Double Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate-Honey Ganache

"A Bundt cake? What's a Bundt cake?"

A favorite movie of mine is "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Since seeing this terrific depiction of the vast differences between the Greek and American cultures (and the hilarity of trying to introduce and combine the two) I can no longer bake a Bundt cake without thinking of this scene:

I really love people. Thank God He made us all quirky and different, strange and wonderful.

I also really love the Secret Recipe Club. I've been a member since last August, and it's proved to be something I anticipate every month.

In fact, because of this club, I was able to confidently reach out to some amazing food bloggers as I organized the world blogging tour for "A Family Farm in Tuscany", a cookbook recently written by Sarah Fioroni and published by my mom, Kathy Shearer of Shearer Publishing. "A Family Farm in Tuscany" is the gorgeous story of one family's dedication to an incredible piece of land nestled in the Tuscan hills.

Most of the bloggers I invited to participate in the tour were fellow club members: Amanda from Fake Ginger, Sarah from The Pajama Chef, Melissa from I Was Born to Cook, Veronica from Veronica's Cornucopia, Kim from Cravings of a Lunatic, Winnie from Healthy Green Kitchen, Erin from Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts, Barbara from Barbara Bakes, Erica from Itzy's Kitchen, Katie at This Chick Cooks, Chris and Rachel from The Keenan Cookbook, Katherine from Katherine Martinelli, and Jane from The Heritage Cook. It was easy to work with these club members, and they each did such a beautiful job reviewing the book and posting the recipe they prepared from it. My family and Sarah's family collectively extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to each of them.

Regarding The Secret Recipe Club, here's how it works: the names of all the food bloggers in each group are randomized and matched up. Members are assigned a food blog to cook from before the next month's "reveal date." So we stalk each other's blogs like tigresses in the jungle, waiting to pounce on just the right recipe to make as our own. Then we post about it, revealing our assigned blog and what we prepared on the predetermined reveal date.

This month, I was assigned to Jane at The Heritage Cook. In addition to being a terrific food blogger, Jane is also the leader of our group. I cannot say enough kind things about her. She's gracious. She's encouraging. She's dependable---the kind of person you can absolutely count on. She's also mighty talented in the kitchen, and her Chocolate Mondays are doing their dangest to make me dig out the pants extender from my maternity clothes box.

Choosing this chocolate bundt cake was easy. I'm a huge sucker for chocolate cake. Add a dreamy ganache, and there's no way I can resist.

But keeping my mouth shut about the cake was hard. I've never come closer to "blowing it" than I did this month. I caught myself wanting to tell Jane, as I was corresponding with her about the book tour, "OH my GAAAAAAAWWWWWSSSSHHH, that chocolate bundt cake I made from your blog was so good!!"

Double Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate-Honey Ganache

Cake

• Vegetable oil spray (or butter for greasing cake pan)
• 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup strong-brewed coffee
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Ganache Glaze
• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1-1/2 tsp honey
• 1-1/2 tsp unsalted butter

Optional toppings: toasted nuts, shredded coconut, roasted cocoa nibs, etc.

To prepare the cake: Arrange an oven rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan with butter or vegetable oil spray.

In a small saucepan, gently melt 2 ounces of the chopped chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Transfer the melted chocolate to a large bowl and allow to cool slightly. Whisk in the oil and the honey until the mixture is smooth. Then whisk in the egg.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Remove three tablespoons of this mixture to a small bowl and set aside.

Being careful not to over-mix, add half of the dry ingredients to the chocolate/egg mixture. Pour in 1/2 cup of the coffee and 1/2 cup of the buttermilk; whisk until just combined.

Add the remaining dry ingredients and the remaining coffee and buttermilk. Again, whisk

until smooth.

Add the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the reserved three tablespoons of the flour mixture and stir well. Pour the flour/chocolate chip mixture into the batter and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon just until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the

center of the cake comes mostly clean (remember, if you jab a chocolate chip the toothpick will come out covered in chocolate). Let the

cake cool in the bundt pan on a rack for 10 minutes and then turn it out of pan and allow it to cool

completely, rounded side up.

To make the ganache glaze: In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it is steaming (stir often to keep it from scorching). In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 3 oz of chopped

chocolate with the honey and butter. Pour the hot cream over the

chocolate/butter/honey mixture and let stand until chocolate has melted, about 5 minutes. Whisk until

smooth. Let the ganache glaze cool until thick but still pourable, about

5 minutes.

Place the cooled cake on a cake plate or other desired serving platter. Beginning at the tallest area of the cake, pour the glaze around the top of the cake. Pouring a little extra in some spots will encourage the glaze to spill over the sides.

Sprinkle the top of the cake with toasted nuts, coconut, cocoa nibs, etc, if desired.

Allow the glazed cake to rest for 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe slightly adapted from: The Heritage Cook