These flavorful mini bundt cakes are easy to make and deliver a lot more flavor than you might expect for the size of the package they come in. The Orange Ginger Mini Bundt Cakes have fresh orange zest, ground ginger and a bit of turmeric in the mix, creating a unique and delicious cake that is an outstanding choice for winter and spring baking.

Ginger and orange are a lovely flavor combination in these cakes, as well as in other baked goods. Ginger has an earthy spiciness to it that contrasts well with the sweetness of the orange. I used orange zest, not orange juice, in this cake because so much flavor comes from the zest of the orange that it is all you really need. Be sure to use a fresh, ripe orange for best results! In addition to those two primary flavorings, the cakes also include vanilla and turmeric. Turmeric, another earthy spice, goes well with the ginger and imparts a beautiful yellow-orange color to the batter that you can really see in the baked cakes. It’s fun that this pop of color requires no food coloring and it really makes the cakes stand out when they’re on a dessert tray!

This recipe uses pastry flour instead of all purpose or cake flour. Pastry flour has a protein content somewhere between cake and all purpose, so it will consistently produce tender baked goods. It’s available in many grocery stores, but you can substitute for it by combining replacing 1 tablespoon from each cup of all purpose flour with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Pastry flour doesn’t typically need to be sifted, unlike cake flour, though I would recommend sifting it if you’re using the substitution to ensure the ingredients are well-combined.

You’ll notice that I used a flower-shaped mini bundt pan for this recipe. The pan is called the Buttercup Cakelet Pan and it is made by Nordicware. Unfortunately, the pan is from a few seasons ago and it can be difficult to find online now. Fortunately, you can use any other mini bundt cake pan or similarly sized cakelet pan for this recipe. As is always the case when using pans with a lot of detail, you should grease the pan well to prevent the cake from sticking – even if you’re using a nonstick pan to begin with. If your pan is not nonstick, I recommend greasing and flouring for best results.

The finished cakes are very light and almost have a chiffon cake-like texture to them. Since they are so fluffy, I feel like frosting would only weigh them down – not to mention the fact that it would cover up the design of the pan! If you want to frost your cakes, I recommend making a simple glaze with orange juice and confectioners’ sugar. Personally, I prefer to serve these with a little bit of Lightly Sweetened Whipped Cream and fresh berries. The whipped cream should be added just before serving, but the cakes will keep well for several days in an airtight container.

Orange Ginger Mini Bundt Cakes
1 1/2 cups pastry flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp orange zest
1/2 cup milk, pref. whole

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 6-cavity mini bundt cake pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together pastry four, ginger, turmeric, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in the eggs one at a time until they have all been incorporated and the mixture is light and uniform. Beat in vanilla extract and orange zest.
Stir half of the flour mixture into the egg mixture, followed by the milk. Stir in the remaining flour mixture and mix until no streaks of dry ingredients remain visible. Divide evenly into prepared pans.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cakelets comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Allow cakes to cool for at least 10-15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 6 cakes.

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