Mini cakes are becoming all the rage.  They are a great idea for weddings as they are individual and pack neatly into pre-made boxes to send off to those who didn’t make the wedding, or to keep as a memento of the wedding day for the first anniversary or the christening of the first child.  They look amazing arranged in tiers like a traditional cake but all iced differently to introduce an added dimension of fun and interest to the day.

If the cakes are to be kept for any length of time, then obviously the recipe has to be the same as if it were a large traditional wedding cake.  A rich fruit cake stuffed with dried fruits, spices and some alcohol.  Sometimes it is easier to make the large cake and then cut it into small cakes and simply ice them individually but there is also the option of making all the cakes separately and then icing them.

An excellent recipe for a Rich Fruit Cake is as follows;

This is for a 3 ½” square cake so multiply the ingredients by the amount of cakes you wish to make.

Preheat oven to slow (150°C/ 130° fan assisted)

Line the pan with non-stick silicone paper

2 oz softened butter

1/3 cup soft brown sugar

1 egg

2 tsp bitter orange English marmalade

2  1/3 cups of finely chopped mixed dried fruit (sultanas, raisins, currents, cranberries, lemon peel, orange peel, glace cherries,)

3/ 4 cup flour

1  1/4 tsp baking powder

 1/2 tsp mixed spice

2 tbls Marsala or sweet sherry + 2 extra tblsp

Beat butter, sugar and eggs together with an electric mixer until just combined, stir in the marmalade and fruit and mix well.  Sift flour, baking powder and spices over mixture add Marsala or sherry and mix well.  Spoon the mixture into the pan and smooth surface.  Bake for approximately 2 hours.  Take the cakes out of the oven and brush with remaining Marsala or sherry, cover the pan tightly with aluminium foil and cool in the pan.  Decorate when cold.

These little baby cakes are also a great idea for kid’s parties. The kids can spend time on the day decorating the pre-baked cakes. Mom just supplies the decorations, m+m’s, sprinkles, sugar balls, different coloured frosting, chocolate flakes, small jellies, sugar flowers and mini marshmallows. Use your imagination in the decorations you supply. The kids will have wonderful time doing wild and wacky things to their cakes. For these little cakes it is probably a good idea to use a basic sponge mixture.

Vanilla Buttercakes

Pre-heat oven to 180°C/160°C fan assisted

Place paper cases in a large 6 hole or 12 hole standard muffin pan.

3 oz softened butter

1/2 tsp natural vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tblsp milk

Beat butter, vanilla, sugar, eggs, flour and milk with an electric mixer on low power until everything is combined, then increase speed and whisk until mixture is pale in colour and thicker. Spoon into paper cases and smooth over the tops. Bake the large cakes for about 25 minutes and the small for about 20 minutes. Turn the cakes onto a wire rack to cool. Decorate when completely cold.

Wheat Intolerance

If you are one of the thousands of people with a wheat or dairy intolerance, then you may be interested in this recipe for Almond Macaroons, it is one of hundreds of recipes that doesn’t use flour or dairy products in the mixture thus making it suitable for ‘celiacs’ and those who cannot tolerate milk or other dairy products.

Almond macaroons

Pre-heat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan assisted ovens

Line a baking sheet with either edible rice paper or non-stick silicone paper.

3/4 cup almond paste

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp baking powder

Tiny pinch salt

3 egg whites

Work together the almond paste, salt, sugar and baking powder. Beat the egg whites until very stiff and add to the paste using a wooden spoon or spatula. Mix together until perfectly smooth. Drop small spoonfuls onto the lined pan about 1 inch apart or put into an icing bag with a pastry nozzle and ‘ice’ small amounts onto the lined surface. Place a peeled almond on the top of each macaroon and bake very slowly until delicately browned about 30 minutes.

There are many wonderful ideas for mini cakes the only limit is the extent of your imagination. But think of celebrations of every kind Valentine’s day, Christmas, Birthdays, Weddings, Christenings, Barbeques, Summer parties, Easter parties there are mini cakes foe every occasion. Make someone feel special by baking them a personalised mini-cake to say Thank you or Good Luck or Get Better soon. It’s the way to go.