre! so instead I like to use pecans, almonds, brazils or hazelnuts.....I like to dip the little cakes in the icing and then into some nuts which I have chopped very fine in the food processor, or you can use nibbed or nut halves if you like...chopped pistachios look really cool on these too so experiment with different toppings to your hearts content.
If you'd like some actual nuts in your cakes, then add about 50 g of chopped nuts to your raw batter.
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