Author Notes
Apart from being adorable—how can one-to-a-person baby Bundts be anything but?—these cakes are flavorful and easy to make. They've got a light, lovely mild chocolate crumb, a mid-level swirl of sugared walnuts, and a top glaze of dark chocolate. They have everything the big-size Bundts have, in Lilliputian proportions.
These cakes are made in a pan that has 6 miniature molds. Constructed like a 6-cup muffin pan, mini Bundt pans are available in kitchenware shops.
Serving: Have fun with these. Bring them to the table stacked in a pyramid or serve them on individual plates with some whipped cream—maybe even whipped cream topped with chocolate shavings—or circle each cake with chocolate sauce. Because milk chocolate is so mild, these cakes can be served with milk or hot cocoa or with steaming strong espresso.
Storing: Wrapped well, the cakes will keep for 2 days at room temperature or for up to 2 months in the freezer; thaw them in their wrapping. If the glaze dulls, as it undoubtedly will, just give it a shot of hot air from a hairdryer.
Recipe from Baking: From My Home to Yours (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006). —Dorie Greenspan
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Ingredients
- For the Swirl:
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3/4 cup
chopped walnuts or pecans
-
2 teaspoons
unsweetened cocoa powder
-
2 teaspoons
sugar
- For the Cake and the Glaze:
-
1 cup
all-purpose flour
-
1/2 teaspoon
baking powder
-
1/4 teaspoon
salt
-
1
stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
-
1/3 cup
sugar
-
1 cup
large egg
-
1/2 teaspoon
pure vanilla extract
-
1/2 cup
whole milk
-
7 ounces
premium-quality milk chocolate, melted and cooled
-
2 ounces
bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
-
2 teaspoons
light corn syrup
-
1 tablespoon
chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (optional)
Directions
-
Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Generously butter a 6-mold mini Bundt pan.
-
To make the swirl: Toss the nuts, cocoa, and sugar together in a small bowl.
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To make the cake: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
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Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute more, then beat in the vanilla. Don't be concerned if the mixture looks curdled—it will smooth out soon. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of the flour mixture, mixing only until it is incorporated. Add the milk, and when it is blended into the batter, add the remaining flour mixture, again mixing just to incorporate. Finally, add the melted milk chocolate and mix to blend.
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Fill each of the mini Bundt molds with a little batter, then divide the swirl ingredients evenly among the molds and top off the Bundts with the remaining batter.
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Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the centers of the cakes come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and allow the cakes to rest for 5 minutes, then invert them onto the rack and let them cool to room temperature.
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To make the glaze: Melt the bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of water or in a microwave oven (which I think is more convenient for such a small quantity of chocolate). Stir in the corn syrup. Using a small offset metal spatula or a table knife, spread the shiny glaze over the tops of the Bundts, then scatter the nuts, if you're using them, over the glaze. Let the glaze set at room temperature; it will take about 15 minutes.
With the publication her 14th book, Baking with Dorie, New York Times bestselling author Dorie Greenspan marks her thirtieth anniversary as a cookbook author. She has won five James Beard Awards for her cookbooks and journalism and was inducted into the Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America. A columnist for the New York Times Magazine and the author of the xoxoDorie newsletter on Bulletin, Dorie was recently awarded an Order of Agricultural Merit from the French government for her outstanding writing on the foods of that country. She lives in New York City, Westbrook, Connecticut, and Paris. You can find Dorie on Instagram, Facebook, Bulletin and her website,
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