How to create Fancy Mini Cakes

This is a great way to turn a simple cake and icing recipe — or your favourite go-tos — into an impressive crowd pleaser. Unleash your creativity with different shapes of cutters and experiment with piping tips to give your mini cakes a unique presentation.

Fancy Mini Cakes

Tip: To change it up, you can substitute any cake, icing, filling or garnish of your choice. 

For chocolate version, use a chocolate buttercream recipe, pipe dollops in between layers and cover the top. Dust with espresso powder and garnish with chocolate curls and chocolate candy pearls.

Hot tip: Have leftover cake or buttercream? Both will keep for a month in the freezer. When ready to use, remove to the fridge to defrost slowly. Whip buttercream to bring it back to a workable texture and assemble for your next party!

Ingredients

Vanilla Sponge Cake:

• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Raspberry Cream Filling:

• 1 cup raspberries
• ¾ cup raspberry jam
• ¾ cup 35% cream
• ¼ cup icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Macerated Raspberry Fruit Filling:

• 1 cup raspberries
• 1 tsp sugar

Garnish:

• Raspberries
• Edible flowers
• Icing sugar

Preparation

Vanilla Cake:

Heat the oven to 325F degrees. Line a medium (17 x 11-inch) rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Attach the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles wet sand, about five to six minutes.

Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a small bowl, then add them to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Spread evenly onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 12-15 minutes. Cool completely, then cut into 24 two-inch rounds.

Raspberry Cream Filling:

Mash together the raspberries and ¼ cup of the jam in a small bowl with a fork. Beat in the cream, icing sugar, vanilla and salt in a large bowl with a hand mixer on high until stiff peaks form. Fold in the remaining raspberry jam. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip.

Macerated Raspberry Fruit Filling:

Mash the raspberries together with the sugar. Stir together with a fork. Set aside. (As it sits the sugar will draw the juices out of the raspberries.)

Assembly:

To assemble, place 12 cake rounds onto a serving platter and pipe cream around the border of each, leaving a half inch space in the centre.

Spoon one tablespoon of macerated raspberry fruit filling into the centre. Top each with the remaining cake rounds, and repeat with cream and filling. Decorate with whole raspberries and edible flowers. Dust with icing sugar.

Yield: Makes 12 mini cakes