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| 3-4 BITE SIZE STRAWBERRY CAKELETS |
This coming Tuesday is the first day of Spring. I took a dessert to my class that would celebrate this anticipated day, which this year is rainy and cold. But the winter will soon be gone, making way for warm, sunny days ahead.
Kris’ Vanilla Sheet Cake
Preheat oven to 350^
Use spray oil such as Pam to prepare baking sheet (12 X 18 x 1)
If you want to remove whole cake from pan, butter and flour pan before adding batter, instead of using Pam.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for baking sheet
3 cups flour (for my cutout cakes) or use cake flour for a lighter cake
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk, warmed (not hot) in microwave
4 large room temp eggs, whipped with a fork
(For a white cake, use 8 whites and no yolks..Whip them separately to form stiff peaks with 1/4 cup of the sugar. Gently fold these whites into the other ingredients at the end, after wet and dry ingredients have been mixed. This makes a lighter cake that is great with the cake flour. Cut the vanilla to ½ teaspoon.)
Directions:
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, using a paddle attachment, beat butter and 2 cups sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition.
With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just combined.
Transfer batter to prepared baking sheet and smooth batter evenly with a spatula.
Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes. If you want to remove cake from pan, invert cake onto rack, then re-invert and let cool completely.
I double this recipe for my SS class. Makes 75 one inch 2 layer cakelets with two baking sheets of cake. And I add an extra egg when doubling the recipe. (For 1 1layer Strawberry Cakelets used 2 oz souffle cups by Solo from Smart and Final.)
Cream Cheese-Heavy Cream Frosting for Vanilla Cakelets, piped on using large tip for SS class:
In a mixer bowl with a whip attachment:
Whip 16 oz cream cheese, room temp, until smooth and creamy.
Add 1 Cup Sugar, whip again till smooth.
Add 1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract
and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whip again to combine.
Now, add 2 Cups Cream and whip to stiff peaks.
I refrigerate this mixture overnight to thoroughly chill and then re-whip to ensure stiff peaks. These peaks will keep well all day long...through SS class and family dinner, etc.
This mixture can be flavored with a fruit puree or other flavors as long as the puree is not too watery...some fruit purees may need to be reduced...kinda like a jam.
This is a great dessert to make in advance and then assemble quickly. The cakes can be made and cut out a day ahead and so can the frosting be made a day ahead.
On the day of use, I cut out the cakelets, topped with fruit puree, added another cake layer (or not on above photo), topped that with frosting, and garnished with a piece of fruit (a nut leaf would have been lovely).
Preheat oven to 350^
Use spray oil such as Pam to prepare baking sheet (12 X 18 x 1)
If you want to remove whole cake from pan, butter and flour pan before adding batter, instead of using Pam.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for baking sheet
3 cups flour (for my cutout cakes) or use cake flour for a lighter cake
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk, warmed (not hot) in microwave
4 large room temp eggs, whipped with a fork
(For a white cake, use 8 whites and no yolks..Whip them separately to form stiff peaks with 1/4 cup of the sugar. Gently fold these whites into the other ingredients at the end, after wet and dry ingredients have been mixed. This makes a lighter cake that is great with the cake flour. Cut the vanilla to ½ teaspoon.)
Directions:
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, using a paddle attachment, beat butter and 2 cups sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition.
With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just combined.
Transfer batter to prepared baking sheet and smooth batter evenly with a spatula.
Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes. If you want to remove cake from pan, invert cake onto rack, then re-invert and let cool completely.
I double this recipe for my SS class. Makes 75 one inch 2 layer cakelets with two baking sheets of cake. And I add an extra egg when doubling the recipe. (For 1 1layer Strawberry Cakelets used 2 oz souffle cups by Solo from Smart and Final.)
Cream Cheese-Heavy Cream Frosting for Vanilla Cakelets, piped on using large tip for SS class:
In a mixer bowl with a whip attachment:
Whip 16 oz cream cheese, room temp, until smooth and creamy.
Add 1 Cup Sugar, whip again till smooth.
Add 1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract
and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whip again to combine.
Now, add 2 Cups Cream and whip to stiff peaks.
I refrigerate this mixture overnight to thoroughly chill and then re-whip to ensure stiff peaks. These peaks will keep well all day long...through SS class and family dinner, etc.
This mixture can be flavored with a fruit puree or other flavors as long as the puree is not too watery...some fruit purees may need to be reduced...kinda like a jam.
This is a great dessert to make in advance and then assemble quickly. The cakes can be made and cut out a day ahead and so can the frosting be made a day ahead.
On the day of use, I cut out the cakelets, topped with fruit puree, added another cake layer (or not on above photo), topped that with frosting, and garnished with a piece of fruit (a nut leaf would have been lovely).
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| MADE 75 ONE LAYER CAKELETS FOR MY SS CLASS 3.18.12 |
I assembled 75 cakelets in 15 minutes. Got up at 7, re-whipped my frosting, got cleaned up, did my hair, got dressed, and was at Church by 8:10...and during that time I also assembled my dessert. Not bad for a not-morning person. This was the favorite dessert I took (others were chocolate and oat cookies).
