Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes With Easter Surprise Inside
These mini chocolate bundt cakes are perfect for Spring baking & gifting. Quick & easy egg & butter-free chocolate orange bundt cake recipe, than can be vegan too. Topped with a simple chocolate orange glaze (with/without Baileys Orange Truffle liqueur) to cover up your chosen kind of mini Easter egg surprise inside.
Equipment
- Scales or measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Small Jug (optional)
- Medium or Large mixing bowl
- Stand or Hand Mixer (not essential)
- Sieve
- 12-hole Mini Bundt Tin (or 12 individual mini silicone bundt cases - see notes)
- Timer or Phone Timer
- Cooling rack
- Mixing spoon(s)
- Wooden Cocktail stick
- Clean Tea-towel
- Citrus peeler (optional, I used a sharp knife)
Ingredients
For The Chocolate Cakes
- 209 grams Plain Flour (7¼ oz, 1⅔ cups - All Purpose Flour. For Self-raising Flour, please see notes).
- 100 grams Granulated Sugar (3½ oz, ½ cup, see notes for alternatives)
- 100 grams Light Brown Sugar (3½ oz, ½ cup, see notes for alternatives)
- 31 grams Cocoa Powder, sieved (1 oz, ¼ cup)
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda (Baking Soda)
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Espresso Powder (For Instant coffee granules use 1½ tsp)
- 80 ml Vegetable Oil (2¾ fl oz, ⅓ cup – or any neutral oil)
- 1¼ tsp Vinegar (any kind)
- Orange Zest (Of one orange, optional)
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract Or Vanilla bean paste. Try some Homemade Vanilla Extract)
- 240 ml Milk (8 fl oz, 1 cup – Any milk, lactose/dairy free or vegan alternative all work. See notes below)
For Filling & Decoration
- 188 grams Icing Sugar, sieved (6½ oz, 1½ cups Powdered sugar)
- 4½ tsp Cocoa powder, sieved
- 1¼ tsp Orange Extract
- 1½ tsp Baileys Orange Truffle Flavour Liqueur (Or any Baileys flavour, optional)
- 5¼ tsp Milk (any kind, or water - ***not exact amount - see instructions)
- Mini Easter eggs, chocolate candy (Any kind but smaller fit better, or cut in half, see notes)
- Easter/Spring or pastel coloured sprinkles (optional)
- Orange/Tangerine Peel (optional for decoration)
- Matchmakers - Zingy Orange Flavours (optional)
Instructions
Prepare Cake Batter
- Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), salt, cocoa & espresso coffee powder, into the mixing bowl, whilst mixing together as you pass them through the sieve.
- Add the 2 sugars,mix together, & then add in the vegetable oil, vinegar, vanilla, orange extract, and orange zest.
- Mix on low speed & very gradually add in the milk, beating well till all milk is added & the batter is relatively thin.
- Pre-heat theoven to: 180°c/160°c Fan Oven/350°f/Gas Mark 4.
Prepare The Bundt Tins
- Well grease the mini bundt pan/tins with butter & flour, cake release spray, homemade lining paste (cake goop) or I like to use Frylight cooking spray for smaller bundts.
Bake The Mini Bundt Cakes
- Divide the cake batter into the prepared mini bundt cups, tap a few times on the worktop/counter, before popping in the centre of the oven to bake for about 15 – 18 minutes till a cocktail stick comes out clean of crumbs.
- Leave the mini cakes to cool for 5 minutes on a cooling rack. Then place parchment/baking paper on top, hold all together, turn over, for the bundts to be upside-down on the cooling rack & leave to cool for 20-30 minutes. Cool individual mini bundts in this same, upside-down position, flat side down, as it helps the cakes sit better.
- Tap the tin to release the cakes (push a cocktail stick through the centre hole if your tins have it, or run around the edges, to help release the cakes if needed. See my video for methods of releasing mini silicone bundt cakes.) Leave to cool while preparing the decoration. *Alternatively, leave for 1 hour before placing on paper in an airtight container/cake tin.
Prepare The Chocolate Orange Glaze
- Sieve icing/powdered sugar and cocoa powder over a medium bowl, mix together, add orange extract, and Baileys Orange Truffle Liqueur (if using) & mix through.
- Add 1 tbsp of milk to begin & use a metal spoon to make a thick paste, then very gradually add more milk, ½ tsp at a time, going down to ¼ or ⅛ tsp until you have a thick but pourable glaze. Taste test as you go and add more orange or Baileys if needed (¼ tsp at a time).
Fill & Decorate Bundts
- Fill the centre of the mini bundts with mini chocolate eggs, or Easter candy, that will fit without sticking out the top.
- Working on baking/parchment paper, spoon a tsp of icing/glaze on top of the egg, letting it fall down & come to near the top. Either spoon more glaze on top, making a neat circle, or use a bit more and let it drip down the sides. Use the end of spoon to encourage the thick glaze down if need be.
- Decorate one bundt cake at a time, and before the glaze has set, add sprinkles, broken Matchmakers Zingy Orange sticks on top, or some orange peel curls on top as decoration. Leave to set while you decorate the next cake.
- Leave to set at room temperature or in the fridge for about 30-45 minutes.
Serving & Storage
- Serve shortly after making or store in an airtight container/metal tin, on baking/parchment paper. Will be fine at room temperature if not too warm, for 3 or 4 days.
- Undecorated cakes, will be fine at room temperature for 3 or 4 days, and up to 3 months if frozen1. Wrap well individually, in paper & clingfilm/plastic wrap, placed in a freezer container or food bag, preferably at the back of the freezer, to avoid exposure to heat when the freezer door is opened2.
