These mini chocolate bundt cakes with candied orange slices are rich, fudgy, and finished with a bright, festive garnish.
The mini bundts are dense and intensely chocolatey despite their small size. A splash of dark rum adds warmth and depth—perfect for holiday baking, though you can omit the alcohol if you prefer.
The candied orange slices provide a pretty finishing touch and an attractive contrast to the chocolate. If you’re short on time or not into extra steps, you can skip them—these cakes are lovely on their own.
Making the candied oranges yields a fragrant orange syrup you can reserve for cocktails, glazes, or other recipes. The method is simple: simmer thin orange slices in sugar water until they become translucent. It’s an elegant garnish year-round.
The chocolate glaze is quick to prepare—no melting chocolate required. I simply whisked the ingredients together and spooned the glaze over cooled mini bundts for a casual, homemade look.
I used a mini bundt (bundtlette) pan with six cavities. This recipe should also work in a 12-cavity mini bundt pan if the total batter capacity is about 4 cups—just don’t overfill each cavity, since the batter rises as it bakes.
Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes + Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients
Mini bundt cakes:
- 1/2 cup butter, melted + extra to grease pan
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup dark rum (optional)
- 1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and position a rack in the middle.
- Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Grease the mini bundt pan.
- In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda, salt).
- Add the egg, vanilla, sour cream, melted butter, and rum. Mix until combined with a hand mixer or whisk. Fold in the milk chocolate chips.
- Portion the batter into the prepared pan, leaving some room for rising. Bake 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- While the cakes bake, whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth.
- Allow the mini bundt cakes to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- When cool, drizzle with the chocolate glaze and top with candied orange slices if using. Store in an airtight container.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted.
I wrote the mini bundt cake recipe and the candied orange recipe separately so you can see timing for each. You can make the candied orange slices ahead of time to save effort on the day you bake.
Here is the candied orange slices recipe:
Candied Orange Slices
Ingredients
- 1 navel orange
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Wash the orange thoroughly to remove any wax. Slice into 1/4″ rounds and discard the end pieces.
- Combine the water and sugar in a wide pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and add the orange slices in a single layer. Gently simmer for 20 minutes, flip the slices, then cook another 20 minutes.
- If the slices are not yet translucent, continue simmering and flip every 5–10 minutes until they turn translucent and the syrup thickens. This can take up to an hour total.
- Transfer the orange slices to a cooling rack set over wax paper to catch drips. Let them cool and set completely. Slice or trim as needed to garnish cakes.
- Reserve the leftover orange syrup for cocktails, glazes, or other uses.
Notes
- Adapted from an established candied orange slice method.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted.