Strawberry Baby Cakes Recipes

STRAWBERRY BABY CAKES

Steps:

• Make the cakes: Center a rack in the oven and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 24-hole mini-muffin pan with cupcake papers or use baker's spray to coat the inside of the pan.
• You need 24 chunks of strawberry for the centers of the cakes, so slice the berries into small pieces and set aside. (The chunks should be about 1/4-inch wide and short enough to drop easily into the muffin cups.)
• Working in a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and salt. Drop in the eggs and beat with a mixer on medium speed (or continue with a whisk) for about 2 minutes, or until foamy and slightly thickened. Stir in the vanilla extract and the rose extract, if you're using it, followed by the corn syrup.
• Switch to a flexible spatula, and blend in the flour in two or three additions. You'll have a thick batter. Mix the butter into the batter in three or four additions, stirring gently until well incorporated. The batter will be stretchy and a bit slippery. Pour the melted chocolate over the mixture, stir it in gently and, when it's fully blended into the batter, stir in the milk.
• Spoon about 1 teaspoon of batter into each muffin cup, and then drop in a piece of strawberry. Divide the remaining batter evenly among the cakes, covering each berry.
• Bake the cakes for 11 to 13 minutes, or until a slender tester poked into the center of a cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack, and let rest for 2 minutes before carefully removing the cakes; cool to room temperature on the rack.
• Make the topping (optional): In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt together the chocolate and oil in a microwave set to half power, or in a small pan over very low heat. White chocolate is fragile and finicky - it burns quickly - so stay close. Stir the mixture to make sure it's smooth.
• One by one, dip the tops of the baby cakes into the chocolate, swirling the cakes to even out the topping and allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl or pan. Return the cakes to the rack and, if you'd like, finish with sprinkles.
• You can refrigerate the cakes for about 10 minutes to set the chocolate or leave them at room temperature. Chilled or not, the chocolate will remain a tad soft, and that's nice. Kept in a covered container, the cakes will hold for a day or two.

KIDS CAN MAKE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Make the strawberries first: Mix the sliced strawberries with the sugar and a squeeze of lemon in a large bowl. Set them aside, stirring a few times, until they are nice and juicy, about 30 minutes.
• Make the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the cream. Add the lemon zest and juice. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until it just forms a dough. Gather the dough into a ball and transfer it to a flour-sprinkled surface. Pat it into a 1/2-inch-thick circle. Cut as many mini biscuits as you can with a 2-inch biscuit cutter. Gently press the scraps together and repeat. Arrange the rounds 1 inch apart on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush them with more cream and sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake them in the middle of the oven until they are just golden, about 12 minutes. Cool the biscuits while you make the whipped cream.
• Make the whipped cream: Combine the cream with the sugar and vanilla in a sealable container. Whisk or shake with the lid on until soft peaks form.
• To serve: Split the biscuits with a fork and spoon some juicy strawberries and whipped cream on the bottom halves of the biscuits. Place the top halves on top. Add more whipped cream and a mint leaf to each, if using.

BABYCAKES

Steps:

• For the Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a small mixing bowl add the baking soda, salt, baking powder and flour. Mix thoroughly with a fork and set aside. In a large mixing bowl add the eggs, honey, both sugars and butter. Mix until smooth using a hand mixer. Add the cinnamon and baby food. Mix until smooth. Using a rubber spatula fold in the pecans. Slowly add the flour mixture using a sifter and fold in until ingredients are evenly mixed.
• Place 24 mini baking cups (2-inch, nonfoil) into each hole of the mini muffin pan. Place a 1-gallon resealable freezer bag into a bowl (for support) and pour the cupcake batter into the bag. Seal the bag and cut the tip off 1 of the bottom corners of the bag. Squeeze the batter into each baking cup, filling them only 3/4 of the way full. Place the mini muffin pan in the oven on the center rack. Bake for 12 minutes.
• For the Frosting: In a small mixing bowl add the extracts, milk, cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar. Mix until smooth and creamy using a hand mixer. When the cupcakes are done baking remove each cupcake from the pan and place on a cooling rack. Place the cooling rack in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Once the cupcakes are cooled remove them from the refrigerator. Frost each cupcake by putting a generous dollop of frosting on the top with a spoon. Garnish top with ground pecans and they are ready to serve.

STRAWBERRY SUMAC CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare the strawberries: Combine the chopped strawberries, sumac, sugar and almond extract in a small bowl and set aside to macerate, a process of letting the berries soften and release their juices.
• Meanwhile, prepare the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or springform pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking soda and baking powder to combine. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a medium bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the eggs and 1 cup/200 grams sugar on medium-high speed until very pale and light yellow in color, about 3 minutes. The mixture should thicken and make ribbons that slowly lose their shape when they fall off the whisk attachment. With the mixer on high speed, slowly add the remaining 1 cup/240 milliliters olive oil and beat until everything is combined.
• Reduce the speed to medium-low and slowly begin adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions, adding the half-and-half in between additions. Mix until just combined. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the diced strawberries and their liquid. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Arrange the halved strawberries on the top.
• Bake for 50 to 65 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the cake is becoming too brown before the center has set, cover loosely with foil.
• In a small bowl, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons/25 grams sugar with the sumac. Sprinkle the cake with the sumac sugar while still slightly warm.
• Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Turn the cake out of the pan onto the rack or release the springform ring and remove it. (If using a standard cake pan, some sugar may fall off of the cake. Use parchment or wax paper to catch any stray sugar and sprinkle back over the cake.) Let cool completely before serving. Store leftover cake in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 1 day (or refrigerate up to 4 days).