Notes
Sugar - I used a 50/50 mix of white granulated and light brown sugar. But any combination of granulated, caster sugar (super/extra fine sugar), light brown, dark brown, and coconut sugar, all work well.
Flour - recipe was originally developed using Plain/All Purpose flour, but I often make with UK Self-raising flour too. For that instance, don't add any bicarbonate of soda or vinegar. If you have US Self-rising (that has little less baking powder than UK Self-raising), add ¼ tsp Bicarbonate of Soda/Baking Soda & ½ tsp vinegar.
Vanilla Extract - this really is much better than vanilla essence or 'vanilla flavouring'. But quality vanilla extract is very expensive, so I now make my own. See my guide to Homemade Vanilla Extract & All You Need To Know.
Baileys - Baileys Orange Truffle Liqueur is optional, and original Baileys could also be used.
Milk - any kind of milk, and lactose-free milk, all work well in this recipe and can be made completely vegan.
Chocolate Glaze - makes enough for 12 fully filled & dripped bundts. For 12 cakes just filled and topped, use: 156g (5½ oz, 1¼ cups) Icing/Powdered Sugar, 3¾ tsp Cocoa Powder, 1 tsp Orange Extract, 1¼ tsp Baileys, and about 4 tsp milk. To completely cover the cakes, increase the original recipe ingredients by ⅓. ***Don’t make too far ahead of time as the glaze will start to harden and be more difficult to use.
Versatile Recipe - the base chocolate cake recipe is very versatile, can be used for cupcakes (see my Chocolate Cardamon Cupcakes With Espresso Buttercream), or as a Layer Cake (Butter & Egg-free Chocolate Layer Cake). But the ingredients can also be changed up according to what you have in your cupboard. Flour, sugar & milk can all be changed, and made vegan, dairy-free or lactose-free, (please notes & information before Recipe Card).
Hand measured ingredient conversions - all my recipes have grams, ounce & cup measurements, that I personally document & test during recipe development. Here is my Handy Conversion Table Of Common Baking Ingredients. Or my Differences Between UK & US Baking Ingredients Article.
**Please see Step-By-Step Instructions before this Recipe Card for more details.
Oven Temperature Conversions Table
More Easter & Spring Baking Recipes
Try the same base chocolate recipe to make this Air Fryer Black Forest Gateau
Or try my Victoria Sandwich Cake For Beginners
Caroline's Easy Baking Lessons
References: 1, 2 Freezeit.co.uk @ "https://www.freezeit.co.uk/can-you-freeze-chocolate-cake/"
**Nutritional Values – I am not a qualified nutritionist, and all values, are approximate, via website ‘MyFitnessPal.com’, per serving of 1 decorated mini bundt cake, assuming 12 equal servings from the batch. Filled with one Cadbury Mini Egg, chocolate glaze & top with glaze. Values will be less if less glaze & eggs are used.
Vanilla Extract - this really is much better than vanilla essence or 'vanilla flavouring'. But quality vanilla extract is very expensive, so I now make my own. See my guide to Homemade Vanilla Extract & All You Need To Know.
Baileys - Baileys Orange Truffle Liqueur is optional, and original Baileys could also be used.
Milk - any kind of milk, and lactose-free milk, all work well in this recipe and can be made completely vegan.
Chocolate Glaze - makes enough for 12 fully filled & dripped bundts. For 12 cakes just filled and topped, use: 156g (5½ oz, 1¼ cups) Icing/Powdered Sugar, 3¾ tsp Cocoa Powder, 1 tsp Orange Extract, 1¼ tsp Baileys, and about 4 tsp milk. To completely cover the cakes, increase the original recipe ingredients by ⅓. ***Don’t make too far ahead of time as the glaze will start to harden and be more difficult to use.
Versatile Recipe - the base chocolate cake recipe is very versatile, can be used for cupcakes (see my Chocolate Cardamon Cupcakes With Espresso Buttercream), or as a Layer Cake (Butter & Egg-free Chocolate Layer Cake). But the ingredients can also be changed up according to what you have in your cupboard. Flour, sugar & milk can all be changed, and made vegan, dairy-free or lactose-free, (please notes & information before Recipe Card).
Hand measured ingredient conversions - all my recipes have grams, ounce & cup measurements, that I personally document & test during recipe development. Here is my Handy Conversion Table Of Common Baking Ingredients. Or my Differences Between UK & US Baking Ingredients Article.
**Please see Step-By-Step Instructions before this Recipe Card for more details.
Oven Temperature Conversions Table
More Easter & Spring Baking Recipes
Try the same base chocolate recipe to make this Air Fryer Black Forest Gateau
Or try my Victoria Sandwich Cake For Beginners
Caroline's Easy Baking Lessons
References: 1, 2 Freezeit.co.uk @ "https://www.freezeit.co.uk/can-you-freeze-chocolate-cake/"
**Nutritional Values – I am not a qualified nutritionist, and all values, are approximate, via website ‘MyFitnessPal.com’, per serving of 1 decorated mini bundt cake, assuming 12 equal servings from the batch. Filled with one Cadbury Mini Egg, chocolate glaze & top with glaze. Values will be less if less glaze & eggs are used.
Nutrition Facts
Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes With Easter Surprise Inside
Serving Size
1 Cake
Amount per Serving
Calories
283
% Daily Value*
Fat
9
g
14
%
Saturated Fat
2
g
13
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
4
g
Monounsaturated Fat
2
g
Cholesterol
2
mg
1
%
Sodium
1247
mg
54
%
Potassium
164
mg
5
%
Carbohydrates
50
g
17
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
36
g
40
%
Protein
3
g
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.