apple brown butter and hazelnut mini bundt cakes

Having Grace home from school over the autumn break has been absolutely lovely.

Our pace slowed.

We awoke to the sweet streams of sunshine peaking through the curtains instead of a startling alarm clock and our morning routine was purposely slow.

We sat in the sunshine, enjoyed the cooler weather, sipped tea, made eggs and soldiers and totally enjoyed the feeling of nothingness.

No lunch boxes to pack.

No darting around the house searching for a lost school hat or library bag.

And no frantic dashes to the front gate.

Just slow beautiful mornings with my darlings.

Most days we eventually ventured out [noticing the final frangipane flowers dance from branch to ground as we strolled through our white gate – autumn is most definitely in the air].

First to our local coffee shop for babycino’s and the newspaper.

Then to the park for a play.

We stopped into our fruit market to fill our straw basket with the ingredients needed for the day.

Then, like clock work we ventured home to cook together – eager to fill the house with the aromas of home made goodness.

Over the holidays – we made a batch of our vegan chocolate tarts (to share with friends over Easter), lots of stealth spaghetti (Harry’s fav) but our most notable and delicious creation were these apple brown butter and hazelnut mini bundt cakes.

[If you don’t have mini bundt cake tins, you can bake these babies as muffins!]

Heady in the scents of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.

Utterly adorable.

And flavoured with the most magical ingredient, brown (or hazelnut) butter… these apple mini bundt cakes are the epitome of heavenly autumnal baking.

If you’ve never made brown butter before.  Don’t fret.  I have you covered below with step by step pics and directions.  The technique of cooking butter until it foams and turns a gorgeously caramel colour and wonderfully nutty scent is so simple.  And I promise it will transform your baking forever by adding a deep rich luxurious flavour to any sweet or savoury dish.

We finished our cute-as-a-button mini bundt cakes with a quick roll around in a little cinnamon sugar – but this step is totally optional.  Yes, our apple brown butter and hazelnut cakes echo the gorgeous decadence of fresh donuts but I realise how sugar-aware we all are these days.  As a treat, go for it.  Otherwise, feel totally free to skip the cinnamon scented sugar.

Like the school holidays – our wee apple bundt cakes didn’t last long either.

School returns tomorrow and when I finish writing this recipe I am back to the kitchen to pack a lunch box and then iron school uniforms.

But the return of school means the return of structure to my day and more time to finish off our baking with kids e-cookbook – we are only 9 photoshoots away from finishing (picture this…blueberry muesli bars, blood orange madeleines, sweet potato brown butter cupcakes, vanilla bean cookies) yes, lots of yumminess to cook, photoshoot and write about.

And for that, I am truly grateful.

Until next week lovely, happy baking.

Kayla x

To create your own apple brown butter and hazelnut mini bundt cakes simply…

Begin by setting your little one up comfortably at the kitchen bench with an apron on and hair tied back.

Preheat your oven to 170 C (340 F).

Give your little one a small serrated knife and using a chopping board – guide your little one through cutting the butter into small pieces.  Ask your child to pop the butter into a saucepan.

Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook until the butter begins to foam, brown a little and smell wonderfully nutty.

Remove from the heat and allow the butter to cool slightly.

Grab a large bowl and place it onto the kitchen bench.  Together measure the coconut sugar, maple syrup, yoghurt and vanilla bean paste and add to the bowl.

Next, crack both eggs into the same bowl.  And add the cooled brown butter.

Arm your little one with a whisk and ask them to stir until the mixture is thoroughly combined.

Next – measure and add the wholemeal spelt flour, hazelnut meal, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger to the bowl.

Arm your child with a wooden spoon and ask them to stir the batter until just combined.

Next – grab a box grater and guide your child through grating the apple pointing out the blades are sharp.  Measure 1 cup of grated apple and add to the cake batter.

Ask your child to use the wooden spoon to fold through the grated apple.  Set aside.

Using a pastry brush – grease the mini bundt tin with a little butter.

If you’re making muffins – line a 12 hole muffin tin with papers.

Evenly divide the mixture between the prepared trays.  Bake for 12 minutes or until golden and when a skewer inserted removes cleanly.

Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the bundt tins.  Place 1 cup of caster sugar and a tablespoon of cinnamon on a large plate – stir to combine.

Ask your little one to place each bundt cake in the sugar/cinnamon and roll around to cover.  Pop back onto the wire rack.

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