Recipe: Elegant, effortless and beautiful Mother's Day mini cakes
If your mom is anything like mine, a simple gesture or small treat will make her day this Mother’s Day, no elaborate gifts required. In fact, like most immigrant moms she’ll actually get annoyed if I buy her a gift she thinks of as fancy, because she doesn’t want me to spend too much money on her.
One thing my mom loves though, is a simple vanilla box cake. So this Mother’s Day I’ve taken a little inspiration from Betty Crocker. This simple cake recipe with an even easier icing sugar glaze, and a bit of wow factor with fresh flowers, is sure to impress any mom.
Mini cakes are having a moment, and for good reason. Baking your vanilla cake batter in small tins creates individual portions that are easy to serve and look delightful on a platter. The fresh flowers really take things to the next level, just remember, for safe flower placement wrap the stems in floral tape before inserting them into the cake and remove before eating. And be sure to purchase food safe, pesticide free flowers for this.
Classic Vanilla Mini Cakes with Icing Sugar Glaze
Cake batter:
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups (310 mL) granulated sugar
2 tsp. (10 mL) baking powder
½ tsp. (2.5 mL) salt
²⁄ ³ cup (160 mL) unsalted butter, softened
1 tbs. (15 mL) pure vanilla extract
¾ cup (180 mL) whole milk
¼ cup (60 mL) vegetable oil
2 large eggs
Icing Sugar Glaze:
1 cup (120 g) icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
2–3 tbs. (30-45 mL) milk or cream
½ tsp. (2.5 mL) vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 330°F (165°C). Grease and flour four mini cake tins or line with parchment. (You can also use an 9-inch cake pan for a full-sized cake).
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add butter in cubes, mixing until the flour is coated and resembles coarse crumbs.
In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, oil, and vanilla.
With the mixer on low, slowly add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients. Increase speed and mix for 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing just until incorporated.
Divide batter evenly among mini cake tins, filling each about two-thirds full.
Bake for 15–20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in tins for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
Make the glaze. In a bowl, whisk together icing sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of milk. Add more milk as needed to achieve a pourable consistency.
Spoon or drizzle glaze over cooled mini cakes, letting it drip down the sides. Let the cakes sit for 15 minutes to set the glaze.
Decorate with fresh flowers.
Makes 4 mini cakes or one 9-inch cake.
Related
Source: vancouversun.com