Red Velvet Mini-Bundt Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions

1. Pâte Brisée (Pie Dough)
2. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, and salt on low speed until just combined, 3 to 5 seconds. Add the butter pieces in an even layer, and briefly pulse the mixer (quickly turning the machine on and off) on the lowest speed for 3 to 5 seconds so that the flour begins to stick to the butter and doesn’t splatter. After 3 to 5 seconds, turn the mixer on low speed and leave it running until the dough is about halfway combined about 30 to 45 seconds. The butter should slightly coat the flour, but there should still be plenty of pecan-size butter chunks. The dough should begin to hold its shape when squeezed together.
3. In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together the egg yolks and milk until blended, about 10 seconds. Add the egg-milk mixture to the flour mixture in the standing mixer. Mix the ingredients on low speed until the dough just barely comes together and looks shaggy, about 30 to 45 seconds.
4. Dump the dough out onto a clean countertop (not onto the plastic wrap), then gather it together into one cohesive mound. There should be small chunks of butter visible within the dough, and the butter should still be cold. Using your palm, start at one side of the mound and smear the dough bit by bit, beginning at the top and then sliding your palm down the side and along the work surface, pushing the dough into your work surface. This is a technique known in French as fraisage. When finished, you should have no more loose flour, though the dough may still look a little shaggy.
5. Lay the sheet of plastic wrap on a clean work surface. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, ensuring that it is fully sealed. Turn the ball over and press it into a disc that’s about 1 inch thick. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 to 2 hours or ideally overnight.
6. The wrapped dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw frozen pie dough in the refrigerator for 24 hours before rolling it out and baking it.
7. Unwrap the chilled pie dough (it’s important that the dough is cold while being rolled out to help it bake up nice and flaky). Divide the disc into two pieces: about ¾ of the dough for the crust; the remaining ¼ of the dough for the lattice top.
8. Use a rolling pin to roll out the larger piece of dough into a circle slightly larger than your pie plate, about 12 inches in diameter and ⅛-inch thick.
9. Dock the dough by poking it with a pastry docker or fork to allow air to escape while baking. Be sure to dock evenly across the surface.
10. Transfer the dough to the pie dish and press the dough down onto the pie plate so it lies in a flat, even layer. Chill the pie shell in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, along with the remaining ¼ of unrolled dough for the lattice top.
11. Blind Baking Your Pie Dough
12. Heat the oven to 350°F/175°C and position a rack in the center of the oven.
13. Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator and trim any jagged edges from the pie dish using kitchen shears. Save the dough scraps to create your lattice top. Leave a bit of overhang to account for shrinkage during baking.
14. Blind bake the shell. Line the unbaked pie shell with parchment paper, fill the shell with an even layer of pie weights (or dried beans or rice), and bake until the entire shell is light brown, about 20 to 30 minutes. Rotate the shell once halfway through baking. You’ll know the shell is done when you lift up one part of the parchment and see that the dough is matte in appearance.
15. Blueberry-Lemon Filling
16. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine 2 cups of blueberries with the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Cook, stirring often with a rubber spatula, until the sugar begins to melt, and the berries burst and mix with the cornstarch, thickening into a jammy consistency, 5 to 7 minutes. (I use a potato masher to help the berries burst open)
17. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the remaining 6 cups of blueberries. Stir until they’re coated.
18. Zest one lemon into the mixture and stir to combine. (yellow part only, avoid the pith) Set aside to cool slightly.
19. Assembling and Baking
20. Pour the blueberry mixture into the blind-baked pie shell. Make a lattice top with the remaining ¼ of dough plus any dough scraps from trimming the shell: Using a rolling pin, form a rectangular shape as wide as the pie, until it’s about ⅛-inch thick.
21. Using a paring knife, fluted cutter, or pizza cutter, cut strips that are about 1 inch wide out of the rectangle of dough. Place one layer of strips vertically along the pie and a second layer across those strips horizontally at a 90-degree angle, making a crosshatch pattern. Brush the egg wash across the top of the dough with a pastry brush
22. Scatter pearl, sanding, or granulated sugar across the top of the dough strips.
23. Heat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
24. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake until the entire crust is golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Let the pie cool on a wire rack for 3 to 4 hours, or until it comes to room temperature before serving.
25. After it’s been baked, trim any crust that’s hanging over the edge of your pie by running a sharp paring knife around the edge of the baking dish.
26. You’ll want to wait to cut the pie after it’s been cooled long enough and then use a pie server, and serve warm or at room temperature. The filling should be thick but not too thick, the pie dough should be light and flaky, and the flavor should be balanced—not too sweet.
27. The pie can be stored in an airtight container at a cool room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator if your kitchen is warm. Bring the pie back to room temperature before serving.