Keyword: cake

Pink Lemonade Cake

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

This cheerful little loaf cake feels like a spring or summer picnic with lemonade and sunshine. It’s similar to a pink lemonade cake that my elderly neighbor used to make when I was growing up. She made it for all the neighborhood kids and we always gobbled it up. When I was about ten years old she taught my friend and me how to make it. She used a yellow cake mix in a large baking pan and poked holes all over the cake, then drenched it in a pink, sugary lemon icing. I transformed that happy pink lemonade memory into a delightful loaf cake made from scratch.

To watch the TikTok video, click here.

Pink Lemonade Cake

A tender, moist loaf cake that tastes just like pink lemonade
Print Recipe
Course Brunch, Dessert
Servings 1 8 x 4-inch loaf

Ingredients
  

Pink Lemonade Cake

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 oz or 142g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ cup (2 oz or 59ml) whole milk
  • ¼ cup (2 oz or 59ml) sour cream
  • 1 cup (7 oz or 200g) sugar
  • ½ cup vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 ½ teaspoons strawberry extract
  • 1-2 drops pink gel food color I used Americolor deep pink*

Lemon Syrup

  • juice of one lemon
  • ¼ cup (1 3/4 oz or 50g) sugar

Icing

  • 2 tablespoons (1 oz or 28g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (4 oz or 113g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2-2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon strawberry extract
  • pinch fine sea salt
  • 1 tiny drop pink gel food color I used Americolor deep pink*

Instructions
 

Pink Lemonade Cake

  • Preheat oven to 325ºF (163ºC). Line the bottom of an 8 X 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and sour cream.
  • In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs, lemon zest and strawberry extract until smooth.
  • Stir in the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk mixture. Stir just until combined. Stir in food color a little at time until your desired shade is achieved.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare lemon syrup.
  • Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a cooling rack. Poke holes all over the top of cake with a skewer.
  • Brush the warm cake generously with the lemon syrup. Let the cake cool completely, then top with icing.

Lemon Syrup

  • In a small saucepan, combine the juice of one lemon with enough water to equal 1/4 cup. Add sugar and stir over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.

Icing

  • In a medium bowl, beat the butter, powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, the strawberry extract and a pinch of salt, until smooth. Add more lemon juice until your desired consistency is reached. Mix in gel food color.

Notes

*To find the gel food color I used, click here.
Keyword cake, pink lemonade

Mini Orange Olive Oil Cakes

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
mini orange olive oil cakes

Ever since a certain celebrity cut a hole from the middle of her favorite olive oil cake back in 2020, the internet has been obsessed with olive oil cakes. I must confess that I was a fan of olive oil cakes long before that. I first tasted one at a restaurant years ago and fell in love. The flavor and texture was so delightful, that all it needed was a dusting of powdered sugar on top. Now that the dust has settled, I’m sharing my favorite orange olive oil cake recipe. Not because it’s trendy, but because it’s a really delicious recipe that tastes like spring.

I made cute little orange scented, personal cakes that are really just elegant cupcakes. The recipe is easily adapted to your tastes. You can switch up the orange flavor and substitute with lemon or any citrus of your choice. Even if you don’t like olive oil, you’ll still like these little cakes. I used light olive oil, rather than extra virgin olive oil, for a more subtle olive oil flavor. It’s also able to withstand higher temperatures. Feel free to use your favorite olive oil or replace it with the oil you prefer. Grape seed, avocado, canola and vegetable oil are some examples of oils you can use as a replacement.

This recipe contains almond flour. It helps with texture and flavor, so it’s a necessary ingredient. Almond flour can be pricey, but it’s good to have on hand. Adding it to your baked goods will make them more moist and tender. To find almond flour click here,

 

Mini Orange Olive Oil Cakes

Mari Vasseur
Soft, tender mini orange cakes brushed with orange syrup & dusted with powdered sugar
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 12 mini cakes

Ingredients
  

Mini Orange Olive Oil Cakes

  • 1 cup (113g) cake flour, sifted
  • ¼ cup (28g) almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • â…” cup (133g) sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (115ml) light olive oil
  • ¼ cup (59ml) whole milk
  • ¼ cup (59ml orange juice

Orange Simple Syrup

  • ¼ cup (50g) sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • Powdered sugar for dusting the tops

