Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes
We can’t get enough of these mini cakes in our household! They are loaded with chocolate flavor, and the cheesecake mixed into the batter and vanilla glaze with sprinkles makes them extra special.
I love all Bundt cakes – you must try my pumpkin Bundt and Jamaican rum cake – but, unsurprisingly to those who know how much I love mini cupcakes, these chocolate ones are my favorites. You bake them in a special pan [paid link] that makes six at a time so they are totally perfect for sharing. Everyone loves getting their own personal cake!
Ingredients and Tools
The cheesecake component is cream cheese-based; make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature before starting.
Most Bundt cakes, including this recipe, call for buttermilk. If you don’t have any, you can make buttermilk by placing 1 1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar in a liquid measuring cup and then adding milk to the 1/2 cup line. Let it sit for ten minutes before using it.
You’ll need a mini Bundt cake pan [paid link] to make this recipe. If you don’t have one, you can make this as a full-sized cake; you’ll need to increase the bake time.
How It’s Made
Chocolate Cakes
Start by making the cheesecake batter – just mix all ingredients together in a bowl and set aside!
Next, prepare the mini Bundt pan by greasing each well and dusting with cocoa powder.
Next, make the cake batter by whisking together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set that aside.
In a mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. (I recommend a stand mixer or electric mixer for this step.)
Mix in eggs, one at a time, then mix in vanilla.
Mix in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk in three additions until just combined. Be careful to not over-mix the batter.
Add the cheesecake mixture to the batter and stir gently so you see a swirl. Do not overmix. You want the batters swirled together, not fully combined.
Pour batter evenly into the wells of your mini Bundt pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cake comes out clean.
Decorating
I used to think that, to get a perfect drip glaze, the glaze should be really thin and drippy. I was wrong! Your glaze should be nice and thick.
To make the glaze, mix all glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Add extra water if needed to make the glaze flow very slowly off of a spatula.
Pipe a thick ring of glaze onto the top of each cake.
Then, wiggle the cake or shake the plate it’s on up and down to encourage the glaze to gently slide down the cake.
Top with sprinkles!
Expert Tips and FAQs
You can actually make buttermilk if you have vinegar and milk – pour 1 1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar into a liquid measuring cup and then add milk to the 1/2 cup line. Let it sit for ten minutes before using it.
Make sure that the cream cheese you’re using is at room temperature. If it’s too cold, it won’t mix well and you’ll end up with lumps.
There are several things you should try to make sure the cakes don’t stick. Grease each cavity really well with melted butter or cooking spray. Dust each well with cocoa powder; this helps the chocolate cakes to easily release without adding white specks to the exteriors of the cakes that you would get from dusting with flour. Finally, let the cakes rest for just five minutes before turning them out.
If you don’t have a mini Bundt cake pan [paid link], you can make this as a full-sized cake; use a 10″ Bundt pan and increase the bake time to an hour.
Variations
To make a holiday version of this cake, mix 12 melted Candy Cake Hershey’s Kisses into the cheesecake filling and top the glaze with crushed candy canes instead of sprinkles!
To make it extra chocolaty, try topping cakes with chocolate ganache instead of the vanilla glaze.
I prefer the cheesecake swirled throughout the batter, but you can also layer the chocolate batter with the cheesecake batter if you want to see a clear cheesecake layer in the cake. Or, you can leave the cheesecake out entirely if that isn’t your thing.
Related Recipes
- Pumpkin Bundt cake
- Chocolate cupcakes
- Chocolate angel food cake
- Jamaican rum cake
- Chocolate whiskey cake
- Sweet potato Bundt cake
Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes
Ingredients
Cheesecake Ingredients
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 egg
Cake Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder plus a little extra for dusting the pan
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
Glaze Ingredients
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 tablespoon hot water
- sprinkles to taste
Instructions
Cheesecake Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth and set aside.
Cake Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- Grease the wells of a mini Bundt pan and dust with cocoa powder )or do the same with one 10 inch Bundt pan).
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time.
- Mix in the vanilla.
- Mix in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk in three additions until just combined.
- Add the cheesecake mixture and stir gently so you see a swirl. Do not overmix. You want the batters swirled together, not fully combined.
- Distribute the batter evenly into the mini Bundt pan's wells.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of a mini Bundt comes out clean.
- Wait 5 minutes, then turn out the chocolate cakes onto a cooling rack.
Glaze Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.
- Add extra water if needed to make a thick glaze that will flow very slowly off of a spatula.
- Pipe glaze around the top of each cake.
- Shake each mini Bundt cake to encourage the glaze to drip down the side.
- Top with sprinkles.
Notes
Nutrition
How high do you fill the individual bundt wells with the batter? How much should I expect this casek to rise?
About 3/4 full.
Where do you buy the mini bundt cake pan?
Thanks