Food Network's Iron Chef Cat Cora

Christy,

I have a recipe for Budinos, Italian for pudding cakes. They bake in around 20 minutes and can be made in muffin tins so they are like little mini cakes or cupcakes. They are so yummy! Here is the recipe.

3 cups cake flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup honey
1/2 cup good quality cocoa
3/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 cups of water

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Grease or spray two 12-cup muffin tins with vegetable or canola oil. (You can also use just one tin and bake the batter in two batches.) Wipe out excess oil with a paper towel. Set the tin aside.

Mix wet ingredients together and dry ingredient together then add wet to the dry and mix well. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling each cup three-quarters full. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. The edges will have just begun to pull away from the pan, and the top of each budino should still look moist and shiny at the center. Remove tins from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes. While the tins are still warm, place a baking sheet over the top of each muffin tin and invert it. Carefully lift the muffin tin to release cakes. Transfer the cakes to a serving platter or individual dessert plates. They're at their best if served warm, but are also delicious at room temperature.