Bundt with a new attitude...

I saw a cake recipe a few weeks ago that I wanted to make before the holidays, but between all of the gift baking, shopping and vistors I never got around to it. This Glazed Chocolate-Pumpkin Bundt Cake would have made for a fine Thanksgiving dessert, but I think it could also be a refreshing change to an ordinary chocolate bundt cake you may make any time of the year.

Instead of using a lot of oil, this cake stays exceptionally moist from the use of mashed pumpkin. Besides making the cake much lighter, it also lends a mild pumpkin flavor in the background which compliments the spices used. You could use pumpkin pie spice, but I like using the individual spices as I find it adds a touch more oomph. While the original recipe calls for light corn syrup, I used Lyle's Golden Syrup instead - besides adding sweetness, it brings a caramel/burnt sugar depth to the cake. Buttermilk is used for tenderness and brought an enjoyable tang. Wait until right before you wish to serve the cake to make the glaze, made simply from confectioners' sugar and buttermilk. If you drizzle it on too early, the cake may absorb the striking contrast between the dark cake and the light glaze. For a fun garnish, mini chocolate chips are sprinkled on top right after the glaze is drizzled so they have something to stick to - toasted chopped nuts would also be an appropriate choice.

We've made chilaquiles before, but this one swaps out a few ingredients and was a bit more filling due to the addition of shredded chicken. Instead of using an enchilada sauce, this recipe for Black Bean and Chicken Chilaquiles calls for a mixture of chicken broth and salsa de chile fresco - a spicy Mexican style tomato sauce. I had a hard time finding this, but I might have been looking in the wrong place... I finally located it after looking in a few stores and found out that the common brand is from El Pato. This dish is made from layers of white corn tortillas, a mixture of onions, garlic, shredded chicken, black beans and the broth/salsa combination. Before you set this in the oven to bake, a generous coating of queso blanco is added on top. This is a mild fresh white cheese that stays soft and creamy when heated - if you have trouble finding this, you could use a farmers or pot cheese but that may change the intended flavor a bit. As long as you let it rest for a few minutes, it can be cut into clean squares. We did think it could have used a bit more heat and some cilantro... but, we ended up topping our portions with just a dollop of sour cream for a cool tangy bite.

Recipes
Glazed Chocolate-Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Black Bean and Chicken Chilaquiles