Orange Chocolate Bundt Cake: Carleen M. Loper guest post

Today I welcome Carleen M. Loper. I 'met' Carleen through a Facebook group: Picture This. Our group is all about taking photos. Of course, as any group goes, there are also other shared interests. Chocolate is usually one of them!

Carleen M. Loper is an Assistant Librarian at Bridgewater State University (MA). She writes humor and nature essays, as well as being a supporter of environmental causes and baking up a storm.

CARLEEN M. LOPER:

Janet saw my Facebook photo of an Orange-Chocolate Bundt Cake, and because she's human, she immediately wanted a slice. As it goes with recipes, I adapted my recipe from Deb Perelman's Smitten Kitchen version, and she in turn had adapted hers from Ina Garten's Barfeoot Contessa Parties! original. Cooking and baking are all about making food your own!

I'm a volunteer with a land trust, and we have programs that include "light refreshments." Tomorrow morning residents will hopefully be inspired to help the environment when they hear a local river restoration specialist. I do my best to bribe attendance with fabulous baked goods. At the last event, a little old woman with a babushka-vibe about her piled about ten pieces of my banana-carrot bread into her satchel. If she attends again, she may want to look out for the ooey-gooey factor of this cake!

Adapted recipe: cut the sugar down to a little under one and a half cups. Left off the ganache -- not needed. Cake is very chocolatey and very delicious!

Orange Chocolate Bundt Cake

Ingredients
1/2 pound sweet butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup grated orange zest (from 4 large oranges)
3 cups flour, plus 2 Tbsp
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 tsp Madagascar vanilla extract
 2 cups good dark chocolate chunks (or dark chocolate chips)

Syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour 10-inch Bundt pan.
2. Cream butter and sugar in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then add orange zest.
3. Sift together 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.
4. In another bowl, combine orange juice, buttermilk, and vanilla.
5. Add flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately in thirds to creamed butter, beginning and ending with flour.
6. Toss chocolate chunks (or chips) with 2 tablespoons flour and add to batter.
7. Pour into pan, smooth top, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make syrup: In small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook sugar with orange juice until sugar dissolves. Remove cake from pan, set on a rack over a tray, and spoon orange syrup over the cake. Allow cake to cool completely.