Bundt Cake Bake-Off

St. Matthew's is having it's first annual "Bundt Cake Bake-Off" tonight as a part of dessert after the first Wednesday night Advent meal of the season. The idea was born by a woman who volunteers in the church office and brings a bundt cake for the staff every Tuesday. I'm not a big fan of baking, but someone signed me up anyway. I'm especially not a fan of bundt cakes! Too much pressure to keep it in one piece! I decided if I was going to do it, I might as well do something fancy and FROM SCRATCH! So I tried a recipe for Heavenly Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake with raspberry orange sauce.

"Was there a murder in here?" -Jon

See the chocolate splatters everywhere, the wall, the trivets, the bread bag? I was really proud of myself for keeping it to a minimum. :) I told Jon the problem is that we don't have the fancy stand mixer, so I have to use the hand beaters.

The finished product!

So, the pan was too full and it rised higher than the edge, so when we turned it over it did crack in places, but luckily the fancy topping disguises the flaws well. The recipe said to bake for 75 minutes, and I only left it in for 60, but I still think it was too long. Maybe I'll make this again...with a chocolate cake mix! I'll let you know if I win first prize!

The beginning of Advent not only means baked goods but also the beginning of rehearsals for the Children's Christmas Program that I direct, which means the beginning of my insanity! Stay posted...