Grand Marnier and Orange Mini Bundt Cakes

Cream cheese bundt cakes made with Greek yogurt, spiked with orange liqueur. There’s no butter and no oil.

It’s officially December, and that calls for a drink. And cake. Or we can have the best of both worlds: boozy cake.

December snuck up on me this year, and half of my brain is convinced that it’s still the beginning of November. However, as always, I have a long list of things I’d like to make and bake before Christmas is all over for another year. Spiced muffins, eggnog, cut-out cookies, gingerbread French toast, soft cookies, festive granola, homemade cranberry sauce, a yule log…

Hmmm, I think I’ll be lucky to cross-off half the foods on my list. And I have a sneaking suspicion that I won’t get around to making a yule log.

Anyway, let’s stick to these bundt cakes for the moment. As you may have noticed from a few of my other recipes – such as these pancakes or this baked oatmeal – I’m a big fan of using alcohol in food (yes, even in breakfast food). The tiniest bit of booze adds a burst of flavor, but without the throat-burning sensation that ordinarily comes with strong drinks.

Notwithstanding, if you’d like to turn today’s recipe into alcohol-free treats, then it’s very simple: just replace the Grand Marnier with orange juice. While the taste won’t be quite the same, you’ll still end up with a dozen little bundt cakes flavored with orange zest, vanilla bean paste and (low fat) cream cheese.

These cakes are made without butter or oil – unless you count the tiny bit used to grease the pan. A mixture of my beloved Greek-style yogurt and cream cheese add plenty of moisture, so there’s no need for oil.

In that sense, they’re a little healthier than your average cakes, although these mini bundt cakes also contain sugar – since, you know, they’re cakes – and white flour. (Please don’t try substituting whole-wheat flour, as that would make the cakes way too dense).

Fun Fact: Every two seconds, a bottle of Grand Marnier is sold somewhere in the world.

Next, we come to the toppings! I kept the toppings very simple by using melted white chocolate and orange zest. If white chocolate isn’t your cup of tea, then you could use the orange icing from this yogurt cake, or try the cream cheese topping from this muffin post.

Alternatively, skip the toppings entirely and enjoy these cakes warm, perhaps with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar or a scoop of ice cream.

Question of the Day
What are you making and/or baking this December?

Grand Marnier and Orange Mini Bundt Cakes

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Little citrus and cream cheese bundt cakes spiked with Grand Marnier orange liqueur. The cream cheese and Greek-style yogurt in these cakes replaces the butter and/or oil.

Recipe type: Baked Goods, Cakes

Yield: 12 mini bundt cakes

Ingredients

• Mini Bundt Cakes
• 4 oz (115g) reduced fat cream cheese
• ½ cup (110g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (120g) Greek-style yogurt
• 2 tablespoons (30mL) Grand Marnier
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup (125g) all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon (10g) cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 
  Toppings
• ½ cup (35g) chopped white chocolate
• Orange zest

Directions

1. Mini bundt cakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 12-hole mini bundt pan with cooking oil spray.
2. In a large bowl, use electric beaters to beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and creamy. Add the yogurt, Grand Marnier, orange zest and vanilla bean paste, and beat until well combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
3. Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and baking soda. Add the salt, and mix with a spoon until just combined.
4. Transfer the batter to the prepared mini bundt pan, filling the holes approximately three-quarters of the way up.
5. Bake for 22 – 25 minutes, or until the tops are dry and a skewer comes out clean (or with a few crumbs).
6. Let the bundt cakes cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Allow the cakes to cool completely before decorating.
7. Toppings: Place the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on a low wattage for short intervals of 10 – 20 seconds, stirring frequently, until the chocolate has melted.
8. Spoon or drizzle the melted white chocolate over the top of the cooled bundt cakes. Quickly top with some orange zest.
9. Store the bundt cakes in an airtight container.

Notes

Cornstarch is also known as cornflour.

Make sure your cream cheese and eggs are at room temperature.

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