Mini Vanilla Cakes Topped with Berries

As we approach the birth of our great nation (that’s the U.S.A. to my foreign readers), I wanted to do something special. Over the past few weeks, I’ve posted a lot of grilled, fried, and steamed meats, so I thought I would change it up a bit. I don’t know why I thought of baking cakes, but the idea came to me and I wouldn’t be stopped.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “I’m not much of a baker.” Nonetheless, I’m pretty proud of this little creation because I didn’t follow a recipe and somehow I still managed to bake not one, but TWO cakes! They came out a little dense, but moist and crumbly as well if that makes any sense. That’s a strange combo, but the texture actually complemented the buttery, vanilla flavor.

In order to really make this an Independence Day post, I went with the good ole red, white, and blue for decoration. I topped the cakes with a backdrop of powdered confectioner’s sugar before nesting some sliced strawberries and whole blueberries into the sugar. While the red, white, and blue colors really worked to show my patriotic side, you don’t need to stick with those toppings. The cakes were delicious when plain and they go wonderfully with coffee, but you can frost these like you would any other cake.

Don’t let my title fool you though. These cakes are mini only because I made them in small spring form pans (pans with sides that separate from the bottom for easy cake removal), but one is more than enough for two people. They also pack a bit of a calorie wallop, so eat them with discretion and make sure to share!

Makes two cakes at about 569 calories each.
+ Toppings

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup of all purpose flour (about 267 cal.)
• 1/4 cup of white sugar (about 180 cal.)
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar (about 180 cal.)
• 2 large eggs (about 140 cal.)
• 1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter (about 400 cal.)
• 1/2 cup of 1% milk (about 28 cal.)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (12 cal.)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Optional: Powdered sugar
• Optional: Blueberries
  Optional: Strawberries

Equipment

• 2 Small spring form pans
• Large bowl
• Spoon
• Whisk or electric mixer
• Large baking sheet
• Small strainer
• Measuring cup(s) and teaspoon measurements
• Toothpick

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Put 1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons of butter into a glass measuring cup or into a microwave safe dish and microwave the butter for 30 second to 1 minute just to get it melted, but not boiling or burned.
   
3. Take the 1/4 cup of white and the 1/4 cup of brown sugar and dissolve them in the butter by mixing the sugar into the warm butter with a spoon.
   
4. Add in the 1/2 cup of milk along with the vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture and mix this up. It’s not pretty looking, but this is where all of the flavor comes from!
   
5. In a large bowl put the 2/3 cup of flour and combine it with the baking powder.
   
6. Next, crack two eggs over the bowl with the flour in it.
   
7. Pour in the butter/sugar mixture into the large bowl with the flour and start mixing using a whisk or an electric whisk (this will make life much easier). Mix the batter until everything is blended smoothly.
   
8. Next, take a little bit of butter or cooking spray and rub or spray the bottom and sides of the spring form pans to keep the cake from sticking.
9. Place the spring form pans onto a large or medium sized baking sheet.
10. Pour the batter slowly and evenly between the two pans (check out the action shot!).
    
11. After you’re done pouring the batter into the pans, pick up the pans a couple of inches off the baking sheet and drop the pans on the counter or baking sheet a few times to get the bubbles in the batter to rise to the top.
    
12. Place the baking sheet with the spring form pans on it in the oven on the middle rack.
13. Bake the cakes for 20 – 25 minutes. Check to see if they’re done by sticking a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out relatively clean, then the cakes are done. If it still has some batter on it, then leave the cakes in the oven for a few more minutes.
    
14. When the cakes are done, take them out of the oven and let them cool down for an 30 minutes to an hour. If you’re going to leave them for longer than an hour, then make sure to cover the pans so that they don’t dry out.
    
15. When you’re ready, pop the spring form pans and remove the sides. Then carefully separate the cake from the bottom of the pan by using just your hand or a knife placed between the cake and the pan.
    
16. At this point, you can either serve the cake as is, cut it into pieces, or decorate it.
17. If you want to cover it with powdered sugar, then pour a bit of powdered sugar into a small mesh strainer.
    
18. Slowly and lightly shake the strainer over the top of the cake until you have the amount of sugar you want on top.
    
19. You can also put some blueberries, sliced strawberries or any other fruit on top.
    
20. Eat, share, enjoy and wish America a Happy Birthday!