Nothing Bundt Cakes-Double Chocolate and Red Velvet or Almond Flour Bundt Cakes

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Red Velvet and Double Chocolate mini bundt cakes send a special message of love for Valentine’s Day.  It can be made with almond flour for a higher protein dessert and whipped yogurt as a topping.

Almond Flour Chocolate Cake

4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour into a 6 individual bundt baking dishes that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Pour batter into prepared baking dishes.

Bake at 325° for 25 to 28 minutes or until no longer doughy.

I also experimented with beets to turn the batter into red velvet with mixed results. Fresh beets give the batter a beautiful red color but turns a brown color when baked. A real red for a traditional red velvet cake requires a little red food coloring in addition to mashed beets.  The advantage is that the beets add antioxidants to mini bundt cakes.

Fresh Beets Bleed Red-with lots of nutrients and antioxidants.
Fresh Beets Bleed Red-with lots of nutrients and antioxidants.
Beets are cooked until tender and then processed in the food processor. Once processed, the beets turn the batter red, but the bundt cakes turn brown when cooked as seen in the photo below.
Beets are cooked until tender and then processed in the food processor. Once processed, the beets turn the batter red, but the bundt cakes turn brown when cooked as seen in the photo below.
Bundt cake with beets is in the background. It turned brown as the batter reaches a high temperature and starts to set up. Chocolate batter with added beets and red food coloring is in the foreground. For the recognizable "red" found in red velvet cakes, a little food coloring helps the batter maintain its bright color even when heated.
Bundt cake with beets is in the background. It turned brown as the batter reaches a high temperature and starts to set up. Chocolate batter with added beets and red food coloring is in the foreground. For the recognizable “red” found in red velvet cakes, a little food coloring helps the batter maintain its bright color even when heated.
Baking soda and vinegar have two different purposes in this recipe: the soda neutralizes the acid in the chocolate and it also leavens the cake.
Baking soda and vinegar have two different purposes in this recipe: the soda neutralizes the acid in the chocolate and the combination of vinegar and soda leavens the cake.

Turn bundt cakes out of the pans within about 10 mintues of when they come out of the oven but let cool completely before frosting or adding a fruit garnish. Bundt cakes often taste even better the second day but everyone who passed through my test kitchen just had to have one immediately while still warm….If that is the case in your house, no worries, melted frosting and warm cake has an allure all its own. I gave up long ago trying to keep hands off of my warm bundt cakes. But, (and that’s a big but), if there are some still sitting when cool, store in  an air-tight container, either frosted or unfrosted.   Warm cake can be garnished with fruit when if it will be eaten within an hour or so but the fruit does not hold very long when it comes in contact with the warm cake.

Turn bundt cakes out of the pans within about 10 mintues of when they come out of the oven but let cool completely before frosting or adding a fruit garnish.
The inspiration for the double chocolate cake comes form Joanna Gaines recipe printed on a cedar shake and sold online at Magnolia Silos.

Joanna Gaines of Magnolia Silos fame sells recipes printed on cedar planks. It seems like everyone wants the recipe when I give food gifts so they are such a great gift for tucking into a box of bundt cakes.  The Magnolia Silos recipe starts with a box mix which I did not want to use because I really love making cakes from scratch, plus I really like the flavor of homemade cakes, plus I really like the whole foods/ingredients in homemade cakes and if I needed one more reason to make a cake from scratch, it would be so I could tell everyone I did it!  I love the oohs and aaahs and it is really about the same amount of time to bake this cake from scratch or from a mix.

