As it was my birthday last week, I thought that it's only fair to put this cake recipe up for you guys. So if you read my last post (click here), you would remember that I've mentioned the fact about eating too many cookies recently... Well, cakes are different to cookies so I guess they do not count! 🙂 Let's begin...
Believe it or not, but I actually didn't eat cake on my birthday. I'm really not sure how it happen, and the only thing I could come up with, it's because it was middle of the week, and I was stuck at work. You see, normally, and over the last 5 years, I've been away for my birthday. Paris, Rome, Barcelona- these were the places I've been taken to (by my wonderful other half) and this is where we have been celebrating my special day over the course of last few years. However this year, we've decided to stay in UK...
So perhaps it was just the fact it's the mid week, or the fact that it wasn't a 'big' or 'important' birthday, one way or the other, there was no cake. And it wasn't until the next day, when one of my work mates called me saying: 'You've got to be kidding me! It was your birthday, and you always go on about baking, and yet, you didn't even bring a cake!?!' Yup, guilty as charged.
After coming back home that day, due to guilt creeping up on me (and perhaps because secretly I really fancied me some cake), without further delays, baking begun.
Because there was still a whole box full of cherries on hand (as I was making some more of my Cherry and Cinnamon Jam) and they were begging me to use them, I've made this quick cherry syrup, and ohhh holly smoke! That cherry syrup combined with chocolate cake is like a dream! Sweet, sticky, full of flavor dream! And if you are like me, a fan of porridge and can't imagine your life without oats, Oh my friend, this syrup over some warm porridge = heaven!
First cake turned out to be too big for the cake pan, mainly due to me trying to pour as much batter as I could into this tin, but I was too far gone at this point to stop pouring, but the end result wasn't actually that bad, I quite liked this 'puffy look' for a bundt cake. However, thinking purely about my work colleagues here, I knew that I had to make another one, in just perfect and ideal size and shape, as they could be disappointed with the looks of this one (OK, OK, just kidding, they will eat anything, but I needed a second cake for the household)...
It turned out to be a blessing to have that second cake, as I've got things mixed up and poured chocolate glaze over one of them before cherry syrup, resulting in syrup not being absorbed by the cake and just floating hopelessly on the top of it. How pleased was I then, that I made two cakes? Very, very verrryyyy pleased 😉
The best part of baking this cherry chocolate bundt cake(s) was that neither of them made it to the office...#sorrynotsorry
Once the syrup absorbed a bit into chocolate cake, pour the chocolate glaze over it and give it just few minutes to settle a bit. Or just go ahead and dive in! You can decorate it with fresh cherries or cherries you have left over from making syrup. Or leave the cherries out, it will still taste awesome! Also, if you want to get thicker cherry syrup, swap maple syrup for some brown sugar (white will work too!).
As it is a birthday cake, nobody needs nutritional information, right?
Cherry Chocolate Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cup brown caster sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup almond milk
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze
- 1 cup chocolate chips vegan
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
Cherry Syrup
- 1 ½ cup pitted cherries
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170 Celsius and grease a bundt cake pan with oil or vegan butter, dust with some flour and set aside.
- In a large bowl mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt.
- Add in milk, oil and water and mix all together.
- Stir in vanilla, maple syrup and vinegar and mix until well combined.
- Pour mixture into cake pan and bake for 40- 45 mins, set cake aside and let it cool.
Cherry syrup
- In a small pan, place cherries with maple syrup and splash with some water, then cook on a small heat until cherries release juice and are soft.
- Use sieve to separate juice from cherries, and bring the leftover juice to boil on a very low heat, set aside to coll down a bit.
Chocolate glaze
- In a small pan, melt together coconut oil then add chocolate chips and keep stirring until well combined on very low heat.
- Once cake is cool, pour cherry syrup over it first, then pour chocolate glaze.
- Enjoy!
Please note that all my recipes are developed and tested in metric grams. I recommend that you use digital scales for a more accurate results. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Nutrition
Mart
This cake looks amazing! I really want to give it a try:) can I use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar? And can I use a jar of cherries or do I need fresh ones?
annabanana
Hi Mart, yes, I believe that both substitutes will work just fine. Hope you will enjoy the recipe!
Melissa @ Vegan Huggs
Happy belated Birthday, Anna! These bundt cakes look and sound divine! My two favorite flavors together. I'm glad you were able to work out the minor issues. The two cakes really were a blessing 😉
annabanana
Thanks so much Melissa!!! They were indeed! I think from now on I will always bake two, just in case ? happy to hear you like it! Have a great weekend friend xxx
Anne
This is so BEAUTIFUL!!! Cherries and chocolate are so perfect together and I will definitely have to try this sometime!
annabanana
Thank you so much Anne!!! So kind of you to say!! And yes, cherries + chocolate = best combo everrrr!!! ? hope you will enjoy it! Xxx