Instructions
 

Mini Orange Olive Oil Cakes

  • Heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and flour a 12 serving muffin pan.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the cake flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well blended.
  • In a large bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, orange zest and vanilla extract together until smooth. Gradually mix in the olive oil and beat until creamy and well blended.
  • Stir in the dry ingredients in two additions, alternating with the milk and orange juice. Stir just until combined. Do not over mix.
  • Fill the prepared muffin pan cups 2/3 full with batter. Do not overfill or cakes will be more difficult to remove.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops look light golden, but still moist and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. They bake very quickly, so check them a few minutes early to avoid over baking.
  • Cool the cakes in pan for 5 minutes. Remove them from pan and transfer to a cooling rack. Brush the warm cakes with orange simple syrup and allow to cool completely. When the cakes have cooled, dust with powdered sugar.

Orange Simple Syrup

  • In a small saucepan, stir together the sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, and orange zest. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until the sugar is dissolved.
  • Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Keyword cake, olive oil, orange

Vintage Chocolate Cake

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Dark Chocolate Cake with the Best Chocolate Frosting

If you love chocolate cake, this is the post for you! Chocolate cake is one of the best comfort foods there is. I’ve tasted many over the years, but my all time favorite was one I had growing up. I’ve spent years trying to duplicate the moist, nostalgic cake from my childhood. I noticed that nearly every chocolate cake recipe on the internet is a variation of the century-old recipe from the Hershey’s Cocoa tin. I think many people have passed it down as a family recipe, each grandmother adding her own personal touch. Even some celebrity chefs have claimed it as their own. It’s an easy, delicious, moist recipe and its popularity is well deserved. You can tweak the flavor additions a bit to make it your own too. It’s a recipe that’s hard to mess up.

This cake is topped with the ultimate silky, smooth, deeply chocolate frosting. I developed this recipe mostly because I couldn’t find a chocolate frosting recipe that didn’t taste gritty and/or look speckled from the cocoa powder. Swiss meringue buttercream with melted chocolate added is one alternative. But, while it is smooth, silky and perfect for piping, it’s missing that deep chocolate richness. Another option is chocolate ganache. It looks rich and creamy in those viral videos, but it’s a little too rich and overpowering to use as frosting in my opinion.

I think this frosting is the one! It has the best of both worlds, velvety but not too rich. You’ll notice that this frosting contains maple syrup. The syrup gives it a very subtle maple flavor in the background, but mostly, it helps to make the frosting silky and gives it shine. You can adjust the sweetness level of the frosting by choosing the chocolate you prefer. I used bittersweet chocolate, which I think is just right. This recipe makes enough frosting to frost a 2-layer 6-inch cake. You can easily double the recipe for larger cakes.

Vintage Chocolate Cake

by Mari Vasseur
Rich moist classic chocolate cake with silky chocolate buttercream frosting
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 1 2-layer 6-inch cake

Ingredients
  

Chocolate Cake

  • 1 â…› cup (145g) all purpose flour, sifted Plus more for dusting the pans
  • ½ cup (45g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted Plus more for dusting the pans
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 â…“ cups (265g) sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • â…” cup (155ml) buttermilk
  • â…“ cup (70ml) vegetable oil
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • â…” cup (155ml) hot coffee or espresso

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

  • ½ cup (148ml) pure maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) water
  • ¾ cup (67g) unsweetened Dutch process or dark cocoa powder, sifted
  • ½ teaspoon espresso powder optional
  • 1 ¼ cups (283g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (113g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • â…› teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 8 oz (227g) dark, bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped *not chocolate chips

Instructions
 

Chocolate Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottoms of two 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Grease the insides and dust with a mixture of equal parts flour and cocoa powder. Wrap the cake pans with damp cake strips if you have them.
  • Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium-sized bowl. Add the sugar and stir until well blended.
  • Combine the the egg, egg yolk, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Whisk lightly to combine.
  • Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and beat, on low speed with an electric mixer, until combined. Stop the mixer. Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and beat for 30 seconds. Add the hot coffee and stir until well combined.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans, dividing batter evenly between the pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 25-28 minutes without cake strips or about 28-32 minutes with cake strips.
  • Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes then remove the cakes from the pans and transfer to a cooling rack.
  • Trim the cake layers to your desired thickness, from 1-inch to 1 1/2-inches thick. Fill and frost with chocolate buttercream frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

  • In a small saucepan over low heat, whisk together the maple syrup, water, cocoa powder and espresso powder until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
  • Melt the chocolate in a medium-sized heat safe bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to lukewarm.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer at medium speed, until smooth and pale. Add the powdered sugar and salt and continue beating until smooth and well combined. Gradually add the the cooled maple syrup mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Stir in the melted chocolate until well blended. Smooth out any air bubbles by stirring gently with a rubber spatula.

