This chocolate cranberry walnut bundt cake is nutty, fruity and covered with a thick layer of chocolate. Cinnamon, star anise and also the gold dust on top of the chocolate coating provide a wonderful x-mas spirit.
Cranberries, cinnamon and star anise harmonize beautifully with walnuts and chocolate. All these ingredients combined add a great texture and incredible taste to this cake.
Now it is about time to get into the holiday spirit, isn’t it? This cake is perfect for that, because as soon as you place it in the oven your whole kitchen smells like christmas spices. So good!
Tools & Equipment
- 10 cups silicone bundt pan
- Medium bowl
- Microwave
- Parchment paper
- Pastry brush
- Silicone spatula
- Stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
- Wire rack
Recipe Tips
Bundt Pan: to create a perfect chocolate coating, it is essential to use a silicone mold. Alternatively, if you do not have one available, pour the melted chocolate over the bundt cake.
Melt the Chocolate: in case you do not have a microwave, melt 2/3 of the chocolate over a hot water bath. Remove from the water bath and add the remaining chocolate. Stir until smooth and fully melted.
Inside Circle of the Bundt Pan: brush the inside of the silicone mold with enough melted chocolate to make the cake look beautiful. When you look at my cake you can see that I did not use enough chocolate, because its not fully covered with chocolate.
How to make Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Bundt Cake
Make the Cake
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 356°F. Grease and flour a silicone bundt pan and set aside. Weigh your ingredients.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, for about 2 minutes. Whisk together cornstarch, flour, baking powder, vanilla bean seeds, cinnamon and star anise.
Fold into the sugar egg mixture, alternating with milk and melted butter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Fold in walnuts, cranberries and chocolate chips by using a silicone spatula.
Pour the batter into the silicone pan and bake for 60-70 minutes. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, then remove the cake from the pan. Clean and dry the silicone pan.
Make the Coating
Melt the chocolate in 15-second intervals, stir in between, until fully smooth. Pour chocolate into the silicone pan. Coat the sides of the pan with a pastry brush, return the chilled bundt cake to the pan and press it down a little so that the chocolate can spread evenly.
Freeze for about 1 hour to allow the chocolate to set. Release the cake from the pan and transfer the cake to a wire rack or a plate and let it thaw.
If desired, decorate and dust with gold powder.
Storage: at room temperature, well-wrapped or under a cake dome you can keep it for up to 5 days.
My Summary for Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Bundt Cake
Difficulty: simple.
Taste: a bundt cake with cinnamon, star anise, chocolate, walnuts and cranberries. The cake is not to sweet because of using dark chocolate.
Texture: nuts and cranberries make the cake both crunchy and moist. Its chocolate coating gives the cake an extra crisp texture.
PROS: fruity, nutty and so tasty thanks to all the spices.
CONS: time-consuming. Not a perfect cake for every occasion, as in my opinion it is more of a winter cake. Getting a beautiful chocolate glaze can be a bit challenging.
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