Mocha Cinnamon Mini Bundt Cakes

Some people are a bit weirded out by the melody of chocolate and cinnamon, but most people are intoxicated by it. Don’t hesitate to try it, especially if you’re a chocolate lover. A little cinnamon never hurt anyone- and as its proponents know all too well, it does wonders when combined with the magical duo of chocolate and coffee. It’s the crazy threesome of the baking world.

Cake:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon (use Vietnamese if possible)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
2 tablespoons espresso powder (or instant coffee granules)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk (or almond milk)
2 eggs
2/3 cup cinnamon chips (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine flour, white and brown sugars, cinnamon and baking soda in a medium bowl.

3. Melt the butter in microwave in a medium bowl, and then beat together with cocoa, water and coffee/espresso.

4. Add half of the dry ingredients mixture to the butter/cocoa mixture, and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla, milk, and eggs, beating on medium speed for 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the rest of the dry ingredients, mixing until well blended (2 minutes).

5. Pour into greased mini bundt cake moulds (or large muffin tins), and bake for 15 – 18 minutes (until cake tester comes out almost clean, with just a few moist crumbs attached).

6. Cool in bundt cake pans on a wire rack, and then eat immediately (!) or cover with icing recipe below. Then indulge. (Really, though, store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a few days; the cake will just get more wonderfully moist.)

Mocha Cinnamon Icing:

3 tablespoons melted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons strongly brewed coffee or espresso
2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

1. Beat all ingredients on medium speed until smooth (adding additional coffee if you prefer a thinner icing, or additional confectioners’ sugar if you prefer it stiff and thick).

2. Pour over mini bundt cakes (or muffins) and sprinkle cinnamon chips on top (if using).

Tips:
- Don’t have mini bundt cake pans? Don’t bother buying them. Just pour the batter into muffin tins for just less than the 15 – 18 minute recommended time, or into a 9 x 13 cake pan for 18 minutes.
- Don’t have cinnamon chips? It’s okay- either use mini chocolate chips or nothing at all. Really, chips aren’t needed- but these ones do taste fantastic. I order them online from King Arthur Flour here.
- Not a cinnamon lover? That’s okay, we don’t all have a tablespoon of it in our cereal every morning (like I do, for real). Just thought of something- you could use cappuccino chips instead of the cinnamon chips, and forego the cinnamon altogether in this recipe- in both the cake, the icing, and the chips.
- Really love cinnamon? Add 1/2 cup of cinnamon chips to the batter before poring into your pans. And as for the reference to Vietnamese cinnamon in the recipe, here’s the scoop: it’s much sweeter & spicier than your average cinnamon. Don’t you deserve a sweeter and spicier cake?
- The icing consistency… I think icing is always a matter of personal preference, but here’s the thing for this recipe- if you’re using the mini bundt cake pans, you’ll want a thinner icing so it can ooze over the sides of the cake (and drip into a nice little puddle underneath your wire cooling rack, which becomes open game to eat). Make sure to sprinkle the cinnamon chips on the top of the cake before the icing has set, so don’t pour the icing and stand back to admire the lava flow of chocolate. If you are using muffin tins or another cake pan, you might like your icing thicker, rather than pourable like honey or molasses. Just add icing sugar until you reach the consistency you’re looking for.
- What’s with the almond milk? We prefer it at home instead of the regular stuff, although I usually bake with regular milk. I didn’t realize I was out of the cow stuff until I had already committed to the recipe (at least mentally) so used the almond kind instead. You can’t tell the difference. So this recipe is one step closer to being vegan, except for that darned butter. One day I’ll try an oil or shortening version and let you know if it’s palatable.
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February 11th, 2012 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: Cakes, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Icing, Mocha