Strawberry 'Doughnut' Cake

I can guess what you're thinking, 'Oh gawd there she goes again, making things that aren't doughnuts look like doughnuts'. Can you blame me? Sprinkles. Icing! So much sugary goodness. And I just realised that I let an important date go past last month - it's been 2 years since I started this blog! And what better way to celebrate a 2 year anniversary for the blog than by making a tasty cake that was inspired by one of my favourite ever recipes - my Doughnut Macarons.

While I might cringe at the photos from back then, and remember how much I overcooked those macarons, I still love the idea. And the strawberry jam icing is one of my all-time favourites. Although I was tempted to make a cake that was topped with the little cute doughnut macs, I decided to make the cake itself look like a doughnut instead. It meant there was less waiting time between starting and me eating cake. A soft, moist Strawberry & Cinnamon bundt cake, smothered with that lovely Strawberry Jam Icing, topped with lots of colourful sprinkles. As a lover of all strawberry desserts, I knew I was going to have to use all my willpower to not eat the entire thing on my own.

I improvised a bit, basing the recipe on another fantastic bundt cake I've made before - the Blueberry Buttermilk Cake with Milk Chocolate Honey Ganache. I replaced the buttermilk and blueberries with sour cream and fresh pureed strawberries, plus a bit of cinnamon because it always makes me think of doughnuts. And while this cake might not actually have the same texture and flavour of a doughnut, it's so darn cute and bursting with strawberry goodness. The cake is gorgeous in texture and flavour, and the strawberry jam in the icing helps to enhance the flavour of strawberries already in the cake.

I also made another batch of the cake batter and poured it in to a cupcake tin so I could make mini doughnut cakes, that looked closer to the size of a real doughnut. These worked even better than I had hoped, golden and crunchy on the edges while still soft and luscious in the middle. And more icing for each bite of cake! You could make these in mini bundt tins if you life, but I just cut holes out of the middle of these cakes (and the holes made perfect-sized pieces for me to taste test :D).

It's crazy to think how much this blog has changed my life in these past two years. It's given me the opportunity to experience so many great moments, taught me so much about myself and other people, and most unexpectedly it's led me to make some wonderful friends who have become so close that it's hard to believe that they were once strangers on the internet. Hugs for everyone! It's also given me an extra insulating layer of flab thanks to all the butter, sugar and flour but let's not dwell on that :P

Anyways, please make this cake. It will make you happy. Though I'm slightly biased since it has all of my favourite things and I'm always happy after I bake. I'm so glad to have this blog so that I have somewhere to share all the baking insanity. It means I always have something to look forward to. And a perfectly good reason to bake lots of cakes.

Strawberry 'Doughnut' Bundt Cake
(Adapted from this recipe, makes one small bundt cake or 6 cupcakes)

Note: My bundt tin is smaller than most bundt tins, you may want to double the quantities below to ensure there's enough batter
80g softened butter
100 g (nearly 1/2 cup) caster sugar
1 eggs
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
150g plain flour, sieved
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda, sieved
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
A pinch of salt
1/4 cup sour cream
125g (1/2 punnet) strawberries, hulled and pureed

For the strawberry jam icing:
1 cup icing sugar, sifted,
60g butter
1/4 cup strawberry jam
A pinch of salt
Sprinkles, to decorate

Preheat oven to 160C (320F) and butter a bundt tin (I used a 20cm diameter pan), or 6 holes of a cupcake tray. Whisk strawberry puree in a medium bowl with sour cream and set aside. Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, then add vanilla extract. Meanwhile, sieve flour, cinnamon, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl with a pinch of salt. With mixer on low speed, add half the flour mixture, then half the strawberry mixture. Repeat, then spoon mixture into cake tin. Smooth top, then bake until cake is golden and an inserted skewer withdraws clean (45-50 minutes, less if using a flatter pan, about 20 mins for cupcakes). Cool in tin for 10 minutes, then invert onto a rack and cool completely.

If making cupcakes, you can use a small circle cutter to Remove butter from the fridge 30 mins before preparing icing. Place sifted icing sugar and butter in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add strawberry jam and salt and beat to combine. Use a spatula to ice the cake and top with sprinkles. Can be stored in an airtight container for a few days.