Just this past weekend,I got the chance to test out the design molds, I got for free.When I picked these items out at a yard sale, everyone thought they were for Jello molds; However I mentioned they might be great for little cakes due to the unique design on them.Everyone thought this was a great idea and so I grabbed them.They were still in good condition and all I had to do was clean them up.Free is Free!
On Saturday,I was super excited to try this item out and see if the idea would work.Before I started baking,I knew it would be very important to plan out in my head how I wanted to create these.So at first I thought I only have seven molds to work with so each little cake that I make would have to completely cool before I could do another batch.So from there, I made sure to give myself a lot of time to make these cakes.When thinking of time, I also came to the conclusion that the molds would definitely need to be placed on a cookie sheet to prevent any spilling and be able to stay balanced when baking.After I was able to figure out the best way to use these items It was time to choose a cake recipe!
Now what would be the best cake to make? A yellow cake,a spice cake,chocolate cake? etc.So many choices, but you really got to think of ingredients you have and what would look best.For me,I wanted a simple cake that would show off the design the best.Looking at countless cake recipes, I ended up coming to the conclusion that a white cake would be the best choice.It uses very simple ingredients and It helps show the design features. Also I rarely make white cakes so it would be a special treat.However I can see a yellow or spice cake doing very well.
Now I knew what kind of cake I wanted.So I chose a simple recipe from Company's Coming Cook Book: Cakes.It was for there one bowl white cake recipe, which was super simple to follow and made slightly adapting it very easy.All I had to do was beat all the ingredients together in a large bowl till smooth and the only ingredients I needed to change was butter to margarine.Simple ingredients that most people have in their fridge and pantry.
Now for the directions, I had to change greasing and flouring a 9inch cake pan to doing the same to the molds and then I had to fill them a little more then 3/4 full of batter to a regular cupcake pan.Then lastly, I had to lower the baking time in the original recipe for cupcakes to bake properly.However for me I just removed them from the oven when the cakes sprung back.From their I let the cakes cool,released them from the seven molds to show off the design and then filled 5 of the cups with the rest of the batter. I got about 11 all together,but I did try pushing it to 12 but it wasn't enough.Once they were all done I set them aside on a cooling rack and admired how well the design came out on the cakes.Super surprised by those molds.Then to just give a little more decoration to the cakes I went and made a glaze.
Now for the glaze. I used company's coming recipe for lemon glaze.It was a super simple recipe and the only ingredients needed were icing sugar, lemon juice and little bit of water to adjust thickness.There was a slight adaption I had to make which was cutting the icing sugar in half to 1/2 cup instead of 1 cup.It would of been way to much glaze leftover if I did their measurement.From their. I slowly drizzled the icing on the cakes and it gave a great design and shine to them. It really made the cake so much better looking then originally.
Overall, the cakes came out great and I was super surprised how well the design came out.The glaze just gave that added touch.When I tried one of these mini cakes they were so good.There texture was moist, crumbly,airy and I would say scrumptious.They were also sweet with a strong vanilla flavor while the lemon glaze added sweetness and tang.Overall the flavors match very well together.I really liked these mini cakes and will be making them in the future.I may actually try a different cake variation for these molds.
They were a great find and I might try using them for flavored gelatin.It was super fun to experiment with these and I'm excited for this weekend to experiment with what birthday cake I'm going to make for my boyfriend .Ummm should be interesting.Anyways, everyone have a great week so far!
Vanilla Cupcakes With Lemon Glaze
(Adapted From Company Coming Cakes By Jean Pare.Recipes: One Bowl White Cake And Lemon Glaze)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine,softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup 1% milk
Preheated oven to 350F
Added all ingredients into a medium mixing bowl.Beat with a electric hand mixer at medium speed until smooth.Poured into greased and floured cupcake molds about 3/4 full.Place them on a large cookie sheet and baked for about 30+ minutes.Until spring back and toothpick comes out clean.Let cool before releasing from molds.Putting them in the fridge will help quicken the cooling time.Release them and turn cupcakes upside down to reveal design.Let cool again and set on a cooling rack.
Lemon Glaze
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tsp water
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until reaches the consistency of barely pourable glaze.Add more water if too thick.If you want a richer lemon flavor add more of the juice. Use a spoon or knife to dip into the glaze and drizzle on the cakes.Let set.Ready to eat.
