• It’s time for some hot cross fun! Try your hand at this utterly indulgent and absolutely perfect hot cross bundt. 

    Hot cross bundt

    Serves: a large Bundt
    Cooking Time: 3 hrs

    Ingredients

    • 250g cake flour
    • 5g instant dry yeast
    • 50g brown sugar
    • 10ml (2 tsp) ground cinnamon
    • 1,25ml (¼ tsp) ground nutmeg
    • 1,25ml (¼ tsp) cloves
    • 1,25ml (¼ tsp) allspice
    • pinch salt
    • 25g butter, melted
    • 1 large egg
    • 125ml (½ cup) full cream milk
    • + extra, if needed
    • 130g dark chocolate, chopped
    • RUM AND RAISIN SAUCE

    • 45ml (3 tbsp) rum
    • 60ml (4 tbsp) raisins
    • 250ml (1 cup) maple syrup
    • 60ml (4 tbsp) brown sugar
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) water
    • 30ml (2 tbsp) butter
    • GLAZE

    • 100g icing sugar, sieved
    • 20ml (4 tsp) lemon juice
    • good-quality vanilla ice cream, to serve

    Instructions

    1

    In a large bowl combine the flour, yeast, 50g brown sugar, spices and salt, and mix until incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk the 25g melted butter, egg and milk together. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until a sticky dough forms. Add extra milk to the dough, if needed – it should be soft and sticky.

    2

    Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead, 8 – 10 minutes, until it forms a smooth dough and when pressed, the dough springs back. Place the dough in a bowl and cover with cling film. Leave in a warm area to rise, 1 hour in the fridge.

    3

    When the dough has doubled in size, remove from bowl and knead in the chocolate. Preheat the oven to 70°C and place a roasting tray filled with water in the bottom of the oven. Grease a large bundt tin. Roll the dough out into a long cylinder and place it in the tin, seal the seam by pinching the ends together. Cover with cling film and place in the oven to prove, 30 minutes or until puffy and doubled in size. Remove from oven, then increase the heat to 180°C. Remove the cling film from the bundt and bake, 30 – 45 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

    4

    For the rum and raisin sauce, in a small bowl, soak the raisins in the rum, about 15 minutes. Whisk the maple syrup, 60ml (4 tbsp) sugar and the water together in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar has completely dissolved, then add the rum and raisins, along with the 30ml (2 tbsp) butter, and simmer over low heat, 2 – 3 minutes. Pour half of the sauce over the cake as it comes out of the oven and set the rest aside until needed.

    5

    For the glaze, mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice to form a thick glaze. Drizzle over the cooled bundt cake, and serve with the rum and raisin sauce and ice cream on the side.

    Imka Webb
    Author

    Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine.  www.imkawebb.com