Tuesdays with Dorie: Nutty, Chocolatey, Swirly Sour Cream Bundt Cake

This week Jennifer of Cooking for Comfort chose a recipe with possibly the longest name I've ever come across! The Nutty, Chocolatey, Swirly Sour Cream Bundt Cake. To tell the truth I was debating whether to make this or not. My thighs really don't need a chocolatey, sour cream anything at the moment. But I know N's lab mates are always up for cake so I figured I could just give it away. Unfortunately the universe/my oven didn't cooperate.

Despite the oven always cooking hotter and faster than I expect, this time... it didn't. My beautiful bundt cake with the crispy golden crust was massively underbaked. As it was cut each slice collapsed in on itself leaving a gooey, doughy centre. As you expect this made for a very sorry looking photo. See above.

But still, it was delicious! Chocolate, orange zest, cinnamon, walnuts ... it was a marriage made in heaven. It even came out the pan perfectly, something I know others were struggling with. (I used a silicone pan greased with olive oil spray in case you were wondering).

We ended up just picking at the cooked parts and throwing the rest away. Such a shame. But I'm really not sure what I could have done differently. It baked for the full 65 minutes, the top was crisp and golden, it was pulling away from the sides and a skewer came out clean. Oh well.

Thanks to Jennifer for a great pick anyway! It was really tasty and I love making bundts. Make sure you visit the other TWDers for better results and Jennifer's blog for the recipe.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Lemon and Poppyseed Muffins

Wow, a TWD recipe actually posted on the right day! This week Betsy of A Cup of Sweetness chose Dorie's Lemon Poppyseed Muffins. While I love a good layer cake as much as the next girl these melt-and-mix muffins are much more my thing at the moment.

It's been ages since I made muffins but given how quick and easy they are I really should dig out my muffin pans more often. Unusually for me I did a full batch and only made one substitution, using homemade greek yoghurt instead of the sour cream.

The taste test ...

These muffins are moist, bright and zingy, especially drizzled with lots of the lemon glaze. Perfect afternoon tea fare. My taste testers all gave a big thumbs up!

Make sure you check out Betsy's blog for the recipe and for lots of pics of her adorable baby boy (a November baby like Charlie).

Late TWD - Midnight Crackles

A belated happy new year to everyone! That's if there's anyone around after my extended absence. Hard to believe but Charlie is now over 9 weeks old and life with 2 kids under 2 is definitely keeping me busy. I am really missing baking and have a lot of catching up to do both in terms of recipes and reading my favourite blogs.

I actually did have this recipe made and photographed ready for the new year but a computer/camera compatability issue and lack of time means it is now 2 weeks late. Oh well.

So, Midnight Crackles. This is TWD's anniversary recipe chosen by Laurie and Jules. Can you believe it's been 3 years? Happy anniversary everyone!

These are basically a deep, dark chocolate biscuit with a little hint of spice. I baked just 1/4 of the recipe and they disappeared in record time! I am still figuring out our temperamental new oven so they were a smidge overbaked. I still have 1/4 of the dough stashed in the freezer and will definitely underbake these to ensure a yummy, fudgy centre.

I know this is short but I will finish with a few favourite pics of my boys from the holidays. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Here's to a fabulous 2011 for us all! :-)

PS. Since I began this post last week (everything happens in it's own time these days), my home city of Brisbane has been devastated by floods. At last count 16 lives lost and countless thousands who have lost their homes and possessions. We are exceedingly lucky on this side of town but spent a few worried nights as the river began to peak. I had a bag packed for the boys just in case we needed to leave quickly but in the end it was ok. My thoughts and prayers are with all who were affected. If anyone cares to make a donation to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal you can do so here.