12 hours Ago By [email protected] (Maria Scinto)
There are many reasons why you might want to make smaller-sized cakes, whether they are intended as treats for you alone, you have a shoebox for a kitchen, or you want to make a variety of different flavors for a party. As school director Sandy Folsom also noted when she spoke to The Takeout, mini cakes can also allow you to practice your cake decorating skills. An unstated but obvious reason is that using a smaller cake minimizes the risk factor of messing up a larger one.
If you do want your fun-size cakes to come out looking as good as possible, though, you'll need to pop them in the freezer before you begin decorating. "Freezing an unfrosted cake helps provide a firmer structure and stiffer surface," according to Folsom. The that's unfrosted is to first wait until it is entirely cool, since warm cakes will steam inside the wrapper and turn soggy.
You should then cover the cooled cake in plastic followed by aluminum foil. Double-wrapping your cakes "will help prevent freezer burn and keep moisture locked in," Folsom explained. As a bonus, it also keeps the cake fresh for several months if you haven't yet figured out how you're going to decorate it.
Once you're ready, just take the cake out of the freezer an hour before you intend to start frosting it. More pro tips for decorating mini cakes Mini cakes are typically about 6 inches in diameter if round, while , too) measure about 5 inches wide and 7 1⁄2 inches long. Keep this in mind when it comes to decorating, since the means the latter shouldn't completely overwhelm the former.
As for the decorations, expert Sandy Folsom of Wilton Cakes ( ) advised that smaller surfaces "require more precision to decorate, but they don't need as much decoration to make an impact." If you are making mini cakes to practice your piping skills, Folsom suggested using smaller tips, and said you can use them to create a cluster of flowers or succulents. She also noted that you can simply use one flower tip to create the same design around the perimeter of the cake, since on such a small surface that may be all the decoration needed.
As for , a simple buttercream will do. "Use a medium to stiff consistency icing for the best control," advised Folsom. The best way to stiffen buttercream is to stir in small amounts of powdered sugar until it thickens up.
If you add too much to the point where the frosting won't come out of the piping tip, this, too, is an easy fix since you then reverse the process by stirring in a spoonful or more of milk to get it to a workable consistency. If all else fails and your frosting flowers flop, though, simply sprinkle your mini cake with cereal for the . Recommended.
