Mini Chocolate Applesauce Bundt

This is a wonderful moist dark chocolate dream cake.  It is great warm from the oven with molten pockets of chocolate or served at room temperature with ice cream or whipped cream.  You can make it more decadent and special by serving it with a chocolate glaze.  Either way, if you like chocolate, you'll love this cake. 

I prefer to use mini bundt pans because I think they make a more elegant presentation.  

Mini Chocolate Applesauce Bundt

½ c. butter at room temperature
½ c. vegetable oil
1½ c. sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2¼ c. all purpose flour
½ c. Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted*
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
1½ c. applesauce
½ c. buttermilk
8 oz bittersweet chocolate chunks**

1. Preheat oven to 350℉.  Grease 18 muffin cups.***
2. Beat butter, oil and sugar with mixer until it lightens and becomes very fluffy.  This may take several minutes but is important to make the cake very soft in texture.  Add eggs one at a time and beat well.  Add vanilla.
3. In separate bowl whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.
4. In another bowl whisk applesauce and buttermilk.
5. Add third of the flour mixture, then half the applesauce, half of flour left, rest of the applesauce then rest of the flour.  Don't worry too much about quantity, just alternate. Mix until just incorporated with no streaks or pockets of flour.
6. Stir in chocolate.  Spoon into prepared pans and bake for 18 to 20 minutes for muffin tins and 22 to 25 minutes for mini bundt pans.  Let cool for 5 minutes and turn out onto baking rack.

*Dutch process cocoa is a specific type of cocoa that has been treated giving it a  darker colour and I believe a more chocolatey flavour.  Honestly, it's worth looking for and purchasing.  I use it for all my recipes that require cocoa.  Regular cocoa powder will still work.

**You can use chocolate chips for a little bit sweeter cake.

*** I used 6 mini bundt pans as well as 6 muffin tins.


For the Glaze (not shown)
⅓ c. heavy cream
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate chopped or chocolate chips
1 Tbsp butter

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring heavy cream to a boil.  Take off heat and add chocolate.  Once chocolate is melted, add butter.  Let cool 10 minutes before drizzling over cakes.