The Real Bundt And A Giveaway! (CLOSED)

This was an insanely decadent chocolate cake. Not only was it rich, but it was a big honkin' cake. This cake was made in my new 60th Anniversary Bundt Cake Pan from NordicWare available through William-Sonoma. I have a couple bundt type pans and they work well but I've always wanted a real NordicWare Bundt- I just love the sharpness of the detail in the pans. There are many copycat versions but the original is unmistakable. And I finally have one! I'm so excited.

Actually I got this pan for Christmas but it had a few flaws in the finish from the factory and I had to wait til the store had more for me to exchange it. Once I finally did, I knew exactly what I wanted to bake in it. I made the recipe that was on the back of the box that the Williams-Sonoma Kitchens made especially for this pan. This is a 15 cup Bundt pan and it was filled to the tippy top with batter. Just to be sure it didn't overflow, I reserved some of the batter and made a few cupcakes.

This cake was very fudgey and dense. This sucker was a behemoth of a cake, weighing in at over 5 pounds! It was loaded with cocoa, semisweet chocolate, sour cream, eggs and butter- just like every chocolate cake should be. Then it was drizzled with a silky smooth ganache. I opted to add even more chocolate to it by sprinkling it with a handful of mini chocolate chips, simply because I can :-) This is no ordinary cake so I suggest you wait and serve this for a crowd or special occasions unless of course you're PMS-ing and NEED 5 pounds of chocolate cake sitting around :-)

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake from Williams-Sonoma

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For the cake:

• 1 cup cocoa powder, sifted, plus more for dusting pan
• 7 1/2 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 20 Tbsp. (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 5 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

For the ganache:

• 6 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F. Grease the Anniversary Bundt Cake Pan and dust with cocoa powder; tap out the excess.

To make the cake, in a bowl, combine the 1 cup cocoa powder and the chocolate. Add the boiling water and whisk until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth and blended. Set aside.

Over a sheet of parchment, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 30 to 45 seconds. Reduce the speed to low, add the brown sugar and beat until blended. Increase the speed to medium and continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating until incorporated before adding more and stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla until incorporated, about 1 minute.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream and beginning and ending with the flour, beating just until blended and no lumps of flour remain. Slowly pour in the chocolate-cocoa mixture and beat until no white streaks are visible, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading the batter so the sides are about 1 inch higher than the center. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached to it, 60 to 65 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool upright in the pan for 15 minutes. Invert the pan onto the rack and lift off the pan. Let the cake cool completely, at least 1 hour.

Return the cooled cake to the pan. Using a serrated knife, gently saw off any excess cake that extends over the edge of the pan. Set the wire rack on a parchment paper lines baking sheet. Invert the pan onto the rack and lift off the pan. (I skipped this step).

Meanwhile make the ganache: In a heatproof bowl, combine the chocolate and butter. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the cream just to a boil. Immediately pour the cream over the chocolate and butter. Whisk until the melt and the mixture is smooth.

Pour the ganache over the top of the cake, allowing the ganache, to drip down the sides. Let the cake stand until the ganache is set, at least 15 minutes.

Serves 16

Guess what? My birthday is in exactly one week (June 29th)! So I have a giveaway for you to help me celebrate. Usually one would give me gifts but this time I have something for you! That's just how I roll. This giveaway is brought to you by the folks at CSN. Have you ever been to their websites? They have over 200 online stores ranging from cookware (where I spent way too much time!) to pet supplies to kids bedding to shoes and handbags. I'm telling you they've got everything you might want or need and at reasonable prices.

The folks behind CSN Stores let me choose the giveaway items and because I loved my pan so much I want you to have this fabulous NordicWare 60th Anniversary Bundt Pan and a Cake Keeper to store your beautiful cake in. Are you excited?! I hope so!

1. In order to enter this giveaway, you MUST leave a comment on this post telling me which cake you plan to bake in this pan.

2. For a second entry, leave me the recipe of your favorite cake in the comment section. Be sure to leave a second comment if you do this.

One (1) winner will be chosen and revealed in one week on Tuesday, June 29th. Be sure to leave your name and a way for me to contact you if you win.

Sending lots of Bundt Cake luck to you all!