Sweet Potato-Currant Mini Bundt Cakes

These little bundt cakes are surprisingly light for how rich they taste. Sweet potato puree and fresh orange peel do all the heavy flavor work, while egg substitute and skim milk keep things on the leaner side with no butter or oil in the batter.

The orange peel gets processed with currants in the food processor, which breaks both down into tiny, fragrant bits that distribute evenly through the batter. Make sure you strip all the white pith off the orange peel first. Pith is bitter and will throw off the sweetness of the cake.

Rolling the warm cakes in cinnamon sugar right out of the pan is what seals the deal. The residual heat melts the sugar just enough to form a thin, sparkly crust that crunches when you bite through it.

Pro Tips

• Stir the wet into the dry ingredients quickly and stop mixing as soon as it comes together. Overworking cake flour develops gluten and makes the crumb tough.
• Check at 20 minutes. Mini bundts bake faster than full-size and can dry out if left too long.
• Let them cool in the pan for exactly 5 minutes. Too soon and they break apart, too long and they stick.

Variations

• Pumpkin version: Swap the sweet potato puree for pumpkin puree and add a pinch of nutmeg to the cinnamon sugar coating.
• Cranberry orange: Replace currants with dried cranberries for a tart-sweet twist that’s great for holiday baking.