Spiced Hot Toddy Mini Bundts #BundtBakers

Delightful and soft, these spiced hot toddy mini Bundts are the perfect warming winter treat, brushed with whisky syrup and drizzled with an equally boozy icing. 

Theories abound regarding the invention of the hot toddy, a comforting drink made of lemon, honey or sugar, whisky and hot water.  The most likely one is that they originated in India and were brought to Great Britain during the time that the British controlled that country. According to dictionary.com notes, in the 1610s, the Hindi word “taddy” meant “beverage made from fermented palm sap.” By 1786, taddy was officially written down and defined as “beverage made of alcoholic liquor with hot water, sugar, and spices.”

The hot toddy made its way north and west and gained appeal not only as a warming drink but also as a cure or at least reliever of the common cold, especially in cold climates. I remember years ago, a Scottish friend telling me that when she was suffering from a cold as a child, her father would tuck her into her bed then make her drink down a hot concoction with whisky to cure what ailed her. 

She said she didn’t know that the hot drink cured her but she sure slept well. And maybe that is half the battle when one is fighting a cold. That said, let me just say right now that doctors these days do not recommend giving your child alcoholic drinks! 

Historically a hot toddy is made with whisky but nowadays you can find recipes with rum, brandy and other liquors. While I am not a fan of Scotch whisky, I do like Kentucky whiskey so that’s that I’ve used for the syrup and icing for these mini Bundts. You can substitute your favorite libation or, to keep it non-alcoholic, substitute orange juice for the whisky. 

Spiced Hot Toddy Mini Bundts

This recipe serves 9 and is adapted from one in .delicious magazine which you can also find online. (Theirs makes a full size Bundt cake.) I only own a 12-hole muffin pan so I fill the other three holes with some water for baking. I have no idea if this actually helps the heat distribute more evenly but I like to think so. 

Ingredients

1/3 cup or 75g very soft unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

1/2 cup, packed, or 100g light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg white

1/4 cup or 60ml milk

1/2 cup or 50g ground almonds

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground coriander

pinch ground cloves

pinch fine sea salt

1/2 cup or 63g flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

For the syrup:

1 tablespoon whiskey (I used Bulleit Kentucky whiskey.)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon clear honey

For the whisky icing:

1/3 cup or 40g icing sugar

3-4 teaspoons whiskey   

Optional for decorating: amber sugar crystals

Method

Heat the oven to 350°F or 180°C and grease your 9-hole mini Bundt pan liberally with butter. (See note above ingredients list.)

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, using a hand-held electric whisk or your stand mixer.

Scrape down the bowl and add the egg and egg white, whisking well to combine.  

Add the milk and whisk again.

Measure in the almonds, baking powder and spices with the pinch of salt. Sift in the flour with the baking powder and baking soda. Fold to combine. 

Divide the batter between the cups in your prepared mini Bundt pan. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes until risen, golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack.

Once the cake is cool, heat the syrup ingredients in a pan or in the microwave until just simmering. Brush the syrup all over the mini Bundts until it’s all absorbed. 

For the icing, put the icing sugar in a bowl and slowly stir in enough whisky to form a smooth icing. 

Drizzle the icing all over the mini Bundts then scatter with amber sugar crystals to decorate, if desired. I like the way they look but I especially like the delightful crunch they add. 

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the first 2022 edition of Bundt Bakers! As you might guess from the titles below, our theme today is Fireside Drinks. Many thanks to our host Felice of All That's Left Are The Crumbs!

• Fireside Bundt Cake by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Pink Gin Tonic Hibiscus Bundt Cake by Patyco Candybar
• Kahlua and Cream Cake by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Spiced Hot Toddy Mini Bundts by Food Lust People Love
• Spiced Rum Mince Meat Christmas Pudding Bundt by Sneha's Recipe

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

Pin these Spiced Hot Toddy Mini Bundts!

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Dark Chocolate Mint Truffle Mini Bundts #BundtBakers

Homemade dark chocolate mint truffles make these darling little Bundts special. Start at least one day ahead to make sure the truffles have time to set and freeze before baking your little cakes. 

