Donna Hay’s white chocolate bundt cake and mini cakes with cacao crumbs

Two ways with white chocolate - a simple ‘melt and mix’ bundt cake, and mini cakes with cacao crumbs.

There's something so elegant about a bundt cake. With its soft sponge and beautiful curves, it makes a stunning centrepiece on the table for afternoon tea. This white chocolate version is one of my favourites. It's an easy "melt and mix" recipe, which means you just put everything in a bowl, stir and bake.

Plus it has a layer of amaretti on the inside, for extra texture and crunch.

The mini cakes topped with cacao nib crumb are the ultimate reward for an hour of blissful baking.

WHITE CHOCOLATE & AMARETTI BUNDT CAKE

2 cups (300g) self-raising flour

1 cup (220g) caster sugar

250g white chocolate, melted

185g unsalted butter, melted

1 1/4 cups (310ml) milk

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

160g crushed amaretti biscuits

2 tablespoons finely crushed

amaretti biscuits, extra

Preheat oven to 180°C. Place flour, sugar, chocolate, butter, milk, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour half the cake mixture into a well-greased, three-litre bundt tin, sprinkle with crushed amaretti and pour over the remaining cake mixture. Cook for 40-45 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then gently remove cake and dust with finely crushed amaretti. Serves 8-10

MINI WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKES WITH CACAO NIB CRUMB

1 cup (220g) self-raising flour

1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar

50g unsalted butter, melted

120g melted white chocolate

1/3 cup (80ml) buttermilk

2 eggs

Cacao nib crumb

1/3 cup (75g) coffee sugar*

1/3 cup (80g) mini chocolate chips

1/4 cup (40g) cacao nibs*

Preheat oven to 160°C. To make cacao nib crumb, place coffee sugar, chocolate chips and cacao nibs in a small bowl and combine.

Set aside. Place flour, caster sugar, butter, chocolate, buttermilk and eggs in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Divide mixture into 6 x 180ml (3/4  cup) capacity wellgreased loose-bottomed cake tins.

Place on oven tray and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, quickly sprinkle with cacao nib mixture and cook for a further 30 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Set aside to cool in tins for 10-15 minutes, or until cool enough to handle, and remove from tins. Makes 6

*Coffee sugar has a large granule and makes the perfect crunchy topping. Find it in the baking aisle of supermarkets. Look for cacao nibs at specialty grocers.

Guest chef Donna Hay.

Recipes and image from Donna Hay Magazine's 'Fast' issue, on sale Monday.