Tuesday, April 6, 2010

TWD - Mocha-Walnut Marbled Bundt cake & Coconut Tea Cake

Can you believe it's April already? I can't. Seems like last week was Christmas. Now, it's the 5th of April. Easter is over. Spring is in full bloom. And I baked not one, but two weeks worth of recipes for TWD!

I wasn't able to bake last week's Coconut Tea Cake, the recipe that Carmen of Carmen Cooks picked for her turn as hostess. You need to drop by her blog and see the gorgeous pictures of her cake. I just didn't get to it before the deadline to post it for TWD last week.  This week, Erin, of When in doubt...leave it at 350, picked the Mocha-Walnut Marbled Bundt cake. On Wednesday of last week I had one of those "good news, bad news" days. The bad news was that the two houses I was supposed to clean both canceled their cleanings. One woman was short on money and the other had a daughter home sick. So, I had the day off. The good news was since I was off I would have the time to bake not just one, but both of the TWD recipes. The coconut one for me and the Mocha-Walnut one for the hubby. I had everything I needed to bake both on hand and after gathering it all together, I got to work.

I am pretty sure I had baked the Mocha cake before. I had Dorie's book long before I became a member of the group and had baked a lot of different recipes from it. (The almond biscotti is one of my early favorites!) I had a posted note on the page for it and vaguely recall baking it. I couldn't recall what we thought of it though.

I decided to bake the Coconut Tea cake first.  I had read a lot of posts that talked about mild coconut flavor, so I upped mine by adding about 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract. I also added the dark rum Dorie mentions. (optional, but so good is what she said) I used untoasted coconut in the batter, and toasted coconut sprinkled over the top of a glaze I made using milk, coconut extract and powdered sugar.  After burning a batch of coconut in the oven last time I had to toast coconut I decided to play it safe and "toast" it in a frying pan, on top of the stove, under my watchful gaze. Turned out perfect. (Hahaha, as I am typing this I am looking over the recipe and just realized I used a paddle attachment rather than a whisk attachment to mix up the batter. Guess it didn't hurt the cake any.)

This cake came together easily and turned out fabulous. Moist, chewy, rich, definitely a recipe I will make over and over again. It reminded me of a buttery pound cake, only coconut flavored. :) Thanks Carmen for a delicious pick. I loved it.

This week's recipe, the Mocha-Walnut Marbled bundt cake was also a winner here at my house. I whipped it up as the coconut cake was baking. It was pretty simple to put together. I had coffee already brewed and keep espresso powder on hand all the time. It's great for kicking up the flavor of chocolate. I actually use Via, the new instant that Starbucks sells. I didn't toast the walnuts before grinding them. I used a large ice cream scoop and scooped the batter into the pan, alternating the white batter with the chocolate batter. Once it was all in the pan I dragged a knife through the different batters to marble it.

I read several blogs of bakers who made this last week and all mentioned really watching the baking time, or even cutting it shorter by a few minutes. I set the timer for 10 minutes sooner than Dorie suggests and it was perfectly baked when I checked it. I cooled it, made a chocolate glaze using dutch processed cocoa, coffee, powdered sugar and a touch of vanilla. Once I drizzled it over the cake I then sprinkled a few chopped walnuts on top.

Delicious! Moist with just a hint of nutty flavor. I think I would toss some chopped walnuts into the batter next time. I like nuts in my baked goods. And, I might even kick up the espresso a bit, give it a tad more coffee flavor. It was almost lost in the chocolate. But, still, a delicious cake. Thanks Erin. You picked a winner. :) Be sure to drop by her blog for the recipe. And, of course, stop by TWD and check out what all the other bakers who baked this week thought.

33 comments:

  1. Two beautiful cakes! I love the changes you made to the coconut cake, and share your appreciation of this week's pick. And your new banner is beautiful.

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  2. These look delicious! Wish I had a piece of the Mocha cake with the tea I am drinking this morning before work!

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  3. Two luscious looking bundts in one post! Nice! I'm a big fan of the coconut tea cake, and I did sample a tiny bit of the mocha walnut cake. Of course, I liked that, too. I wish I'd put some chocolate on mine!