Technically this is not part of the official Christmas Week posts but, seriously, what is more Christmassy than mint? I'm thinking candy canes, After Eights, York Peppermint Patties and all manner of candy bark with crushed mints. I submit to you, nothing is! That is why I was delighted when this month’s Bundt Baker host, Laura from The Spiced Life chose mint as our theme. And since my younger daughter is now home for the holidays, I went with one of her favorites, mint and chocolate. From the time she was tiny, her favorite candy has been those York peppermint patties. It’s a classic combination.

Make sure you scroll on down to the bottom of my recipe to see the mint delights that all the other Bundt Bakers have created for you today.

Ingredients
For the truffles:
1/3 cup + 5 teaspoons or 100ml whipping cream
7 oz or 200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces (I used one bar of plain dark and one bar of dark with mint to add more minty goodness.)
1 1/2 teaspoons mint extract
Cocoa and/or powdered sugar, for rolling

For the cake:
1 1/2 cups or 190g plain flour
1 cup or 200g sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup or 27g best-quality cocoa powder
3/4 cup or 170g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup or 150ml sour cream

For the mint glaze:
1 cup or 125g confectioner’s or icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
1-2 tablespoons milk

Method
First we need to make the truffles. They are super easy but the chocolate/cream mixture needs time to set before rolling into balls. And then you want to freeze them before adding them to the batter to bake. So, as mentioned in the headnote, start a day early.

The Truffles
Bring the cream just to the boil in a pan or in a microwaveable bowl in the microwave oven. Remove from the stove or microwave and stir in the mint extract and chocolate.

You could eat this with a spoon. Try not to. 

Stir until melted. Cool, then chill in the refrigerator until the mixture is solid, about 2-3 hrs.

Scoop out teaspoons of the mixture and roll into tiny balls with your hands, then roll the balls in cocoa or powdered sugar.

You want at least 24 balls (two per mini Bundt) but will probably get many more since they have to be small to fit in and on the little Bundts. Not to worry. They are delicious and any extras will get eaten. Freeze the truffles till you are ready to bake.

I did half cocoa and half powdered sugar. And yes, there are three big ones. I got tired of rolling when I had enough little ones. 

Okay, so it’s the next day now, right? And your tiny truffles are frozen. On to the cake!

This recipe is from Nigella’s Feast and could not be easier. She chucks everything straight in the food processor but I like to sift my dry ingredients (except the sugar) since sometimes they have lumps. Feel free to follow her method. Original recipe can be found online here.

The Cake Batter
Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. Grease and flour your mini Bundt pan or use that baking spray that has flour in it.

Measure your flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and mix well.

Put the rest of the cake ingredients - sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream - into a food processor. Sift the dry ingredients into the processor.

Process until you have a smooth, thick batter.

You could also eat this with a spoon. Try not to.

Put one scoop of batter into each cup. Press one mint truffle into the batter then top with the remaining batter. I put the powdered sugar ones in the cakes and saved the cocoa ones for on top.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 18-20 minutes or until the tops are springy to the touch. Clearly the toothpick-in-the-middle test won’t work here.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes then turn the Bundts out to cool on a wire rack. I trimmed the overhanging edges off of my mini Bundts to neaten them up but you can leave yours on if you want.

While the Bundts cool, mix up your glaze.

The Glaze
Put the powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl with the mint extract and one tablespoon of milk. Stir well.

Keep adding milk a 1/2 teaspoon at a time until you get the pouring consistency you desire. I like a thick glaze but some people prefer thinner so you have to be the judge.

When the little Bundts are cooled completely, pour or drizzle on the glaze. I like to use a piping bag because it’s less messy than actual drizzling and I have more control.

Top each mini Bundt with a little chocolate mint truffle.

Enjoy!

The truffle inside makes a nice minty,chocolate rich bite near the top of the mini Bundt.

Your Bundts with mint! We've got 'em!

• Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze and Mint Frosting from La cocina de Aisha
• Candy Cane Bundt Cake from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Candy Cane Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache Drizzle from The Freshman Cook
• Candy Cane Chocolate Bundt Cake from Cassie's Kitchen
• Candy Cane Cup Bundt Cake from From Gate to Plate
• Candy Cane Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake from Patty's Cake
• Chocolate Bundt Cake with Peppermint Dark Chocolate Ganache from Brooklyn Homemaker
• Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake from Making Miracles
• Creme de Menthe Bundt Cake from Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Dark Chocolate Mint Truffle Mini Bundts from Food Lust People Love
• Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake from Adventures In All Things Food
• Double Chocolate and Mint Cheesecake Bundt Cake from Un Mordisco Un Pecado
• Double Mint Mountain Bundt Cake from Baking in Pyjamas
• Fudgy Peppermint Bundt from A Day in the LIfe on the Farm
• Gluten Free Chocolate Mint Bundt Cake from Box of Stolen Socks
• Mini Minty Bundt Cakes from Brunch with Joy
• Mint Tea Mini Bundts from Passion Kneaded
• Orange and Mint Bundt Bread from A Kingdom For a Cake
• Peppermint Candy Bundt from Tea and Scones
• Peppermint Candy Cane Bundt Cake from I love Bundt Cakes
• Peppermint Cappuccino Cake from Magnolia Days
• Peppermint Mocha Pound Cake Bundt from DessertStalking Blog
• Peppermint Patty Bundt Cake from Eat, Drink, and Be Mighty
• Peppermint Whipped Cream Pound Cake with Shaved Mint Chocolate from The Spiced Life

What is Bundt Bakers? It's a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Bundt Bakers Pinterest board for incredible Bundt cake recipes and inspiration.  You can find information and links to the recipes for each month in our  #BundtBakers page.

How is the monthly theme determined? We take turns hosting each month and the host gets to choose the theme/ingredient.

Would you like to join in the fun? If you are a food blogger, send an email with your blog name and url to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

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Honey Whiskey Mini Bundts with Honey Whiskey Glaze #BundtBakers

Baking with honey and bourbon whiskey in the batter and adding a honey bourbon glaze gives these little Bundt cakes a sweet and almost smoky flavor that keeps you wanting just one more small piece. Till they are all gone. 

This month’s Bundt Baker theme, ably hosted by Laura of Baking in Pyjamas, is honey! I started searching for recipes with honey online, looking for an interesting twist, when I came across a recipe for a honey whiskey cake. Come to find out, there is an actual thing made by Jack Daniels, called honey whiskey. Who knew? That recipe called for a yellow cake mix so I kept the idea and created my own, using normal Jack Daniels and Ugandan honey, brought back from my trip there last February. The Ugandan honey is a deep amber color and has quite a strong flavor so it was well able to compete with the strong bourbon to flavor this cake.

Make sure to scroll to the bottom and see all the other lovely honey Bundt links from the group this month!

Ingredients – for a five-cup capacity mini Bundt pan making six mini Bundts
For the batter:
3/4 cup or 150g sugar
6 tablespoon or 85g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for buttering pan
2 eggs
2 cups or 250g flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup or 60ml honey
2/3 cup or 155ml milk, at room temperature
1/3 cup or 80ml bourbon
3/4 cup or 90g chopped pecans

For the syrup/glaze:
1/4 cup or 60g butter
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup or 60ml honey
1/4 cup or 50g sugar
1/4 cup or 60ml bourbon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your mini Bundt pan by using a pastry brush to paint the inside and around the edges liberally with butter. Don’t be shy.

Sprinkle your pecans into the bottom of the buttered Bundt pan.

Combine your flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside. Combine the milk, bourbon and honey for the batter in a measuring vessel and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together your butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between them.

First egg

Second egg

Now add half of the flour mixture and half of the liquid mixture and beat well.

Add the balance of the flour and liquid mixture and beat well again.

Gently scoop or spoon the batter into your prepared pan, on top of the pecans.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning the mini Bundts out of the pan.

