This bundt-cake recipe produces a fine crumb and richly flavored cake that needs little more than a dusting of confectioners' sugar. Adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, from the staff of America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Illustrated magazine. The cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature up to three days. It freezes well, too.
RICH CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE
Makes 14 servings
3/4 cup boiling water
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon each: salt, baking soda
5 eggs, room temperature
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 sticks ( 3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
Adjust oven rack to the lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate in a medium bowl; set aside to melt, about 5 minutes. Add the cocoa; whisk until smooth. Set aside. Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.
Combine the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla in a food processor; process until combined, about 20 seconds. With the machine running, pour the melted butter through the feed tube in a steady stream, about 30 seconds. Add the sour cream and reserved melted chocolate mixture; process until combined, about 30 seconds. Pour mixture into a large bowl.
Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the egg mixture; whisk in until just a few streaks of flour remain. Repeat twice more, whisking batter gently until most lumps are gone. (Do not overmix.)
Pour batter into a 12-cup bundt pan coated lightly with vegetable oil spray. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 50-60 minutes. Let cake cool in pan 10 minutes; turn onto a wire rack. Cool to room temperature, about 3 hours.
Per serving: 395 calories, 21 grams fat, 12 grams saturated fat, 109 milligrams cholesterol, 52 grams carbohydrate, 6.2 grams protein, 305 milligrams sodium, 2.7 grams fiber.
