Mini Cinnamon Bundts with Dulce de Leche
Out of the Blue
These super cute cinnamon mini Bundt cakes filled with dulce de leche were made out of no time and out of a pantry full of nothing. They are super soft and full of cinnamon flavor that goes perfectly with all the dulce de leche inside. But you know what the best part of these cuties is? They are made with 11 basic baking ingredients and you can pop them in your mouth in just 30 minutes.
I came out with this idea out of desperation. It was almost nighttime and I didn’t have anything baked to shoot the next day. Because, you know, one of those weeks when you are on your feet, everyone is sick (including yourself), you haven’t gone to the supermarket and even less, to the flower shop to buy flowers for your shoot (relatable, right?!). I went to bed resigned to the fact that I’ll be doing no shooting the next day.
But the next morning, instead of starting my morning complaining about it, I decided to push myself and whip up something out of what I already had in my kitchen. And that was when the fun began! I had to get inspired by ingredients already on my hands. I had to maximize my own resources and not the other way around, which typically is to design a recipe and go to the store to buy the ingredients. That’s when I remembered I had a forgotten dulce de leche can on my pantry and, trying to figure out how to use it, I though about this mini brownies Bundt pan I barely use. Finally everything came up together and that’s how this recipe was born!
This was a sweet reminder of what my cooking is all about. No matter what you have on hand, or even how much time you have, you can always aim to create something delicious and beautiful. Trust me, you are going to love how soft, spiced and buttery these little cakes are!
Recipe notes
If you don’t have this particular mini brownie Bundt pan around, you can always use a regular cupcake pan.
To have eggs at room temperature faster, put them in a bowl with hot tap water for 5 to 10 minutes
I used 1 ½ teaspoon of cinnamon for a spicy note but you can use less or leave it out completely.
If you don't have dulce de leche on hand, have fun experimenting with Nutella, sweetened cream cheese or your favorite jelly.
Mini Cinnamon Bundts with Dulce de Leche
Ingredients
◯ Unbleached all-purpose flour – 1 ¾ cup
◯ Ground cinnamon – 1 to 1 ½ Tsp
◯ Fine sea salt – ½ Tsp
◯ Baking powder – 1 ¼ Tsp
◯ Butter, softened – 8 TBSP
◯ Raw sugar – 1 ¼ cup
◯ Pure vanilla extract – 1 Tsp
◯ Large egg, at room temperature (see notes) – 1
◯ Pure coconut milk – ⅔ cup
◯ Confectioner’s sugar to dust the cakes – 2 to 3 tablespoons
◯ Dulce de Leche – about 1 cup
Details
Yield:
12 mini Bundt cakes
Total time:
30 minutes
Active time:
10 minutes
Equipment:
stand or hand held electric mixer, mini brownies Bundt pan or cupcake pan
Steps
To make the Mini Cinnamon Bundts with Dulce de Leche:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Spray a mini brownie Bundt pan with baking spray. Alternatively, spread softened butter with a pastry brush on each well of the pan.
In a large bowl mix flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder with a hand whisk.
Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached or in a large glass or metal bowl to mix with a handheld electric mixer with the beaters on. Beat in medium low speed (#2 in the Kitchen Aid) for about 3 minutes, until butter is fluffy and pale. Add sugar and beat until sugar is well incorporated into the butter. Add vanilla and egg and beat for 1 minute.
Decrease speed to low and add about ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by half of the coconut milk. Repeat by adding another third of the flour and the remaining coconut milk, finishing with the remaining flour. Stop the mixer as soon as the last addition of flour is just incorporated. Remove form mixer and using a spatula, gently mix any visibly streaks of dry flour.
Fill about ⅔ of each hole on your greased mini brownie Bundt or cupcake pan. Using a chopstick or long toothpick move the batter around to make sure there are no little holes inside the space. Wet your fingers and press the batter down a bit to make the surface even and to make sure the batter is touching the walls of the pan. Shake you pan a bit to spread the batter evenly and make sure there are no big bubbles.
Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until top look golden and a toothpick comes out clean after inserted through one of the middle cakes.
Remove form oven and wait 5 to 10 minutes before turning upside down the pan onto a rack or counter. If there is a cake stuck, let the pan turned down for a few minutes to let it come down.
Using an apple corer (this is what I used) or a small pairing knife cut and remove the centers of the cakes. Dust some powdered sugar over the cakes.
Using a cupcake filler tool or using and espresso spoon, fill each cake with dulce de leche way over the top.
Store in an airtight container. The cakes will be good for a few days and up to a week if stored in the fridge.
