Ferrero Rocher Bundt Cake

The challenge was set... The recipient, my friend Tash; she of Italian heritage, cocktail drinking expertise, and cake eating prowess. I told her she could pick her desired flavour. With barely a moment's hesitation, she declared it shall be a Ferrero Rocher bundt cake.

I've been asked for this one before, but declared it a bit boring. I had to liven it up, and see that it was fit for my little party pal. It was going to be a moist chocolate cake, laced with hazelnuts, Nutella, and hidden Ferrero Rochers, which would be baked into the cake. No messing around with this one.

Sadly, I had to break the news to my colleagues that this was going to sit on my desk all day, then be taken elsewhere at the end of the day. Did not go down well. Not at all.

Ingredients:

• 225g butter
• 350g golden caster sugar
• 100g soft brown sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 310g plain flour
• 50g ground hazelnuts 
• 40g good quality cocoa powder - I use Green and Blacks.
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 200ml vanilla yoghurt 
• 75ml chocolate milk
• 2 tablespoons of Nutella
• 6 Ferrero Rocher, cut in half (full ones will sink like a stone...)
• Jar of chocolate spread (not the hazelnut type)
• Chopped hazelnuts, lightly toasted
• More Ferrero Rocher to decorate

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to gas 3/160 c
2. Prepare a regular sized bundt tin - 2.4l, 10 cup, 10 inch with Cake Release spray and dust with flour mixed with a little cocoa.
3. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
5. Add the extract.
6. In a separate bowl, measure out the flour, ground hazelnuts, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
7. Pour the yoghurt and chocolate milk into a jug and stir in the Nutella.
8. Sift in a third of the flour mix followed by half the yoghurt mix. Repeat this until everything is combined.
9. Give everything a quick mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds.
10. Pour the mix into your prepared tin. 
11. Push the Ferrero Rocher halves vertically into the mix, as if you were marking out hours on a clock. Push them in until they are only just peeping out of the batter. It will swell over the top when baking. 
12. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 
13. Leave the cake to cool for ten minutes before removing from the tin.
14. When the cake is fully cool, pop the chocolate spread into a jug and heat in the microwave for around 30 seconds to loosen it. Tip over your cake and decorate with more Ferrero Rocher and chopped hazelnuts..

Bloggers: Please respect the fact I am sharing my own ideas and basic recipe. Blood, sweat and many tears have gone into getting this right, so you may enjoy a perfect bundt. If you wish to re-blog a recipe from these variations, please credit my blog and link to this original post rather than pasting the recipe on your own page.

Cream Tea Bundt Cake

Can’t decide what to get Mum for Mother’s Day? What says ‘I created something excellent, well done me’, than offspring who bake you something magnificent? Not only does Mum get to stuff her face with some wonderful cake, but she can show off to her pals what talented spawn she really has. It’s a win win.

When Homepride asked me to make something Mother’s Day related, it had to be a play on the traditional cream tea; a moist scone, split in two, with thick strawberry jam, and enough cream to ward off brittle bones until you’re 97. This isn’t essential, but I also added a glug of gin to mine, as a cheeky nod to Mother’s Ruin!

Obviously, it isn’t Mother’s Day just yet, but I decided to test mine on my tame testers at work. I was a total renegade and removed a shelf from the milk fridge, so that I could store the cake until the generally accepted ‘cake time’ of 10.30am (not my rule - I have no such silly rules). The milk fridge is steeped in office politics, and believe me, this was a bold move. Luckily for me, this misdemeanour did not get me fired; on the contrary, it created lots of ‘oooh’ noises from the whole floor. Needless to say, lots of people sampled cake on Friday, and the missing shelf from the fridge was replaced before too much drama was created...
For the full details, please pop over to the Homepride website! Recipe coming soon... 

We Bake - The Bake Brighter Days Community Challenge

It's nearly Valentine's Day folks! Whether you're into it or not, let's face it, it's a great excuse to get baking. Who doesn't love a bit of indulgence; whether it be for your beloved, you pals, or just for yourself to enjoy with a cuppa. This Valentine's Day, the wonderful folk at We Bake want to see your creations in all their loved up glory.

What is We Bake?

We Bake is the community that rewards you for baking. It’s the first baking social media, where you can share recipes, get inspiration, enter competitions and even share your cake fails (moral support heals even the worst cake wreck). The community is there to coach you through mishaps with their hints and tips, and give you the motivation to try something new. Recipes are split by level, so you're not going to find yourself biting off more than you can chew, with the ingredients and method set out in an easy to read format.

How to get started

It's really easy. You set up your profile which can be linked to your Facebook account or can be done with an email, then you can start following other bakers from all over the country, win prizes in the challenges, and get access to exclusive events. It's a bit like all the best bits of Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, but tailored towards those of us who love to bake.

The Bake Brighter Days Community Challenge

Chocolate Indulgence Bundt Cake

I'll be entering my Chocolate Indulgence Bundt Cake for this year's Valentine's Day Bake Brighter Days community challenge. I designed this recipe with my friends in mind. I regularly bake for my pals at work, but it's usually to use them as guinea pigs for my weird and wonderful cake creations, or when a bit of bundt alchemy has been going on in the kitchen. However, their favourites are always the chocolate themed cakes. You guys like chocolate? You'll get all of it...

When asked what was in this cake, I simply replied 'all the chocolate'. It includes Dr. Oetker Fine Dark Cocoa Powder, grated milk chocolate, white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, it's covered in white chocolate, and then filled with Aero Bubbles. I wasn't joking. The resulting cake is a hearty yet ultra moist chocolate cake, which will have them fighting over the last piece (true story). I urge you to try this.

We Bake are giving away £50 Red Letter Days vouchers every day, so there are loads of chances to win if you enter. I've just posted my recipe on my We Bake profile so you can have a go yourself. Check it out here, become a We Bake member and let me know how you get on.