Peppermint and Chocolate Bundt Cake

Recently I'm on a bundt cake craze. Don't know exactly what prompted that but I suppose it's because I love how English it feels to just eat a cake with no frostings or icing or anything. Cake can be very pretty on it's own don't you think? Perhaps it's the coming of age that's talking but I find myself not wanting very much nowadays. Just a slice of something simple and plain and even if I do feel complicated or my mind is in a whirlpool, I swirl to express how I feel.

This is something I baked recently and I can't begin to tell you how addictive it is to both bake and eat. It's so easy to make that I made it twice, once for my doctor and the other time for my mom, who proudly brought it to work and relatives. Feedback was very minty and moist. The mint and chocolate combination may sound somewhat kiddy but hey, people can get complicated childhood sometimes. Or in my case, develop complicated taste since young.

Mint and Chocolate Bundt Cake

1/2 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup dutch cocoa
240g unsalted butter, soften
3/4 cup Caster sugar
4 eggs
splosh of vanilla
3 1/2 cup cake flour (I had no problems using all-purpose but did sift twice)
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
3/4 tsp peppermint extract (depending on brand, some can go really strong/mild)
1/2 tsp green food coloring

Start by greasing a cake tin well and preheating the oven to 175 degree Celsius. First combine the 1/2 cup sugar and cocoa powder and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar together till fluffy before beating in the eggs one at a time. Splosh in the vanilla and make very sure that everything is well combined.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together and fold into the batter in batches, alternating with the milk. Divide batter into 2 portion, adding the cocoa and sugar mix into one halve, and then the peppermint extract and green food coloring in the other halve. Pour both batter into the prepared tin and swirl around with a skewer, and then knock the tin on a surface to ensure everything is smooth and even. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave cake to cool for 5 minutes in tin before turning out onto a rack to cool completely.

I hate to say this out myself but my trick for the pretty swirls? Layer like hell and it's relaxing and fun anyway. Also cake taste superbly tender and moist especially the next day. Happy baking!