Mr Gander knew it was the card for me. It features a girl eating food, and has a food-related pun.
Puns make me go ‘squee!’; food-related puns get a ‘double squee!’
(This is the after-effect of my English honours year, when I and other fellow Honoraries lived and breathed words, words and words, until our obsession with language got a tad out of control.)
I wanted to make donuts to go with the card, but we only had a mini-bundt cake pan. So, we had mini-bundt cakes instead, they are holey and therefore kinda donut-like, right?
These were happy mini-bundts, based on a baked doughnut recipe from the fabulous Spoon Fork Bacon. These have wholemeal flour for substance, blueberries for smurf-y goodness, yoghurt for health and a buttermilk-like tender crumb.
It was just the right recipe for impromptu baking. The batter was absurdly easy to put together, and I had all of the ingredients in the pantry. (Actually, I didn’t have apple sauce that the recipe called for, and used the same amount of butter instead)
Instead of a blueberry glaze, I spooned over a sharp lemony icing, slightly thickened and mellowed with Greek yoghurt. Then, on a whim, I grated sunny-yellow lemon zest over the bundtlettes, the yellow standing out against the red-purple-blue stains from squishy blueberries.
The liquid glaze melted into the bundtlettes, pooled in the gaps where blueberries sank into the cake batter, and dribbled down onto the board next to stray bits of lemon zest. It was all a bit ad hoc and make-it-up-as-you-go, but the result was a crowd pleaser. We could almost believe winter is coming to an end in the Antipodes.
A note on the batter, baking times and lemon glaze
The batter was very thick, and would have been easier to pipe into the mini-bundt pans or donut pans. I managed with a miniature silicon spatula and teaspoon, but it was a bit messy with bits and blobs flying around. I baked the bundtlettes for about 18 minutes, and got moist, tender cakes. The leftover bit of batter were baked for a bit over 20 minutes, and I got a sturdier cake, darker brown on the outside and a little drier in the middle (but not too dry), probably a little more donut-like in texture. Both took to the lemon-yoghurt glaze like fish to water.
The lemon glaze instructions are woefully imprecise, because I ran out of blueberries and made up the glaze as I went along. Next time, I will measure things like tablespoons of icing/powdered sugar and teaspoons of lemon juice. The basic idea is to add tiny amounts of lemon juice to icing sugar until you get the right consistency, then adjust for taste. I like a lemon glaze that is almost pucker-worthy; you may prefer a sweeter glaze.
Postscript: I’m yet to think of a pun involving blueberries, bundt cake, or yoghurt glaze. But I’m sure a particularly groan-worth one is out there.
Blueberry-lemon-yoghurt mini bundt cakes
(adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon’s Baked Blueberry Doughnuts)
Makes: 12 healthy mini bundts, with some batter left over
Ingredients
Cake
1 cup (about 140 grams) plain / AP flour
1/2 cups (about 70 grams) wholemeal flour
1/2 cup granulated / castor sugar (note, the original recipe asks for 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup Greek yogurt (or 3/4 cup plain yoghurt)
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons (45 grams) butter (note, the original recipe asks for applesauce)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
Glaze
Zest of 1 lemon
Lemon juice from the zested lemon
1-2 tablespoons of Greek yoghurt
1-2 cups icing/powdered sugar, enough to get a slightly thickened but runny consistency
Method
1. For the cake: melt the butter and set aside until cooled to room temperature. Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F.
2. Combine all the dry cake ingredients in a mixing bowl. Whisk together to remove lumps. In another mixing bowl, whisk to combine the remaining ingredients except for the blueberries. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, fold together until the batter is almost smooth.
3. Set aside a handful of blueberries (35-40 berries). Gently fold the remaining blueberries into the batter until just combined. Note the batter will be quite thick.
4. Grease the mini-bundt cake pan. Drop 3-4 berries into each mould. Spoon or pipe the batter into the cake pan and bake for 18-20 minutes. The cakes should be golden on top, and still tender and moist inside.
5. Place the cake pan on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes. Remove each mini-bundt cake from the pan and place onto a large plate or something else that doesn’t mind having lemon glaze drizzled all over it.
