Twinkling Good Vanilla Snack Cakes Recipes

TWINKLING CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTS CAKE

Steps:

• First decorate the top of the cake. With the black sparkle gel, pipe three arcs across the top of the cake (These are the wires.) Draw tiny rectangles hanging off each arc, spaced about 1/2 inch apart. (These are the "sockets.")
• Snip the candies in half with kitchen shears. You'll be using the rounded ends; save the other ends for another use (or eat them!). Place each rounded end beneath a rectangle, so the flat cut side attaches to the flat side of the rectangle. (These are the lights.)
• Next decorate the sides of the cake. Pipe wide swags around the circumference, with their ends connected. Pipe rectangle sockets hanging off the wire, just as you did on top of cake. Place candy lights under the sockets.

THE BEST VANILLA CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat two 9-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds; lightly coat the paper with nonstick spray.
• Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl until combined. Beat the butter, granulated sugar, oil and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl until the batter is completely combined, smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
• Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Smooth the tops. Bake, rotating the pans from left to right halfway through, until the cakes are a light golden brown and a tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the cakes cool for 30 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cakes and invert onto the wire rack. Remove the parchment and let the cakes cool completely.
• For the frosting: Beat the butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low and gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar until completely smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the heavy cream, vanilla and salt. Increase the speed to high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• To assemble the cake: Place one cake, domed-side down, on a platter. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the frosting evenly over the top. Place the remaining cake, domed-side up, on top. Spread the top with 1 1/2 cups of the frosting. Frost the sides of the cake with 1 1/2 cups of the frosting and smooth out completely to make an even crumb coat. (It's ok if some of the cake shows through. This is just a base layer.) Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the frosting set.
• Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides, smoothing it out.

EASY VANILLA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch cake tin with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
• Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt together in a bowl. Add eggs, milk, and vegetable oil. Mix by hand or use an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Add more flour if batter is too runny. Pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour.
• Remove from the oven and let cool, 15 to 30 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill slightly, 15 to 30 minutes more. Slice the cooled cake through the middle to make 2 layers.

VANILLA SNACK CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a canoe-style snack cake pan. If you don't have a snack cake pan, you can use 4-ounce loaf pans. Alternatively, create your own molds out of foil by shaping double thicknesses of aluminum foil around a spice bottle and setting the individual foil pieces next to each other in a cake pan.
• Sift the spelt flour, ground millet flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.
• In a dry mixer bowl with dry beaters, beat the egg whites until stiff, about 2 minutes. Transfer the beaten egg whites to a clean bowl and set aside.
• In the same mixer bowl, add the sugar, honey, water, oil, egg yolks, and vanilla and beat for 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Fold in half of the beaten egg whites; once the first half is fully incorporated, fold in the second half.
• Pour the batter into the prepared molds, filling them 2/3 of the way full. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Cool the cakes in the pan for at least 20 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely before filling with the Snack Cake Crème.
• To fill the cakes, use a skewer or chopstick to poke 2 holes partially through the snack cake from the bottom, and wiggle around to hollow out some space. Use a piping bag fitted with a Bismarck (#230) tip or a very small star-shaped tip to fill the cake with the Snack Cake Crème.
• To make raspberry snack cakes, make the snack cakes as directed. Coat each filled snack cake with raspberry jam and dust with shredded coconut. They will be sticky and delicious.
• Or for Chocolate-Coated Snack Cakes, try dipping your snack cakes in melted chocolate.

TWINKLING GOOD VANILLA SNACK CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350. Spritz a snack cake pan with a light layer of cooking spray and set aside.
• Place all ingredients except beaten egg whites into large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth.
• Working in thirds, fold the beaten egg whites into the batter. Take care to keep the batter light; fold in, don't beat.
• Fill each section of snack cake pan 2/3 full. The cakes will puff quite a bit during baking, but will shrink back during cooling.
• Bake cakes in preheated oven for 8-12 minutes, until golden brown.
• Remove pan from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Using flexible spatula, gently remove each cake and cool flad side down on rack until completely cool.
• In meantime, prepare snack cake filling:.
• in small saucepan cook flour and milk over medium heat until paste forms.
• Stir constantly and do not allow mixture to brown.
• Remove from heat and let cool 1 minute.
• Add vanilla and stir until smooth.
• Press a piece of plastic wrap down on the surface of the paste to avoid forming a skin and set aside to cool completely.
• in bowl of mixer beat butter, shortening and sugar until fluffy, scraping bowl to fully incorporate ingredients.
• Add cooled flour/milk mixture and continue to beat 5 minutes on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.
• Use to fill snack cakes or cupcakes.
• Filling will remain creamy; store at room temperature for 3-4 days.
• To fill snack cakes: Place about 1 cup of filling into a clean pastry bag fitted with round pastry tube.
• Gently insert tube into the underside of cake, about halfway through the cake.
• Using gentle pressure, squeeze a small amount of filling into the cake.
• You'll feel the cake expand under your fingers.
• Do not overfill, or the cake will burst.
• Repeat for a total of 3 times (differant areas) per cake.
• Store cakes well covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
• TIPS:.
• To make snack cakes as cupcakes, prepare cupcake pans with cooking spray. Baking time will increase to 15-18 minutes. Cool and fill as directed.
• For Banana Split Snack Cakes - replace vanilla with 1 teaspoon bananan flavoring to taste.
• Prepare batter and bake as directed.
• Fill one section of cake with chocolate icing, one section with strawberry jam and one section with vanilla filling, or pineapple dessert topping. True banana split taste in a handy portable snack cake. Grab one and "split".