Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Mini Bundt Cakes

Sorry it's taken me so long to post these! I made these mini bundt cakes a couple of weeks ago to use up some overripe bananas I had. They've got a Pralinutta (same as Nutella but cheaper) "ganache" (really just warmed up Pralinutta with some water added) on top! The cakes came out so moist and delicious.

One of the best things about this recipe is that it's very versatile. You can add so many different things to it and have it still come out delicious. And, it doesn't have milk! I didn't have milk on hand at the time, so I was very excited to find this recipe.

Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Mini Bundt Cakes (adapted from Serious Eats)

• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter (I used I Can't Believe Its Not Butter)
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 c. sour cream or plain yogurt (I used Strawberry Banana Yoplait because it's what I had on hand)
• 3 oz chopped chocolate (I of course used half a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease mini bundt cake tin with baking spray (I use Crisco Baking Spray). Beat butter with mixer until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then the egg, beating for about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the banana mash. Finally, mix in half the dry ingredients (don't be surprised if the batter curdles), all the sour cream or yogurt, and then the rest of the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate by hand. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake the little cakes for about 28 to 32 minutes (my oven cooks faster then this, I just always take them out when I can smell them). Transfer the tin to a cooling rack for around 3 minutes, then gently turn them out of the tin (I place a clean dish towel on top of the tin, then flip quickly and carefully onto the table). Cool to room temperature on a rack. The cakes will keep at room temperature if stored tightly for 2 to 3 days, or you can freeze them for up to 2 months.

Happy Baking!

Chocolate Hazelnut Nutella Mini Bundt Cakes

These were made for my friend Becca's 21st birthday party. They're chocolate hazelnut Nutella mini bundt cakes with Nutella, tiramisu mascarpone cheese, fresh raspberries, and homemade raspberry sauce on top. I got the idea from Passionate About Baking, but tweaked it a bit to suit my needs.

For the cakes, rather than follow Deeba's recipe, I decided to use a box of chocolate cake mix that I had in the pantry. I added to it some chopped toasted hazelnuts, a cup of strong espresso, some chocolate chips, and Nutella. 

To make the raspberry sauce for the tops of the cupcakes, I simply heated a jar of sugar free raspberry jam over the stove. You can add in whatever you like to it at this point, so I added a teaspoon each of rum extract and vanilla extract. I also added about 2 tablespoons of orange liqueur (I used Paula's Texas Orange). Then you strain the seed out of the jam, and you're left with a fabulous sauce that is also great on ice cream!

Then, I just assembled the cakes by putting Nutella in the center of the cakes and somewhat on the top, then a dollop of tiramisu mascarpone (it's infused with espresso, making it perfect for tiramisu), then a fresh raspberry, and a drizzle of sauce!

Chocolate Hazelnut Nutella Cake

• 1 box of chocolate cake mix
• 1 cup of toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup of strongly brewed coffee (I used instant espresso granules)
• 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 small jars of Nutella
• 1 tub of tiramisu mascarpone cheese
• fresh raspberries
• raspberry sauce (see recipe below)

Prepare chocolate cake mix according to instructions, substituting the coffee for part of the water. Stir in hazelnuts, chocolate chips, and one jar of Nutella. Bake according to instructions on box. Garnish with Nutella, mascarpone, raspberries, and sauce. 

Raspberry Sauce

• 1 small jar of raspberry jam (I used sugar free just because)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp imitation rum extract
• 2 tbsp orange liqueur (I used Paula's Texas Orange)

Heat jam in saucepan over medium low heat until viscous. Stir in vanilla, rum extract, and liqueur. Strain with mesh strainer to remove seeds and pulp. Refrigerate until needed. 

Unfortunately, this may be my last post for a little while. Why? Because we're moving!!!!! Yes, we're finally moving out of this duplex and into a house! So no cupcaking for at least a month since we need to save up for deposits and whatnot, and also we'll be settling into our new place. Updates will come as soon as they're available.

P.S. 22 followers? Really??? You guys are AWESOME!!!