Cool on a wire rack while you make the syrup glaze.

Put all the ingredients for the syrup in a small pot and heat it until boiling. Allow to boil for a few minutes, until it reduces slightly. Turn off the fire and allow to cool for a few minutes.

That's the bourbon going in and the dark honey already in the pot.

Put your mini Bundts in a pan or plate with sides to catch the glaze that doesn’t soak in immediately and drizzle the syrupy glaze, at little at a time, over all of the Bundts.

Enjoy!

Check out all the lovely honey Bundts we have for you this month!

• A Taste of Honey by Margaret at Tea and Scones 
• Hipy Papy Bthuthdth Thuthda Bthuthdy Cake by Lauren at Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Honey Almond Bundt Cake by Terri at Love and Confections
• Honey Baba au Rhum by Kelly at Passion Kneaded
• Honey Banana Bundt by Jane at Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Honey Bundt Cake with Lemon Honey Glaze by Bea and Mara at I Love Bundt Cakes
• Honey Bunny Bundt Cake by Teri at The Freshman Cook
• Honey Caramel Apple Bundt Cake by Laura at Baking in Pyjamas
• Honey Glazed Blackberry Cornmeal Bundt Cake by Tux at Brooklyn Homemaker
• Honey Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake by Lauren at Gate to Plate
• Honey Roasted Peanut Butter Pound Cake by Renee at Magnolia Days
• Honey Whiskey Mini Bundt Cakes with Honey Whiskey Glaze by Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Orange Hazelnut Bundt Cake by Zainab at Blahnik Baker
• Whole Wheat Honey Spiced Apple Breakfast Bundtlettes by Laura at The Spiced Life

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme.  Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on the BundtBakers home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send me (Stacy) an email WITH your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Bunny Nest Carrot Mini Bundts #BundtBakers

What does a bunny bring for Easter? Candied eggs, of course. What you may not know is that bunny nests are made of carrot cake, cream cheese glaze and coconut. True story. (Unless you are in France, and then the flying church bells deliver the eggs and chocolate. Seriously. I don’t make this stuff up, folks!) 

On this day in 1968, my life changed forever when our family went from four to five with the arrival of my baby sister. I was five years old so I remember it well. I had been sent to stay with my maternal grandparents for a few weeks towards the end of Mom’s pregnancy. I “worked” with my grandmother in the store each day, dusting the appliances, keeping my “accounts” and playing in those fabulously large boxes refrigerators and the like are delivered in and occasionally accompanying my grandfather out on short service calls. I drank small bottles of ice cold Coca-Cola and Grape Nehi to my heart’s content from the old-timey red machine that took just a nickel. And my grandmother kept a small bowl of nickels at the ready. I ate candy and cake and ice cream at will. In short, it was the holiday of any child’s dream. Have all the babies you want! When the phone call came that Marta had been born, family lore tells the story of my reaction: I said that I would come home when the baby stopped crying. I have no personal recollection of making that statement, but, hey, I was no fool. I knew I had it good where I was. My parents were stunned when they picked me up. Apparently I was as wide as I was tall. So 1968 was also the year a lot of my fat cells were created. But I don’t hold it against my sister. She is smart and funny and one of the most generous souls I know. If Marta has bought you a gift, careful thought went into that thing and it will be something purchased with just you in mind.  She is one of my favorite people to spend time with, because she has a wicked sense of humor and can always make me laugh. She is a great cook, an astute businesswoman and a talented graphic designer as well as the caring mom of three beautiful boys. With an April birthday, Marta’s were often celebrated with an Easter theme when we were growing up so I thought it appropriate to make these little carrot cakes with her in mind. Happy birthday, dear sister! I love you!

Easter, circa 1969

This month’s Bundt Bakers theme is Easter and spring and our host is my good friend, Tara of Noshing with the Nolands. Happy Easter, everyone! Let’s bake some Bundts!

