Spicy Chocolate Swirl Mini-Cakes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cake flour, sifted
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup unsweetened dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup milk

Instructions:

Let all the ingredients reach room temperature. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325°. Grease and flour the wells of a swirl cake pan. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, salt and cocoa powder onto a sheet of waxed paper and set aside. In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer using a flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, roughly 30-45 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then add the vanilla. On the lowest speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the milk and ending with the dry ingredients, occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl. Divide the batter among the prepared wells of the pan. Bake until the cakes spring back when touched and pull away from othe sides of the wells, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack. Cool the cakes on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool slightly on the rack, swirl side up, 10 to 15 minutes.