Nutty, Chocolaty, Swirly Sour Cream Bundt Cake

I was going through my baking books, and realized that it has been a while since I last baked from Dorie Greenspan's book. With a few new books on my shelf, I guess that Dorie's book has taken a temporary backseat! As usual, this is another winning recipe from Dorie. I have a cup of sour cream which I need to use up, as my fridge is giving me problems. It has served me well for fifteen years and I guess that it's time is up! My new fridge is coming soon! It is much bigger and I really can't wait  for it to arrive! 

This cake is really good, with the sweet aroma of the cinnamon, which I use only half a teaspoon as I think that 2-1/2 teaspoons is too much. Cinnamon is a very strong sweet smelling spice, so a little goes a long way! I replaced the grated nutmeg with just a little amount of ground nutmeg instead. And as usual, I reduced the sugar, which turns out just right. The mixture of walnuts, raisins, choc chips, sugar and spices is really nice. It blends well with the vanilla bundt cake and really good with a cup of tea.

I'm sharing this lovely cake with
Cookbook Sunday over at Mom's Sunday Cafe
Potluck Sunday over at Mommy's Kitchen
Full Plate Thursday over at Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Nutty, Chocolaty, Swirly Sour Cream Bundt Cake
(adapted from "Baking From My Home To Yours" by Dorie Greenspan)
For The Swirl :
1/2 cup sugar (I use 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, or 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
1/3 cup plump, moist raisins (dark or golden) or dried currants
2-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I use 1/2 teaspoon)
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (I use 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg)
pinch of salt

For The Cake :
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cups sugar (I use 180gm)
grated zest of 1 orange
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional)

Getting Ready :

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9- to 10-inch (12 cup) Bundt pan, dust the interior with flour and tap out the excess. (If you've got a silicone Bundt pan, there's no need to butter or flour it.) Don't place the Bundt pan on a baking sheet - you want the oven's heat to circulate freely through the Bundt's inner tube.

To Make The Swirl :
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix.

To Make The Cake :

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Working in the bowl of a stand mixer or in another large bowl, rub the sugar and zest together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the butter. With the paddle or whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat on medium speed for 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the sour cream. Still working on low, add the dry ingredients and mix only until they disappear into the batter.

Give the batter a last stir or two with a rubber spatula (just to make sure all the dry ingredients are properly incorporated), then scoop about one third of the batter into the Bundt pan. Evenly sprinkle on half of the swirl mixture, then spoon in the rest of the batter. Make a shallow indentation with the back of a spoon in the center of the ring of batter and fill it with the remaining swirl mixture, then cover the mixture lightly with the batter on the sides of the indentation - the batter probably won't cover the mixture completely, and that's fine.

Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the cake rest for 10 minutes before unmoulding it onto the rack to cool to room temperature.

Just before serving, dust the cake with confectioners' sugar, if desired.