Ingredients
For the cake:
2 eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup or 170g sugar
1/2 cup or 120ml of light cooking oil (canola or sunflower)
1/4 cup or 60ml milk
 7 oz or 200g carrots
1 1/2 cups or 190g flour
1/3 cup or 40g finely chopped pecans or nut of your choice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the glaze:
4 oz or 115g cream cheese, room temperature
1 oz or 30g butter, room temperature
8 oz or 225g confectioners’ or icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence
Zest 1/2 navel orange
2-3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

For the grass:
7 oz or 200g sweetened flaked coconut (That’s half a bag of Baker’s Angel Flake coconut.)
Paste food coloring – I used Wilton’s leaf green

For the candy eggs: I used pastel colored peanut M&Ms but any small candy eggs will do nicely.

Method
Peel and cut the very ends off of your carrots.  Cover them with water in a medium sized pot and cook until very fork tender.  Drain the water off and mash them with a potato masher until there aren’t any lumps. Transfer the mashed carrots to a bowl and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, you can make the glaze. Put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat until well combined. Add the juice a tablespoon at a time. Keep adding juice until the glaze is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but thin enough to drizzle. We are going to dip those mini Bundts in it to coat once they are baked and cooled.

To color the coconut for grass, put the coconut into a large Ziploc bag and add in your paste coloring. I use the end of a clean knife to scoop some out. Stick the knife in the Ziploc and use some coconut to clean it off.  If you need to add more coloring, always use a clean knife. Close the bag securely and knead until the coconut is uniformly colored. (This takes approximately half an episode - 10-12 minutes - of How I Met Your Mother online with no commercials, so have a seat and enjoy the process.)

If it feels too sticky when you are done, you can spread it out on some paper towels to dry for a while.

When your carrots are cool and you are ready to start mixing, preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 12-cup mini Bundt pan by buttering and flouring it or spraying it liberally with non-stick spray.

Add all the cake ingredients to a large mixing bowl, including the cooled carrots and mix well.

Scrape the bowl down with a rubber spatula and beat for about two more minutes on high.

Divide the batter between the holes in your prepared mini-Bundt pan.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the little cakes from the pan and allow to cool completely before even thinking of glaze.

I turned mine right side up on a mini muffin tin.

If upright nests are important to you, trim off the rounded bottoms of the little Bundts. Do with these what you must but know that you will get absolutely no judgment from me if you eat them all, one by one, right as you stand there slicing.

When you are ready to glaze, hold each mini Bundt with a thumb on the bottom and one finger in the little hole on top or vice versa. Turn the cake in the glaze until it is lightly covered. Place flat side down on your serving platter and push a little of the glaze into the hole.

Sprinkle each mini Bundt with colored coconut, making sure to pat some on the sides.

Fill the little holes with candied eggs or peanut M&Ms.

Enjoy!

If you are looking for more Easter or spring time Bundt inspiration, I’ve got a whole lot of lovely links right here.

• Babka with Bittersweet Chocolate Chunks from Laura at The Spiced Life
• Bunny Nest Carrot Mini Bundts from Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Bursting-With-Berries Lemon Curd Bundt Cake from Felice at All That's Left Are Crumbs
• Carrot Tea Cake from Vonnie at My Catholic Kitchen
• Colorful Spring Bundt Cake from Varada at Varada's Kitchen
• Easter Bunny Bundt from Jane at Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Easter Egg Cake from Margaret at Tea and Scones
• Easter Pound Cake from Lauren at Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Hot Cross Mini Bundt from Kelly at Passion Kneaded
• Lemon & Elderflower Bundt Cake from Maria at Box of Stolen Socks
• Lemon Coconut Bundt Cake from Kathia at Basic N Delicious
• Mini Lemon Spring Bundts from Tara at Noshing With The Nolands
• Pineapple Pale Ale Bundt Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze from Melanie at Melanie Makes
• Strawberry Lemon Bundt Cake from Lauren at From Gate to Plate
• Strawberry Poppy Seed Cake from Renee at Magnolia Days

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme.  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us baking Bundts each month, please send me an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.  If you are just a lover of Bundt baking, you can find all of our recipe links by clicking our badge above or on our group Pinterest board.