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These Mini Vanilla Cakes are just as delicious as they are adorable! They are so fun to make as gifts or a classy addition to any dessert spread. They have all the good qualities of a full size cake, but in a small, personal sized cake. These mini cakes have the perfect cake to frosting ratio. They are simple to make, in my opinion, way simpler than a full sized cake! You can use any cake recipe you would like and just follow the steps below, or you can use my vanilla cake recipe that I used, recipe below!

I don’t know about you, but I am BIG into holidays. I love any reason to plan a party or celebration. Life can get a little boring if you don’t have something to look forward to. I use holidays as something my family and I can look forward to each month. Add these Mini Vanilla Cakes to your next celebration, I bet they will be a huge hit!

mini vanilla cake in a box

The Chemistry of Vanilla Cake

The beauty of this vanilla cake lies in its delicate structure, achieved through the interaction of ingredients. The creaming of butter and sugar introduces air, giving the cake its light texture. Eggs bind the mixture, adding stability and richness. Baking powder acts as a leavening agent, releasing carbon dioxide when heated, which helps the cake rise. The addition of sour cream introduces moisture and a slight tang, balancing the sweetness.

Supply List

mini vanilla cake in a box

Step by Step

Making these mini cakes is actually quite simple. First you will bake your cake in a cookie sheet rather than a regular cake pan. This way the cake comes out thinner. After the cake is baked use the mini pastry ring to stamp out circle cake pieces. Once you have stamped the cake all out take the Acetate and measure it to be the same size as the pastry ring. Tape the acetate together so that it forms a circle the same size as the mini pastry ring.

Now you have your form ready and your cake cut out. The next step is to put your frosting inside of a piping bag, you do not need a tip on the piping bag, just cut the tip of the bag off so frosting can squeeze out.

Take a 4 inch cake round and smear a bit of frosting on it, so that the cake will glue onto it. Place the acetate cake form you just made on top of the cake round. Push a cut cake circle into the form all the way to the bottom so that it glues on the cake round. Squeeze frosting on top of the cake layer with your piping bag. Repeat 2 more times.

Now you must chill your cake inside the form for about 15-20 minutes in the freeze so that it it set. Once chilled, remove from the freezer, cut off

What recipe should you use?

You can really use any vanilla cake recipe and frosting that you would like. Even a box cake would work! But for this one I used my Vanilla Cake recipe and they turned out delicious!

mini vanilla cake in a box

Storage Tips

This cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Cake is best served at room temperature so if you are pulling it out of the fridge, leave enough time for it to sit on the counter for an hour before enjoying. As always, you want to make sure to store your cake in an airtight container. I used these super cute clear pastry boxes to store my mini cakes, that way there were also ready for me to give away as gifts!

Making Ahead

You can totally make these ahead of time. When I am serving these mini cakes at a party, I make them all the day before and then store them in the fridge. That way I am not overly stressed the day of my event.

Why Make Mini Cakes

The real question is, why not make these mini cakes? They are so adorable, so classy and so easy! Not to mention, divine! They taste so good and the cake to frosting ratio is much superior to a cupcake or full sized cake. A little frosting and a little cake in each bite.

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mini vanilla cake

Mini Vanilla Cakes

Author: Madison Reid
Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Assemble: 1 hour
Servings: 10 mini cakes
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This soft and airy vanilla cake is the perfect dessert. So simple and elegant, topped with rich vanilla buttercream.

Ingredients 

Cake

  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Frosting

  • 2 cups unsalted butter
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
  • In a standing mixer add the butter and sugar and mix until combined. Once combined, whip on high for 2 minutes, pausing to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl every 30 seconds. The mixture should be lighter in color and texture when finished.
  • Add the eggs, milk, sour cream and vanilla. Stir until combined.
  • In a separate mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and cornstarch.
  • Turn the standing mixer on low and slowly pour in the dry ingredients. Mix until the batter is all combined.
  • Once combined, turn the mixer on medium speed for about 20 seconds until the batter is smooth.
  • Pour the cake batter into two greased and parchment paper lined cookie sheets.
  • Bake the cake for 20 minutes, remove and let cool in the pan.
  • Once cooled, wrap the cookie sheets in tinfoil and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes to chill.

Frosting

  • In a standing mixer add the butter and whip until it is softened
  • Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined
  • Add the cream and vanilla extract, whip the frosting for 2 full minutes until light and fluffy
  • Frost the cake when it is chilled

Assemble

  • Once the cake is chilled, use the small pastry rings to cut out cake circles
  • When all the cake is cut, take the cake acetate paper and measure a circle the same size as the pastry ring. Tape the acetate together to make a mold the same width as the pastry ring.
  • Scoop your frosting into a piping bag, snip the end of the piping bag off, you do not need a tip for this.
  • Take the 4" cake round and smear frosting on top. Place the acetate form you just made on top of the cake round. Take 1 of the cake circles and press it in the form all the way down to the cake round so that it's glued on the frosting. Pipe a layer of frosting on top of the cake. Repeat twice until the cake is 3 layers tall.
  • Place the mini cake with the acetate form in the freezer for about 30 minutes to firm up.
  • Once chilled, remove from the freezer and cut off the acetate form.

Nutrition

Calories: 1052kcal Carbohydrates: 123g Protein: 5g Fat: 62g Saturated Fat: 38g Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g Monounsaturated Fat: 16g Trans Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 210mg Sodium: 398mg Potassium: 102mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 102g Vitamin A: 1952IU Vitamin C: 0.1mg Calcium: 130mg Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert

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Titled mini vanilla cake