6. For the glaze: Place 1 cup icing sugar in a bowl. Add lemon juice by the teaspoon, mixing well, until the mixture is still runny, but has a sharp lemon taste. Add a tablespoon of yoghurt to thicken the mixture. Taste the mixture, and adjust by adding more icing sugar or lemon juice until you are happy with the balance between sugar, lemon and yoghurt flavours.
7. Spoon the glaze over mini-bundt cakes. Then, sprinkle with lemon zest.
Tagged: baking, blueberries, donut forget, donuts, doughnuts, impromptu, Lemon, lemon glaze, mini-bundt, puns, yoghurt
Wow, these look great!!
Thanks, and thanks for stopping by!
They look amazing, particularly as mini bundts. Why don’t I have one of those tins???!!!
The tin is so cute, isn’t it? Buying bakeware can be so addictive….
I just had to tidy out my (massive) tray and tin drawer and find somewhere else to try and store some of them! Mini bundts are next on the list…
I adore your little card- it’s so sweet!! And the mini bundts look scrumptious!!
Thank you, I love the card and now I’ve found a reason to post it on the blog! Thanks for visiting!
I’d have to leave the breakfast room if these were on the table–or resign myself to another 40 miles on the bike. 🙂 Ken
Haha, I told myself the fruit and yoghurt made it less-unhealthy. 🙂
I love how you photographed these, especially the first photo. It’s really beautiful. The glaze sounds really good. Have you tried it on other baked items?
I’ve used a similar glaze on David Lebovitz’s fresh ginger cake. It worked really well.
Thanks. There was a streak of sunlight in the afternoon, and the photos just sort of happened. And then we could get on with the serious business of eating cake!
Ha! Cute!
Cute indeed 🙂
Yum yum
Thanks! 🙂
These are so cute! I need one of those pans! They sound delicious!
The mini bundt pans are surprisingly useful, I just use them as a different cupcake pan. So, totally justified 🙂
just looking at your donut cakes makes me giggle 🙂 But they’re sophisticated, too. Love that the blueberries provide “smurfy” goodness. teehee. (see, I’m giggling again!)
I think I was inspired by a child in the supermarket wearing a smurf hat! The things that inspire great blogs, oui? 😀
These look super-cute! Both cakes and pan… Need both in my life ASAP!! 🙂
That’s exactly what I thought when I saw the mini bundt pans! 🙂
What a delicious mini bundts! I do need to find out a proper mini-bundt cake pan and veganize them. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thanks! I was thinking with apple sauce rather than butter, this could be the basis for a healthier snack.
Amazing! I love using my baby bundt tin, can’t wait to give these beauties a try.
Those doughnuts look absolutely incredible!! You’re so lucky to have the tin too I wish I had them. 🙂
Thanks so much, I just had to buy the mini bundt pans, so cute! 🙂
I’m glazed and confused! I just hope you never tire of this hole baking thing! 😉
Ha! This is why I follow your blog! 😀
Where did you find the mini-bundt pan? The only ones I’ve found locally have a dark non-stick coating and I just don’t like baking with that type of pan – everything comes out nearly burned. I’ve got to make these!
Mine are non-stick too. But my oven is a bit cranky and tends to burn the tops of cakes, so the non-stick actually helps to make sure the cake is cooked.
But, a good bakeware shop should stock a range of pans, including ones without a non-stick. I go to Essential Ingredient in Sydney, and a chefs warehouse near our house…
Thank you! I may just go the Amazon route.
My oven in cranky too (an excellent description). I find that I need to check for “doneness” about 5-10 minutes earlier than the recipe calls for, else I end up with a smoke-filled house.
Me too! Especially with *that* Christmas cake last year. Smoke and burnt raisins everywhere. 🙂
Love that glaze! Me thinks that might have to be borrowed 🙂
– Aah, it’s a muffin tray with littl’ bundt wells! I’ve never seen one of those before.
I don’t see mini bundt pans often, so *had* to buy the pan when I found it. Cute, non? The glaze was good, on a range of cakes including a simple sponge and a strong fresh ginger cake.
Just the recipe that I need to use up some leftover yogurt & lemon juice! U’ve a lovely blog with beautiful pictures. Thanks for dropping by & the like. Hv a blessed week ahead!
Thanks, and thanks for the visit too!