When I saw these mini, baked chocolate cake donuts on My San Francisco Kitchen, I'm pretty sure I made that high pitched sound only dogs can hear. Anything "mini" is automatically cute in the culinary world. I ran to the kitchen and pounced. Mike has been struggling conceptually with this painting recently and I thought it would be a nice surprise to bring down a plate-full of cute with a glass of milk on the side. It's serious when you can hear the music all the way from his studio (also known as our basement... better known as Autumn's Palace).
This recipe is the perfect go-to when you want something a little sweet but don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen. They take all of 7 minutes in the oven and are flat out adorable. Use a higher quality cocoa if possible because it's the key ingredient; let it show off! Plus, these donuts are baked, so you don't have all the mess of using oil and it's a little healthier than something from Krispy Kream. Hooray!
For cake donuts, any regular cake recipe should work just fine. If you're looking for a vegan version try this cake recipe with a little confectioners glaze on top. I find a Ziploc with a snipped corner or piping bag to be very helpful when pouring the batter into the mini-molds; it can get messy with a spoon.
These were a hit in our home! The cake is chocolately but not super rich; they have a little density to them which makes it delish with a cold glass of milk. Mike's favorite part is the ganache glaze on top; leave it to an Alton Brown recipe to steal the show. The sprinkles are optional and for the second batch (yields about 24) I dabbled in crushed almond and shredded coconut. Make it your own!
For the full recipe, two-step over to My San Francisco Kitchen!
