Hard work really does pay off.  I tell my kids this all the time, and I actually think that they are finally starting to believe it.  Hard work is not easy though – which is why they call it hard…and I often see them on the brink of just throwing in the towel.  All it takes though is for one win, and it gives them the strength to keep going.  It is just one of the many reasons that I love being a parent.

Fortunately it doesn’t always take a lot of hard work to make a delicious dessert that the entire family can enjoy.  I found this recipe in Cooking Light many moons ago, and the other weekend I decided to dust off my mini-bundt pan to test these babies out.  I have such limited time these days to bake, and this recipe looked like one that I could actually fit into my schedule.  These were so good, I made them the next weekend as well.  It is not often that I do that, but these were that good.  The glaze was not very thick, but it didn’t need to be – it offered just the right amount of sweetness to brighten up the cake.

So choose wisely what you want to focus your hard work on – you don’t have to be good at everything.  But when you focus your attention and it actually pays off, the victory is sweeter than you can imagine…just like a delicious dessert.

Ingredients

• 9 ounces white whole-wheat flour (about 2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup reduced-fat buttermilk
• 1 cup mini-chocolate chips
• Baking spray with flour or butter and flour
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 teaspoons water

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

Place butter and remaining 1 cup granulated sugar in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy (about 5 minutes). Beat in vanilla. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Fold in mini-chocolate chips.

Divide batter into each of 4 mini-bundt loaf cups coated with baking spray (or coated with butter than flour), spreading into an even layer. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove cakes from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Combine powdered sugar and 2 to 3 teaspoons water in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Drizzle glaze evenly over cakes.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Mini-Chocolate Chip Bundt Cakes