Notes

*For smoothest results, use chopped bar chocolate and make sure chocolate is completely melted.  Do not use chocolate chips. Chocolate chips do not melt completely and can make your frosting lumpy.
 
Keyword cake, chocolate

Lemon Buttermilk Cakelets

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Sending sunshine your way with these cute, delicious bite-size mini cakes. Lemon Buttermilk Cakelets are tender and moist with a burst of fresh lemon flavor. They’re easy to make and they bake up quickly. They make an adorable addition to a spring teatime, baby shower or summer picnic.

Lemon Buttermilk Cakelets

by Mari Vasseur
Soft, tender mini lemon cakes with lemon icing
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 24 cakelets

Ingredients
  

Lemon Simple Syrup

  • Juice of 1 medium lemon
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest

Cakelets

  • 1 ¼ cups (142g) cake flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (115ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
  • ½ cup (118ml) buttermilk

Icing

  • 1 ½ cups (180g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 3-4 tablespoons (45-60ml) fresh lemon juice

Instructions
 

Lemon Simple Syrup

  • Measure the juice of 1 lemon. Add enough water to equal 1/4 cup (89ml). In a small saucepan, simmer the lemon juice and water mixture with the sugar and lemon zest, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool, then strain out the lemon zest.

Cakelets

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and flour a 24-serving mini muffin pan* or use liners.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until well blended.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, eggs, lemon zest and extracts together until smooth and well blended. Mix in the flour mixture in 2 additions alternating with half of the buttermilk after each addition. Stir just until combined. Do not over mix.
  • Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full. (I used a portion scoop). Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 8-10 minutes. Be careful not to over bake to avoid drying out the cakes. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan and transfer them to a cooling rack. (Repeat with any remaining batter.)

Icing

  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Add additional lemon juice as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Whisk until smooth. Spoon the icing over the cooled cakes.

Notes

*To find the mini muffin pan I used, click here.
Keyword cake, cupcakes, lemon

by

Fairy Puffs

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Fairy Puffs sugared mini muffins wtih edible flowers

My dad used to take me on walks in the woods to look for fairy rings when I was a child. I wanted to see a real fairy so badly! I read a book about fairies, hoping to learn more about them. Fairies love little cakes, milk, honey and butter so I’m sure these Fairy Puffs would be fairy approved.

My Fairy Puffs recipe is loosely based on an old favorite mini muffin recipe. I tweaked it quite a bit, including the addition of pink dragonfruit powder. Dragonfruit has a subtle flavor, so the bright fuchsia powder is mostly for color. But oh what a beautiful color it is! You can find dragonfruit powder in healthy food stores or online. To find the dragonfruit powder, also known as pink pitaya powder, I used, click here.

fairy puff muffins

Decorating these little cuties was so entertaining! After sampling multiple variations of sparkling sugar and cinnamon sugar, I decided that dipping the bottoms of the muffins in butter and cinnamon sugar, then dipping the tops in butter and sparkling sugar gave them the perfect balance of sugar and spice. I had purchased some edible flowers a couple of days prior, and they added a pretty, magical touch. The flowers I used are called bachelor’s buttons and I got them at a local gourmet flower seller.

sugared mini muffins with edible flowers

Fairy Puffs

Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Servings 24 mini muffins

Ingredients
  

Fairy Puffs

  • 1 â…“ cups (6 oz or 99g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons dragonfruit powder *See note below
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Scant ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • â…“ cup (2 5/8 oz or 75g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (3 1/2 oz or 100g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup (4 oz or 118ml) whole milk

Topping

  • ½ cup (4 oz or 113g) unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ cup (3 1/2 oz or 100g) granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup (3 1/2 oz or 100g) sparkling sugar crystals **I used combinations of white, pink, purple & blue
  • edible flowers (optional)

