Happy Birthday to Me! Mini Cranberry Upside-Downers and Milk Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes

Today is my birthday, so I thought I would share 2 mini desserts that I tried recently. They both come from Dorie Greenspans- Baking:from my home to yours and I took both of them to a recent gathering. The Cranberry Upside Downer was supposed to be a 8-inch round, but I made it in a muffin tin, so the servings would be smaller and I got 14 mini-cakes. I also used my mini-bundt cake pan for the Milk Chocolate Bundt cakes and got 15 of them. So, if you need a mini treat, try one of these. Merry Christmas Eve to everyone and Happy Birthday to Me!

Mini Cranberry Upside Downer by Dorie Greenspan

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup minus 2 TBSP sugar

zest of 2 oranges

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

2 cups cranberries-fresh or frozen(if frozen, do not thaw)

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 whole milk

1/3 cup red currant jelly, for glazing the cake

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350F.

Put a 8X2 inch round cake pan on a baking sheet.Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Melt 6 TBSP of the butter in a small saucepan. Sprinkle in 6 TBSP of the sugar and the zest of 1 orange and cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Pour this evenly over the bottom of the cake pan, then scatter over the nuts and top with the cranberries, smoothing the layer and pressing it down gently with your fingertips. Set aside.

Working with a stand mixer, preferabley fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the remaining stick of butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and continue to beat until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Pour in the vanilla and zest of 1 orange. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the batter. Mix in the milk, then the rest of the dry ingredients.

Spoon the batter over the cranberries and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove it from the oven and run a blunt knife between the sides of the pan and the cake. Carefully turn the cake out onto a serving platter. If any of the berries stick to the pan-as they might-just scrape them off with a table knife and return them to the cake.

Warm the jelly in a small saucepan over low heat, or do this in a microwave oven.

Gently brush the glaze over the hot cake.


MILK CHOCOLATE MINI BUNDT CAKES by Dorie Greenspan
FOR THE SWIRL:

3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa

2 teaspoons sugar
FOR THE CAKE:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, room temp

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup whole milk

7 oz premium-quality milk chocolate, melted and cooled
FOR THE GLAZE:

2 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used semi-sweet)

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 6-mold mini bundt pan.
Make the swirl by tossing the nuts, cocoa and sugar together in a small bowl.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute more, then beat in the vanilla. Don't be concerned if the mixture looks curdled-it will smooth out soon. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the flour mixture, mixing only until it is incorporated. Add the milk, and when it is blended into the batter, add the remaining flour mixture, again mixing just to incorporate. Finally, add the melted chocolate and mix to blend.
Fill each of the mini Bundt molds with a little batter, then divide the swirl ingredients evenly among the molds and top off the Bundts with the remaining batter.
Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and allow the cakes to rest for 5 minutes, then invert them onto the rack and let them cool to room temperature.
To make the glaze, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of water or in a microwave oven. Stir in the corn syrup. Using a small offset metal spatula or knife, spread the shiny glaze over the tops of the Bundts.

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