Remember when milk chocolate was the belle of the ball? (At least in the United States.) Much as changed in the last few years. Suddenly, milk chocolate is considered passé and dark chocolate is enjoying the popularity once reserved for Milton Hershey's beloved milk chocolate.

I like chocolate: milk or dark. While I've always had a bit of a preference for dark chocolate, I certainly do not shun its milky sibling. So I was delighted to see that this week's Baking with Dorie challenge was celebrating milk chocolate with Dorie's Milk Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes!

Like several of the recipes used in this challenge, Dorie's original recipe contained walnut swirl, which, thanks to my allergies, I can't have. I simply swapped the walnuts for peanuts (silly isn't it? I am not allergic to peanuts!). After looking at the recipe, I decided to make one more change. I left off the chocolate drizzle the recipe called for because I wanted the delicate flavor of the milk chocolate in the cakes to shine.

The resulting cakes were delicious! My favorite thing about them was that they weren't too sweet! Often milk chocolate desserts are really sweet. Not these bundt cakes! Only 1/3 cup of sugar and the milk chocolate is used to sweeten them.

Dorie used six mini-bundt cakes. My “mini” bundt pan must be a “mini-mini” bundt pan because there are 12-cavities on a sheet, not six. From this recipe, I got about 20 mini-mini bundts. If you don't have a mini bundt pan, this recipe makes great cupcakes!  

Baking with Dorie is a group of bloggers who have fun baking the recipes in Dorie Greenspan's book, "Baking with Dorie: From my Home to Yours." This week's recipe appeared on page 188 of Dorie's book. To purchase the book. Click here.

For more information on the group, please visit SomeNeedfulThings.blogspot.com

Thanks to Jennifer for selecting this week's recipe!

Milk Chocolate Bundt Cake

adapted by Elizabeth Barbone from a recipe by Dorie Greenspan

Nut Swirl

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

Dry Ingredients

1/2 cup white rice flour

1/4 cup sweet rice flour

1/4 cup potato starch

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients

1 stick butter, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup milk

7 ounces milk chocolate, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a mini-bunt pan (6 or 12 cavities) or line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
2. In a very small bowl or dish, combine the ingredients for the nuts swirl. Toss together and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside. If you haven't already, melt the milk chocolate.
4. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for 1 minutes or until light but not too fluffy.
5. Add the egg and whisk to combine. (Use medium-high speed on a handheld or stand mixer.)
6. Add half the dry ingredients. Reduce mixer speed to medium and mix to combine.
7. Add the milk. Mix until incorporated. The batter might look a little curdled or broken. This is okay.
8. Add the remaining dry ingredients. Blend until smooth.
9. Add the melted chocolate. Mix until thoroughly incorporated. The batter will be a little thick and gummy. This is okay.
10. Fill the bundt or cupcake cups 1/4 full. Spoon a little of the peanut mixture over the batter. Spoon more batter into the pan until the cavity is about 1/2 full or just a little more.
11. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. My pans were very small. If you have a large pan, your baking time will increase.
12. Remove the pans from the oven. Allow the cakes to sit in the pan for 3 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
13. Repeat with remaining batter.

Makes 20 mini bundt cakes

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