Nothing Bundt Cakes
The inspiration for mini bundt cakes comes from the bakery chain called “Nothing Bundt Cakes”. They used red food coloring for the Red Velvet cake in the center of this photo. To get the same color when using beets, omit the chocolate and chocolate chips and stir in 1/2 cup cooked, mashed beets. 
My sister Debbie sent this photo of mini vanilla cakes she made. For vanilla bundt mini cakes, omit chocolate and chocolate chips. For an amazing vanilla flavor, use a high quality real vanilla extract. The vanilla flavor sometimes does not come through in foods but mini bundt cakes do not reach that high of a temperature and the vanilla flavor of a good extract with shine through.
My sister Debbie sent this photo of mini vanilla cakes she made.  Omit chocolate and chocolate chips in the following recipe to make  vanilla bundt cakes. For an amazing vanilla flavor, use a high quality real vanilla extract. The vanilla flavor sometimes does not come through in foods but mini bundt cakes do not reach that high of a temperature and the vanilla flavor of a good extract with shine through.
Debbie also made these gorgeous lemon mini bundt cakes. She made a homemade lemon curd and used lemon zest to garnish the mini bundt cakes.
Debbie also made these gorgeous lemon mini bundt cakes. She made a homemade lemon curd and used lemon zest to garnish the mini bundt cakes.  Omit cocoa powder and chcolate chips in following recipe and add 1 teaspoon of lemon flavoring and 2 tablespoons of lemon zest to the cake batter.
Bundt cakes are usually decorated with frosting but mango, strawberries and blueberries make a gorgeous presentation.
Bundt cakes are usually decorated with frosting but mango, strawberries and blueberries make a gorgeous presentation.

Both dark chocolate and beets  add antioxidants to Double Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes.  Make the cake batter without the beets for double chocolate cake. Spoon half of batter into mini bundt cake pans and bake. Add cooked, mashed beets and red food coloring to the remaining batter and bake.  Red velvet cake is often dry, but beets keep the cake moist and tender.

Double Chocolate and Red Velvet Mini Bundt Cakes

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup dark chocolate pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and sugar in mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, eggs and cocoa powder. Combine flour, salt and baking soda in mixing bowl. Stir flour mixture into butter/sugar mixture at the same time as stirring in vinegar and yogurt. Fold in chocolate pieces.

Spray mini bundt cake pans with cooking spray and immediately spoon batter in pans. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until top is slightly moist but springs back when touched.  Turn out of baking pans and allow to cool. Decorate with frosting or fresh fruit.

For Red Velvet Chocolate Cake:  Add 1 teaspoon red food coloring (optional) and 1/2 cup cooked, grated beets.  Microwave 1 beet that is  pricked with a fork for 3 to 4 minutes until tender at 100%.  When cool enough to handle, cut off stem and root end; peel beet. Process in food processor until finely chopped and stir into batter.

Makes about 12 Mini Bundt Cakes

For Vanilla Mini Bundt Cakes: Omit cocoa and chocolate chips. A high quality vanilla will make these mini bundt cakes even better.

For Red Velvet Cake with a strong red color and no food coloring, omit chocolate and chocolate chips. Prepare cooked and mashed beets and stir into batter.

For Lemon Mini Bundt Cake: Omit coca and chocolate chips from main recipe. Stir in 1 teaspoon lemon flavoring and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 lb powdered sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt (optional)

Whip cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar, cream, vanilla and salt. Beat several minutes or up to 10 minutes for the lightest fluffiest frosting ever. Pipe onto the center of each bundt cake or drizzle lightly over the top.

Culinary Medicine and Nutrition Researcher, Assistant Professor of Medicine at University of Central Florida- College of Medicine. Nutrition and Diet Therapy Textbook Co-Author, Food Science and Human Nutrition Assistant Professor, Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Nutrition and Health. My daughter Ashley wrote this bio for me: Nyenhuis has competed at marathons and triathlons. Nyenhuis routinely bike commutes and enjoys bike touring around Lake Michigan. She has led many hiking expeditions, including a climb of Grand Teton and Cloud Peak, and other tours through the Rockies. She has planned the high altitude menu for a successful expedition. She has learned international cuisine from those who enjoy Eskimo Ice Cream and Stink Head, and made pineapple upside down cake over an open fire in an African Village. Her newest sports are extreme cooking (for 100 hungry football players) and kayak touring. She and her husband, Dave, live in Alabama.

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