Chocolate Bourbon Mini Bundt #BundtaMonth

Welcome back to #BundtaMonth, a monthly celebration of all things Bundt hosted by Cake Duchess and Baker Street.  I am happy to join this group with my contribution for the December theme of boozy cakes: the chocolate bourbon mini Bundt.

I started with this recipe from Family Circle for their Chocolate Bourbon Cake and intended to change the shape slightly by using a mini Bundt pan.  Little did I know that I’d make the recipe my own through a mistake: I cut the recipe ingredients in half to fill my three small Bundt pans…but I neglected to cut the liquid measurement in half. The Family Circle recipe states that the batter will be thin, but the batter I made was so thin that it resembled something closer to chocolate water rather than chocolate cake batter. I added some flour and kept going, putting the Bundts in the oven and hoping for the best.

And with a bit of luck, these cakes turned out to be something I’d want to make again! Do not expect a fluffy cake, this creation is a dense chocolate cake, close in texture to fudge. The bourbon taste is present in an obvious way, yet it is tempered by the chocolate and espresso so that it is not overwhelming. The icing glaze topped with a chocolate drizzle finishes this dessert with flair.

I do think I’ll try Family Circle’s recipe again, following it line by line. If you try it, let me know. For now, though, I am eating my way through this pretty cake and plan to use the second two mini Bundts for cake truffles which would make sweet Christmas gifts for friends and neighbors.

Ingredients: (as adapted from Family Circle’s recipe)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup freshly brewed espresso
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup bourbon
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
2 Tablespoons milk
a few ounces of semi-sweet chocolate (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare mini Bundt pans with baking spray and dust with cocoa powder.
1. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
2. In a medium saucepan combine the water, espresso, bourbon and butter. Heat until the butter melts then take off heat and whisk in the sugar.  Cool slightly.
3. After the liquid mixture cools for 5-10 minutes, whisk in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour mixture right into the saucepan, whisking continuously.
4. Pour into the Bundt pans and bake for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes then invert the cake. Cool completely.
5. Glaze: Combine the confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup and milk. Whisk until smooth. It helps to put the small cakes on a wire rack sitting over a parchment or foil lined baking tray. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake. Allow it to set at room temperature or put the cake in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. melt the chocolate and drizzle over the cake.

Need some more inspiration? Check out these beautiful Bundts!

Araby Spice-Limoncello Bundt Cake with Limoncello Glaze by Lora from Cake Duchess

Bailey's and Buttershots Bundt Cake by Karen from In The Kitchen With KP

Banana Pineapple Bundt Cake with Coconut Rum Glaze by Carrie from Poet In The Pantry

Chocolate Bourbon Mini Bundt by Holly from A Baker's House

Chocolate Port Bundt Cake by Paula from Vintage Kitchen

Eggnog Rum Pound Cake by Dorothy from Shockingly Delicious

Madeira Pound Bundt Cake by Renee from Magnolia Days

Mint Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Creme de Menthe by Laura from The Spiced Life

Shirley Temple Bundt Cake Kim Beaulieu | Cravings Of A Lunatic

Spiked Eggnog Bundt Cake with Bourbon Glaze by Kate from Food Babbles

Sweet Potato Bourbon Bundt by Jennie from The Messy Baker Blog

Long Island Iced TeaCake by Deb from Knitstamatic

Rum and Raisin Butter Bundt with Rum Honey Glaze by Stacy from Food Lust People Love

Tiramisu Bundt Cake with Kahlúa Mascarpone Glaze by Anuradha from Baker Street

Vanilla and Bourbon Cake by Kate from Diet Hood

Vanilla Mini Bundt Cakes with Kahlúa by Alice from Hip Foodie Mom

Here's how you can be a part of Bundt-a-Month:

- Get inspired by your favorite cocktail, mocktail or just use your favorite liqueur and bake us a Bundt for Boozy December.

- Post it before December 31, 2012.

- Use the #BundtAMonth hashtag in your title. (For ex: title should read #BundtAMonth: Chocolate Cinnamon Bundt)

- Add your entry to the Linky tool below

- Link back to both Lora and Anuradha’s announcement posts.

Follow Bundt-a-Month on Facebook where we feature all our gorgeous bundt cakes. Or head over to our Pinterest board for inspiration and choose from over 350 Bundt cake recipes.

Link up Here: