It’s been more than thirty days since we last saw sunlight in our city. It’s raining and snowing and again raining, and every day is draped in cold and gray. It’s quite difficult to keep a positive attitude these days, but with the help of yoga, meditation, and nourishing home cooking, I managed to keep us on the good path. And there is also that merry little thought that very soon the holidays will be here with their lovely atmosphere and happy gatherings. With this thought in mind, I practiced for this glorious dessert that will crown our Christmas table – the walnut bundt cake with vegan chocolate sauce.
I fell in love with this cake because it is so easy to make (I am not exactly a very meticulous person) and the taste is surprisingly rich and decadent. The combination of cinnamon, walnuts, and chocolate is everything you would expect from a Christmas cake and will fill your kitchen a heavenly aroma. It has a gorgeous appearance which makes the perfect choice for impressing guests at dinner. The texture is very dense and one only needs a little piece to be satisfied. Should I also mention that it only contains whole, unrefined ingredients? It actually couldn’t be any other way, being baked in my kitchen.
Besides the whole wheat flour and organic eggs, the one ingredient that gives it the intense brown color and the interesting, subtle flavor was the muscovado sugar. I don’t have sugar in my kitchen because I don’t encourage consuming it, but when it comes to baking a cake, I always go for its unrefined version – the muscovado. Muscovado sugar is made from sugarcane juice which is left to evaporate until crystallization occurs. It’s coarser and stickier than brown sugar, with a distinct, flavorful taste. I always go for muscovado made in Mauritius because over there, the sugarcane juice is drained naturally and the product keeps its nutritional values unchanged.
Sugarcane juice is abundant in vitamins (A, C, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6), minerals (calcium, manganese, magnesium, potassium, iron, and zinc), and also chlorophyll, proteins, antioxidants, and soluble fiber. The high amount of sugar from the sugarcane juice isn’t recommended for regular consumption, but for baking a cake every now and then, it’s better to use muscovado instead of refined white sugar (which undergoes heating and bleaching stages that kill the nutritional content while adding harmful chemicals).
Walnut Bundt Cake with Vegan Chocolate Sauce
Ingredients
- For the cake
- 2 large organic eggs
- Fresh juice from half a lemon
- 1 &1/2 cups muscovado sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup toasted walnuts crushed
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- For the vegan chocolate sauce
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup muscovado sugar
- 2 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 cup blackberries fresh or frozen, to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oven at 180°C/356°F.
- Beat the eggs in a big bowl, then add lemon juice, buttermilk, sugar and coconut oil.
- Add gradually the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and walnuts, mixing well until a sticky mixture is formed.
- Grease a bundt cake tin with coconut oil and pour the mixture into the tin.
- Bake for 50 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool for five minutes before removing from the tin.
- When the cake is completely cool, wrap in plastic foil and refrigerate.
- For the vegan sauce, place all the ingredients (except the coconut oil) in a blender and process to obtain a smooth liquid.
- Transfer the mixture in a sauce pan over low heat and stir continuous until it starts simmering.
- Turn off the heat, whisk in the coconut oil and set aside to cool. Keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
- Before serving, bath the bundt cake in chocolate sauce and decorate with blackberries.
Natalia says
It looks awesome! <3
Ana says
Thank you, dear Natalia! <3
Amy says
This cake looks so rich and decadent. You’re photography is beautiful!
Ana says
Amy, it was really delicious! Thank you so much!
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
HOLY GORGEOUS CAKE BATMAN! These photos are stunning, and that cake sounds majorly incr-EDIBLE! Pinned!
Ana says
Thanks so much, Taylor! 🙂
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
Your bundt cake skills are incredible! Wish I had a slice of this to devour right now, it looks SO moist, dense and delicious.
Ana says
Thanks, dear Thalia! Your White Christmas Cake looks amazing too, I love it :-)!
Aysegul - Ice says
What a beautiful cake you created. Finding vegan baking products on the island is almost impossible, but as soon as I can get my hands on buckwheat flour I am going to try this recipe.
I love how you photograph it so beautifully as well..
Cheers to you! Happy new year!
Ana says
You can replace the buckwheat flour with almond meal if it’s easier to find. Thank you, my dear Aysegul, and I wish you a happy and lovely new year! 🙂
Jasmin says
Hi Ana,
I just discovered your lovely blog thanks to a beautiful bundt cake photography.
You are absolutely right about the gloomy European weather, it can really crawl under your skin, if not careful. Luckily, you know (and bake) the right things to attain positive atmosphere 🙂
Ana says
Thank you, Jasmin! I’m already thinking of spring 🙂
S says
I’m confused why it’s titiled “vegan” when it’s clearly not…..
Ana says
Sorry if it confused you, but it isn’t titled vegan, it’s just the sauce that is.