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  4. What a beautiful success!

    I'm not sure I came here before, if I did you must have changed your blog's appearance (and it is beautiful! WOW!)

    I do appreciate you coming to comment my blog while I was sick and not feeling like surfing to comment myself! It was very much appreciated!

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  5. Both of these look fantastic. The toasted coconut on top just sets the tea cake off and the drizzle on the marbled mocha is stunning.

    Love the new Header.

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  6. Two beautiful cakes, each with your own special flare. Lovely!

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  7. That almond biscotti is one of my favorites, too. Definitely the best biscotti I've ever made.

    Two bundts, you go! I left the walnuts pretty chunky in my cakes and really liked it that way. Your cakes look great!

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  8. Wow, you had one busy day. The cakes are beautiful. Now I am going to make the Almond Biscotti.

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  9. What beautiful cakes! Great job!

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  10. Your bundt looks so pretty. I still want to try the coconut cake, love coconut.

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  11. wow- they both look amazing! nice work

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  12. ooh! pretty swirl! Glad you were able to make both recipes! :)

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  13. I switched this week and made the coconut tea cake for Easter. Your icing looks so yummy and thick!!! I used a paddle attachment as well...oops! But yet, it came out pretty good!

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  14. Both the coconut tea cake and the mocha-walnut marbled bundt cake look amazing! Your icing looks absolutely perfect.

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  15. OMGDROOL!!! Your cakes look sooooooooo gooooooooood. I'm sad that I gave mine all away now. I really should look into freezing a few pieces for me. :)

    You get an A+ for effort (two bundts in one day?!) and beauty!!

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  16. both look fantastic. i especialily like how tall and statuesque the coconut one looks.

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  17. Good and bad you didn't get to clean that day..bad cus of cash..good cus we all got to see these two WONDERFUL looking yummy cakes..I got fat just looking at them!
    I heard about the new Starbucks Via. My girlfriend is hooked on it! Great idea to use it in your cake!

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  18. Those both look amazing. Yum. Yum. Yum.

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  19. Your cakes are just so beautiful and presented so nicely. I want to be you when I grow up. Very nice job on both of them.

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  20. Both your cakes looks wonderful. I wish I was at your house.

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  21. They are both gorgeous!!! I missed making the coconut cake last week, but now that you said it reminded you of pound cake, I'm in!

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  22. You were busy, busy! As I read your post, I thought...I used the paddle attachment for my coconut cake, too. I would have never caught it otherwise. Mine was delish too, so I guess we didn't screw up too bad!

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  23. Two delicious bundt cakes in one post!! Glad you got a chance to try them because they were both good in their own way, though I think the mocha-walnut was probably my favorite of the two. You decorated them both beautifully :)

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  24. Both cakes look great. I love the marbling in the marble cake and the choc glaze on top. Too bad I can't eat either cake (allergic to coconut and walnuts) :o)

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  25. Wow! Susan, both of your cakes look just perfect and beautiful! They both look so moist and tasty, I'm seriously wishing I could try a slice of both of them.

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  26. Susan,
    It sounds like you had a relaxing day in the kitchen.Two great cakes. I only made the coconut one and loved the texture, but it needed the coconut extract.
    Mimi

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  27. They both look wonderful! My husband is a cake lover, and I'm starting to agree with him because cakes like this are so delicious. I'm glad you had time to bake them.

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  28. Both cakes look fabulous! Those photos are making me wish I still had some cake left. How nice to have an unexpected day off for some extra baking time.

    I guess one of the nice things about having a blog is now you definitely know which recipes you've tried!

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  29. Great looking duo! I loved both these cakes. I never saw the "use the whisk" attachment, so I used the paddle, too. No problem!

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  30. Those bundts look amazing! I have to try them! You have a wonderful blog! I will be following! Thanks for becoming a follower as well!:)

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  31. Susan, BOTH cakes look "dive-in" delicious! Well, I know you will remember baking the cakes now . . .and they are gorgeous to boot. =o) Happy Spring my dear baking friend!

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  32. both turned out beautifully! i always forget about my coconut and burn it instead of toasting it too! :)

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Please feel free to comment. I love hearing from others.