COLLABORATION: WISH UPON A STAR WITH KOKO BLACK

Impress your guests this Christmas with an edible forest filled with delightful finds from Koko Black.

Share the magic if you might, a Christmas wish in every bite.

- Koko Black -

Introducing 'The Black Forest'. This interactive tear and share platter inspired by Koko’s Christmas and Natives collection is designed to keep you around the table a little longer, indulging in chocolate and discovering hidden treasures. Yes, it can double up as a decadent centrepiece too!

Experiment with edible flowers and dig through the moss to unearth some goodies that slipped off Santa’s sleigh. Dive into the cherry chocolate bundt cakes; some dressed in a ganache made of macadamia spotted gum honey and others in dark chocolate. For a gooey, warm dessert, crack open a hot cocoa or self-saucing cherry cake bomb and watch it melt into a delightful treat.

Go on, give this concept a whirl and let chocolate fill your merry days and light up all your wondrous nights.

I CONFESS

I may have run out and purchased a Nordic Ware bundt cake tin from my William Sonoma wish list JUST for this. The first attempt produced an abundance of chocolate 'soil’ and many lessons of how not to bake with Bundts. After sending an SOS to the baker tribe and a few recipe tweaks, take two was a resounding success! So, with my dignity in tact, I happily invite you to grab these kitchen staples and make your own smorgasbord heroing my Cherry Chocolate Bundts. Recipe adapted from Linda Lomelino.

CHERRY CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKES

Ingredients

For Greasing The Tins

Melted shortening or oil
Cocoa Powder

For The Cake

Yield: approx. 700g of batter for 6 x Small Bundts.

50 g butter
20 g cocoa powder
1/3 Cup water
Pinch of salt
180 g flour
1 tsp baking soda
225 g granulated sugar
1 Large egg
170 g sour cream (can sub with Greek yoghurt)

Cherry Compote Filling

200g cherries, washed
3 Tbsp lemon juice
50g sugars
Drop of almond essence

Method

Make The Filling

Pit Cherries. To do this, use a bubble tea straw as a pitter. Remove the stem; then push the straw through the end with the stem, the pit will get pushed into the straw.
Slice the pitted cherries in half. Add all the ingredients into a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat, whisking constantly till reduced and thickened. Set aside to cool.

For The Cake

Prepare the tins. Using a pastry brush, grease your Bundt tins well with shortening or oil. Sift cocoa powder over it and swirl the tin to ensure every nook and cranny is well coated. Note: this is critical in ensuring the cakes slide out easily once baked.
Heat oven to 160°C, fan assist.
In a saucepan, over a medium heat combine the butter, cocoa powder, water and salt until melted. Set aside to cool.
Add the flour, baking soda and sugar into a large bowl. Stir briefly with a whisk to combine.
Now, gradually add the warm melted butter mix to the flour and stir to form a coarse mixture.
Add the egg followed by the sour cream. Stir with a whisk or hand held beater between each addition till just combined.
Bake the Bundts. Fill each Bundt tin half way. Spoon some cherry compote into the middle, making sure the filling does not touch the side of the tin. Add the remaining batter in dollops on top of the cherry filling and gently spread it across the top till fully covered. Note: the tin only needs to be filled 3/4 of the way to prevent overflow. Each of my Bundt cakes had 100g of batter. I filled 50 g, added the cherry compote and then added the remaining 50g for precision.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
Let the cakes cool upright for 10 minutes in the tin. Place a flat baking tray on top of the warm tin and invert it, leave the cakes inside the inverted tin for 10 minutes. This method allows steam to form from the residual heat of the cake, helping your Bundt cakes slide out easier. After 10 minutes, tap the tin gently to release the cakes.