Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes

It's time to get back to dessert! Valentine's Day is a few days away and we should have more chocolate for the occasion. You can't go wrong with a classic so let's have chocolate cake! I put my mini bundt cake pan to use and made a couple of mini chocolate bundt cakes to share with my Valentines (that would be my husband and our rapidly-growing 9 year old). We love simple, straight-up chocolate cake - it never gets old, it just has to be good.

Ingredients

For cakes:

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped very finely
1/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons boiling water
3 tablespoons sour cream, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup (1 2/3 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup packed (2 1/3 ounces) light brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature

For ganache glaze (optional):

1 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set a rack in the middle position. Coat the inside of two 1-cup bundt pans with baking spray. [I used a mini bundt pan that makes 6 small cakes with a total 5-cup capacity. I prepped two of the cavities. If doubling this recipe, divide batter among 5 bundts.]
Place chocolate, espresso powder and cocoa into a small bowl. Pour boiling water over top, cover, and let sit until chocolate is melted, 3-5 minutes. Gently whisk mixture until smooth (if necessary, you could warm the mixture on half-power in the microwave for a few seconds). Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt together.
Using a hand-held mixer (or proceed by hand like I did using a wooden spoon and rubber spatula), beat brown sugar and softened butter in a medium bowl until sugar is moistened. On medium-high speed, beat until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add egg and beat until combined (the batter may look slightly curdled). Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 2 increments, alternating with the chocolate mixture.

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