Mini Fruit and Chocolate Bundt Cakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Glaze

Since you last heard from me we had painters paint the interior of our house (goodbye yellow, hello tan), moved out of my brother-in-law’s house and back into our home, redecorated our home (little did my husband know that with new paint comes new decor), and went down to the lake house to celebrate Memorial Day with two of our best friends. Throw in work, a little bit of travel, and one could say that our calendar has been on the full side…but then again, when has it not? In my mind, the busier the better, right?

With the summer months upon us (yes, it’s been in the 90s in D.C.), I can’t help but think of more trips down to the lake house, more visits from friends, more travel plans, and more time spent in our gardens. One of my favorite everyday activities during the summer is spending time watering the flowers, herbs, and vegetables in our gardens. I usually wake up, head straight to the coffeemaker to brew a fresh pot, throw on my sandals, and head outside to water. This little activity, although it only takes a few minutes thanks to rowhouse living, pulls me away from the computer and out into the beautiful, warm weather.

Our flowers have been in bloom, our tomato plants have green tomatoes hanging from their branches, our herbs are nice and full, our green bell pepper plant has three peppers growing from it, and our strawberry plant is starting to sprout as we watch them change from green to red. My husband and I have had so much fun tending to the gardens and we cannot wait to take the first bite into our homegrown produce.

In celebration of our fresh produce that is growing right outside our back door, I’m sharing with you an easy Mini Fruit and Chocolate Bundt Cake topped with all of the wonderful fruits of the summer: blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries. For now, I had to use store bought strawberries but I cannot wait to make this dish and top it with our homegrown strawberries straight from our garden.

Mini Fruit and Chocolate Bundt Cakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Glaze

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 1 package of white cake mix (plus ingredients listed on the box)
• 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips

• 1 cup of strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1/2 cup of blackberries, rinsed
• 1/2 cup of raspberries, rinsed

• 1/4 cup of milk chocolate chips, melted
• 4 ounces of cream cheese
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1-2 cups of powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven according to the temperature on the white cake mix package.
2. Prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the package.
3. Melt the milk chocolate chips using a microwave or a double boiler.
4. Split the prepared cake batter into two bowls. Pour the melted chocolate into one of the bowls and stir to incorporate.
5. Pour the chocolate batter into the vanilla batter and swirl to slightly combine.
6. Prepare mini bundt cake pans with cooking spray. Pour batter into the prepared bundt cake pans until 3/4 full.
7. Place mini bundt cake pans on a baking dish.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Remove mini bundt cake pans from the oven and remove the cakes from the mini bundt cake pans. Place the cakes on a wire rack to cool.
10. Top the mini bundt cakes with fruit and drizzle with Chocolate Cream Cheese Glaze. To prepare the drizzle: Combine all of the ingredients. Add enough powdered sugar until the mixture reaches the desired consistency.

What is your favorite fruit?