Caramel Mocha Mini Bundt Cakes

Or maybe a better title would be:

My Misadventures In Baking

Seriously.

I started out to make this cake from Inside BruCrew Life...

for Father's Day and ran in to trouble right from the start.

Well, I guess the trouble didn't start right away.

Like, I KNEW I didn't have plain yogurt.

No biggie.

  

I used sour cream.

I make all my cakes with sour cream so I

wasn't the least bit worried about this part.

{if you click that link you can see most of my cakes}

I used vanilla pudding instead of chocolate because that's

what I had and didn't want to make a special trip.

You know how it is.

All was well and good.

Or so I thought.

I went to the baker's rack to get my fluted stoneware pan...

it was cracked.

Big crack.  How the heck did that get there?

{insert BIG sad face here}

At least they still make them...

SO...I had to do the next best thing...

use the mini fluted stoneware pan that's

been gathering dust in the cupboard.

Moving on...

Everything seemed to be going smoothly,

until it was time to add the oil.

Where did it go? Is it hiding?

I could have sworn I saw a bottle in the cabinet the other day.

Either that or the pancake syrup was playing tricks on me.

We mainly cook with olive oil and I didn't want to use that.

So I substituted melted butter.

I couldn't get my white chocolate to
melt properly...it kept getting lumpy.

Oh.My.Goodness.

But, just so you know...

it turned out DELICIOUS!!!!!

So, here are the adaptions I made to the original recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 chocolate cake mix (I use Betty Crocker's Triple Chocolate Fudge ~ THEEEE Best!!!)
• 1 instant chocolate {or vanilla} pudding mix (or whatever flavor you want)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 eggs
• 1 stick butter, mostly melted
• 1 cup brewed coffee, cooled
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips (optional if you use the above cake mix)

I interrupt this regularly scheduled blog post for a sweet tooth service announcement:

See this naked can?
Did you know it's super easy to make caramel sauce?

Grab a can of sweetened condensed milk

{I'm a snob and only buy Eagle brand}

Remove the label...place can in pot of hot water, enough to cover it,

bring to a boil and simmer about 2 hours.

Add more water as needed to keep covered.

When the time is up, let it cool...you don't wan't to get burned.

This is what you'll see when you remove the lid.

A whole bunch of gooey caramel awesomeness.

Make several and keep them in the cupboard...

ready when you need it.

{P.S. it is unbelievable with apple slices!}

You're welcome.

Topping: 

• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon shortening
• 1/2 cup caramel {you can warm it in the microwave a little so it's drizzly}
• coarse sea salt, optional

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, butter, and cooled coffee. Beat on low for 1 minute, scrape sides then beat 2 minutes on medium. Stir in the chocolate chips.
2. Since I had a mini fluted stone, I used that (with some batter to spare in cupcake wrappers), but you could also pour into a greased 10" bundt pan.
3. Bake the minis at 350° for 40-45 minutes or the full size for 50-55 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes in the pan. Place a plate over the top of the cake and flip the cake over. Let cool completely...or not.
4. Melt the chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds. Stir until creamy. Place in a plastic baggie and cut one tip off. Drizzle over the top of the cake. {awesome tip} 
5. Warm the caramel in the microwave until thin enough to pour...about 30 seconds. Drizzle the caramel over the chocolate. Sprinkle the top with the sea salt if desired. Store in a sealed container.



 I still want to make Jocelyn's version because it looks soooo fudgy.

But I had to adapt and overcome...so I did just that.
And was rewarded with some yummy goodness.

Had some baking misadventures?
Had to adapt a recipe because of some crazy reason?
Please tell me I'm no the only one....
Please?
:)

Handing out forks here:

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