Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt Cake

I love my life. It's been bumpy, and some times have been rougher than others. I'm sure you've been able to sense that I haven't been quite as happy and bouncy this past month. But I still love my life. I've wanted to be "just" a Mom since I was ten, and now I am, to the two sweetest, smartest, most fun boys on the planet. I married my best friend, truly, and he is still my best friend. They think I'm awesome and gorgeous no matter how I feel about myself. I have the most gorgeous, snuggliest, sweetest dog ever. We live in a gorgeous place that ISN'T TEXAS!! I lived through The Geologist's college years (by the skin of my teeth :) and I get to share my favorite thing, FOOD, with hundreds of people, every day! And make new friends doing it! Who knew, right? Life is good. It remains so. Especially when cake is involved.

Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt Cake (adapted slightly from The Food Libarian)

Printable Recipe

1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1/4 c plus 1 T (or 5 T) cocoa (I have used both Dutch processed and natural cocoa with fine results)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 c buttermilk
1 t baking soda
2 eggs
1 t vanilla

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 10-12 cup Bundt or tube pan.

Combine water, oil, butter and cocoa in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir till smooth and remove from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add the chocolate mixture to the flour and mix until combined.Add the buttermilk and baking soda and mix well. 

In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and vanilla. Add to the batter and mix till combined.

Pour batter into your prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, or with a few crumbs. Cool in pan. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar or a simple glaze of powdered sugar and milk/cream. (I used cream, and added 1/2 tsp vanilla, and sprinkled with mini chocolate chips.)

Aren't the mini chocolate chips cute?? The frosting was supposed to do that pretty, drizzling-down-the-sides thing, but I made it a tad too thick. Doesn't matter, it melted down the sides a few minutes later!

I don't have any pictures of the slices, I apologize. I took it to a friend's house for Easter dinner, and it's not exactly good form to show up with a cake already cut into!

But let me assure you, it was delicious. Maybe it's that boiling step at the beginning, but this was one of the most moist cakes I've ever had! And yet, it wasn't wet, or soggy, or dense, just fantastickly soft and moist. (Yes, I am aware that isn't a word.) Flavor-wise, it reminded me a lot of Texas sheet cake, but better. More chocolatey, with that wonderful cinnamon accent. Yum!!

I snacked on it for days. It reminded me of hot chocolate, because I always put cinnamon in mine. Truly scrumptious, and a simple showstopper! If you like chocolate cake, add this one to your list. You'll keep it, I promise.

Shared at On the Menu Monday