I promised you that I would post pictures of the new cake stands I got right?
Well, the mini cupcake stands proved to be even MORE useful because they are the perfect size for mini bundt cakes! Back in March, I got a mini bundt cake pan as a gift, and I’ve been dying to use it. The combo of having tiny stands and guilt at having not used the bundt cake pan made it the perfect time time to create these beauties.
I tried two different methods of prepping the pan to make it easier to get the cakes out after they had baked and cooled.
The first was from the Cook’s Illustrated cookbook. I melted butter, mixed it with cocoa paste, and then painstakingly brushed the inside of each cake hole (that sounds weird) with the cocoa paste. The theory is that it works like a flour/butter combo, but it won’t leave white flour residue on the black cake.
Now, this sounded like one of those awesome tricks that America’s Test Kitchen dreams up that changes your life in the kitchen and makes you feel like a better cook, so I did it with three of the cakes (out of a six cake pan).
For the other three, I just sprayed them with Pam.
Guess which one worked better?
The fancy cocoa paste cakes had to be pried out of the pan, getting torn up in the process, and the Pam cakes slid right out looking perfect. This is why only 3 of the 6 made it into the pictures.
Now, in America’s Test Kitchen’s defense, the recipe was for one big bundt cake, and it could have been that the cracks and crevices were too small in the mini pan.
I will still obsessively follow and buy everything they come out with, because 99 times out of 100 they get it perfect!
Do you like Cook’s Illustrated?
The recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate that is melted with boiling water. Because I didn’t let it sit for long enough, a couple little pieces of the chocolate didn’t melt, and those bites were my favorite. I think next time I will add chocolate chips.
But that’s the only thing I would change.
I chose the golden raspberries because they are available at my local farmer’s market right now and they’re just so pretty! They taste almost like the red version. I think you would be hard pressed to find a berry that didn’t taste good with this chocolate bundt cake recipe. It’s light and moist and just the right amount of chocolatey.
Sprinkling sifted powdered sugar over them and then filling the center with a piling heap of berries is so easy, but looks so elegant and tastes wonderful!
I learned something interesting about bundt cakes and angel food cakes in a recent issue of Cook’s Illustrated Magazine. Apparently, the hole is as much functional as it is decorative. There is a lower proportion of flour in recipes for these delicate cakes. Because of this, less gluten is formed during mixing, which is what holds the dough together. The dough needs the extra surface area to rise in the oven and stay up as it cools.
If you were to bake this recipe in a normal cake pan, it would collapse on itself!
So no cheating! It’s a great excuse to go out and get one of these adorable mini bundt cake pans yourself.
This recipe will make 9 mini bundt cakes or double it to make 1 large bundt cake in a 12 cup pan.
Or…
You can just do what I did and use one 6 cake min pan and bake the rest in a mini muffin tin so you can snack on those while you’re waiting for the bundt cakes to cool…
Enjoy.
- ¼ cup + 2 tbl cocoa powder
- 6 tbl unsalted butter, softened
- 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- ½ tsp instant espresso powder
- ¼ cup + 2 tbl boiling water
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1¼ cup + 2 tbl all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2½ large eggs, room temperature (You can scramble one with a fork and pour in half the volume for the ½ egg.)
- Confectioner's sugar
- Raspberries or berries of your choice.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Combine cocoa, chocolate, and espresso in a medium heat proof bowl. Pour boiling water over mixture, cover, and let sit for five minutes. Whisk to fully combine and melt chocolate mixture. Set aside and let cool to room tempurature, then whisk in sour cream.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda.
- In bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, sugar, and vanilla extract, using paddle attachment, on medium - high speed about 3 minutes, or until pale and fluffy.
- Add eggs, 1 and a time, not adding the next until the last is fully combined.
- Switch mixer to lowest speed and add the flour in three additions, alternating with two additions of chocolate mixture. Don't add the next addition until the last is fully incorporated.
- Be sure to scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula occasionally, and give the batter a few final stirs by hand before adding to the pan.
- Pour batter into pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.
- Let the pan cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then invert on wire rack and cool to room temperature.
- dust with sifted powdered sugar, and fill center with berries.
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The cake stands are beautiful, as well as the finished cakes! I love the way the golden raspberries look on the chocolate. Too bad I gave away my mini bundt cake pan a few years back after never using it (it was free, so at least I didn’t lose any $). If only I had known…
Thanks Christine! I always do that. I throw stuff away if I don’t use it for too long, and then I regret it. I guess it’s better than being a hoarder right?
P.S. Love the new blog look!
so cute! your pics are really clear and vibrant! love you!
Thanks, Juliann!
I need those cake stands! SO cool.
Oh my gosh, it looks pretty!! 😀 Thanks for the recipe. Would love to make this soon 😉
Thanks! You won’t be disappointed if you do!
Those golden raspberries are so pretty – I don’t think I’ve ever seen them before. And I love bundt cakes. I’ve found you just have to butter the heck out of the bundt pan – that always works for me 😉 I’m curious about using Pam now though! Love the new look of the blog. It’s very calm and peaceful – and love the way you did your Popover lettering on your last post. Come over to Home is Where the Cookies Are if you have a sec. We’re doing a gourmet cookie giveaway. I’d love one of my blog pals to win!
Thanks, Sara! I just entered 🙂 Sorry it took me so long, the last 10 days were crazy! I was in two weddings, one out of town, and I got my wisdom teeth out! I’m excited to be back to blogging now!