Instructions
 

Fairy Puffs

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 24 serving mini muffin pan.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, dragonfruit powder, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
  • Add egg and beat until smooth.
  • Add flour mixture and milk alternately in two additions and mix just until combined.
  • Transfer batter to prepared muffin pan, filling muffin cups about 3/4 full.
  • Bake until toothpick inserted in center of muffins comes out clean, about 12-14 minutes. (Be careful not to over bake. Check a few minutes early. Small muffins can dry out easily.)
  • Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove puffs from pan and transfer to cooling rack. (Loosen puffs with a small offset spatula or butter knife if necessary.)

Topping

  • Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
  • Place colored sparkling sugar crystals in another shallow bowl.
  • Dip the bottoms of each puff in melted butter, then into cinnamon sugar mixture.
  • Dip the tops of each puff in melted butter, then into sparkling sugar.
  • Decorate with edible flowers if desired.

Notes

*To purchase dragonfruit powder, click here.
 **To purchase pink sparkling sugar crystals, click here.
 
Keyword cake, muffins

Mini Hummingbird Cake

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Mini Hummingbird Cake

If you haven’t noticed already, I love little cakes. Mini cakes are not only cute and charming, they’re likely to make you very popular. This recipe makes two darling Mini Hummingbird Cakes, one to keep and one to share. Hummingbird Cake is a delightful way to use your ripe bananas. The version I’m sharing here also contains pineapple, pecans and coconut. This fruity, nutty combination reminds me of spring and would be perfect for Easter or a spring picnic.

Mini Hummingbird Cake

by Mari Vasseur
Hummingbird Cakes filled with bananas, pineapple, pecans and coconut, topped with cream cheese frosting and decorated with graham cracker crumb moss and fresh chamomile flowers.
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 2 4-inch 2-layer cakes

Ingredients
  

Hummingbird Cakes

  • 1 ½ cups (191g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed (100g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (227g) mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
  • 1 8 oz (227g) can crushed pineapple, drained
  • ½ cup (60g) chopped pecans, toasted
  • ¼ cup (28g) sweetened dried coconut flakes, chopped* See note below

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) heavy whipping cream, room temperature, divided
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 4 cups (482g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 8 oz (227g) package cream cheese, softened

Optional Decor

  • Green gel food color I used Americolor avocado green**
  • Yellow gel food cool I used Americolor lemon yellow***
  • Vodka
  • 6 graham crackers (two squares each), crushed
  • Fresh pesticide free chamomile flowers

Instructions
 

Hummingbird Cakes

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottoms of four 4-inch cake pans**** with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon until well blended.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, brown sugar and oil with an electric mixer, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract in three separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next. Stir in the bananas, pineapple, pecans and coconut until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to prepared cake pans, about 1 cup of batter in each pan. Place the filled cake pans on a baking sheet.
  • Bake until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25-28 minutes. Cool the cakes in pans 10 minutes then turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack.
  • Trim the cakes to 1-inch thickness. Fill, stack and frost the cakes with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth and pale. Beat 1 tablespoon (15ml)of heavy cream, the vanilla extract and salt into the butter until well combined. On low speed, beat in the powdered sugar a half cup at a time, until well combined.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, mix cream the cheese with remaining 1 tablespoon (15ml) heavy cream, with a spatula until smooth. On low speed, beat the cream cheese mixture into the butter mixture until smooth and well blended. Smooth out any bubbles by stirring by hand with a spatula.

Decor

  • To make the graham cracker crumb moss: In two small bowls, dilute 1/8 teaspoon of each gel food color with a few drops of vodka. (Vodka will dissipate as the crumbs dry.) Place the graham cracker crumbs in a plastic food bag. Add diluted food colors a little at a time and seal the bag. Shake the bag and gently massage it to distribute the color. Add more diluted food color as needed until desired your shade of green is reached. Spread the crumbs out onto a parchment lined baking sheet to dry. Apply the crumbs to bottom edges of the frosted cakes.

Notes

*Chop the coconut flakes to achieve a finer texture. This step is optional.
**To find the avocado green food color gel I used, click here.
***To find the lemon yellow food color gel I used, click here.
****To find the 4-inch cake pans I used, click here.
Keyword cake, hummingbird