Black Hole Bundt Cake

Since our days in graduate school, my husband and I have had an ongoing, friendly argument about which is more awesome, neutron stars or black holes. In fact, people who lived along around our walking route told us they heard us debating this through their open windows as we went to and from work each day. After 25 years of marriage we may be no closer to settling that debate, but we can both agree that this black hole bundt cake is a winner. I hope you enjoy it too!

Step 1: Gather the Ingredients*

1 stick butter (1/2 cup) at room tempreature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup raisins

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (sweetened okay, see note in step 2)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup plain yogurt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp coconut extract (vanilla okay, see note in step 3)

*Kitchen chicken is not an ingredient, but my trusty helper (great for holding open cookbooks, watching over eggs, and for providing a pop of color to photos.)

Step 2: Pan and Filling Preparations

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Spray bundt pan with non-stick spray
3. Put raisins and coconut flakes in food processor with bottom blade
4. Process until mixed
5. Depending on the moisture in your raisins, add 2-4 TBSP of water until mixture blends into a moist paste (*NOTE: if you use sweetened coconut you may not need much, if any, water)
6. Gather raisin/coconut paste into a bowl for use later

Step 3: Mix Sugar and Wet Ingredients

1. Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl and mix together with a hand whisk
2. Mix in eggs
3. Mix in yogurt and extract (coconut or vanilla) until well combined

Step 4: Stir in Dry Ingredients

1. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and stir
2. Add these dry ingredients to wet batter and stir until well combined
3. Divide final batter in half while in the bowl

Step 5: Layer Batter and Filling

1. Spread half of the batter into the bundt pan
2. Layer the raisin/coconut filling in a ring around the center of the batter
3. Spoon the remaining half of the batter on top of the filling and gently smooth to completely cover without disturbing the filling (*NOTE: Your fingers work well for this last step)

Step 6: Bake and Invert

1. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes (It is done when a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean)
2. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes
3. Gently loosen outer and inner edges with a think knife or spoon
4. Place a serving plate on top of pan and gently invert onto plate

Step 7: Optional: Sugar Dusting

Cake can be served as it is. Or, you can dust the top with powdered sugar using a fine mesh strainer.

Let cake cool completely before dusting with sugar.

If you do not have powdered sugar (as I typically do not) you can make your own by processing granular sugar in a food processor with the bottom blade until powdered.) Here I processed about 1/2 cup of sugar.

Step 8: Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this black hole bundt cake that was inspired by my family's love of the Cosmos. It travels very well, and can be eaten without plate or fork, making it great at parties. And, perhaps it will spark a discussion about black holes with your family and friends.