blood orange, chocolate, and buttermilk bundt

Chocolate, orange, and a party bundt, what's not to love? This chocolate, blood orange and buttermilk bundt is a bit of a favourite; the sponge is light and moist, the gentle chocolate flavour and tangy blood orange, a perfect pair. The recipe suits a 12 cup bundt pan, but if yours like mine is a 10 cup, it also makes 6 bonus cupcakes! This bundt pan is genuinely called the "party bundt", it's a Nordic ware pan from Williams-Sonoma, and is my absolute favourite; it's really pretty, not too intricate so is less likely to stick, and its lovely symmetrical pattern makes for perfectly even portions. If you've missed blood orange season, a regular orange will work just as well, your only sacrifice the most perfect shade of pink!

chocolate, blood orange bundt

325g plain flour, cake flour if you can find it
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
330g caster sugar
375ml canola oil
zest of 1 blood orange
2 large eggs
250ml (1 cup) buttermilk
2 tsps white vinegar
1 1/2 tsps bicarb soda

blood orange icing, recipe below

• preheat your oven to 175ºC 
• carefully grease your bundt pan with softened butter, ensuring you coat the entire surface, particularly any creases, then dust with cocoa powder. If you are using a 10 cup bundt pan you will have extra mixture, enough for 6 small cupcakes, so pop 6 cupcake liners into a cupcake pan, 
I generally use dark or foil cases, I think they look better when baked. 
• over a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt, set aside
• using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or hand held mixer, mix together the oil and sugar until combined, then add the eggs one at a time, make sure your first egg is completed incorporated before you add the next 
• add the blood orange zest and mix to combine, the batter looks really weird at this point, but stick with it!
• with the mixer on low, tip in 1/3 of the flour/cocoa comb and mix until just combined, add 1/2 buttermilk, mix until combined. Repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk, finishing with the last 1/3 of the flour/cocoa
• in a cup or small bowl, mix the bicarb soda and vinegar together, it will foam up, tip into the cake batter and mix until combined
• fill your cupcake cases 2/3 full, I use an ice-cream scoop with a release for this, it helps me to keep the cakes the same size. Tip the remaining batter into the bundt pan
• bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes, the bundt cake will take 30-35 minutes, up to 40 minutes for the 12 cup bundt pan, check it after 30 minutes by gently poking the centre of your cake with a skewer or piece of uncooked spaghetti, the skewer will come out clean when the cake is cooked. Immediately invert the bundt cake onto a cooling rack and leave to cool
• cool your cup cakes on a wire cooling rack, when completely cold they are ready to ice
• drizzle the cake (and cupcakes) with blood orange icing and enjoy


blood orange icing

125g icing sugar
juice of 1/2 blood orange

• sieve the icing sugar into a small bowl
• gradually add the blood orange juice until you have a thick icing, you want it to just drop off your spoon, slightly looser than a paste
• use immediately