Yes to Cake. Always. As a lifestyle…who’s with me?

Now, I’m not talking about yes to sugary, overly sweet, hardly any flavor cakes that you have to eat with ice cream in order for it to be moist and delish. I’m talking about a cake – these spiced molasses mini cakes that are not only delicious, moist, and packed with flavor, but are “good” for you. As good as cake can be : ).

These spiced molasses mini cakes are pretty much everything a cake should be. Especially for these cool winter months. Nothing better than a slice served with a warm cup of tea to pair. Just in case you’re wondering, you can have this for breakfast. Absolutely. Paired with coffee, you just might find yourself in heaven.

Spiced Molasses Mini Cakes

Yield: 1 bundt cake or several mini bundt cakes

Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

These spiced molasses mini cakes are sophisticated, light, and packed with seasonal flavors with a hint of caramel. They can double as a not-too-sweet dessert or a satisfying breakfast to take on the go. These adorable hand-held treats are tempting for many reasons.

Ingredients

2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
⅓ cup almond flour
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ginger
¼ tsp. cloves
1 cup unsalted butter
¾ cup coconut sugar
½ cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
⅓ cup organic robust-flavored (dark) molasses, unsulfured
2 Tbsp. organic pure maple syrup
2 tsp. bourbon (or vanilla extract)
½ cup sour cream
Powdered sugar (optional)
White sugar (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a bundt cake pan and coat with a thin layer of sugar (optional).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, baking powder, and spices.
In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until creamy, 2-3 minutes.
Gradually add both sugars, beating until fluffy, 1-2 additional minutes.
Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then egg yolk.
While mixer is on medium-low speed, pour in molasses, maple syrup and bourbon (or vanilla). Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix until smooth.
Reduce mixer speed to low and stir in dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10-20 minutes. Carefully loosen edges with knife and turn out onto rack and cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

I used specialty pans from Nordic Ware. The key to crispy, snow looking tops on these cakes is 1- after greasing your pan, sprinkle with white sugar and 2- sift powdered sugar on tops after cooled. Depending on the time of year or purpose/celebration of making this recipe, feel free to substitute the type of pan.