Best Strawberry Baby Cakes Recipes

STRAWBERRY BABY CAKES

Strawberry Baby Cakes image

Created as a first birthday treat for a little girl, these are a sweet example of something that is simple but memorable. The look is adorable: a cake sized for a baby's hand, covered in a soft white-chocolate glaze and finished with sprinkles. The taste is primarily vanilla - that's the extract and white chocolate at play - and there's a sly hint of rose, added as much for mystery as for bolstering the best qualities of the fresh strawberry that's tucked into the cake's middle. But it's the cake's texture that's most confoundingly wonderful. It's tender and chewy, with a compact crumb still light enough to bring you back for another serving. When it's not a baby's birthday, skip the candles and have the cakes with espresso - or even Champagne.

Provided by Dorie Greenspan

Categories cakes, dessert

Time 45m

Yield 24 mini cakes

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

Baker's spray (optional)
3 to 6 hulled strawberries, depending on size
1/3 cup/67 grams granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon rose extract (optional)
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2/3 cup/86 grams all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter, melted, still warm
3 ounces/85 grams white-chocolate bar, melted and fluid
1 tablespoon milk
3 ounces/85 grams white chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon neutral oil
Sprinkles

Steps:

Make the cakes: Center a rack in the oven and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 24-hole mini-muffin pan with cupcake papers or use baker's spray to coat the inside of the pan.
You need 24 chunks of strawberry for the centers of the cakes, so slice the berries into small pieces and set aside. (The chunks should be about 1/4-inch wide and short enough to drop easily into the muffin cups.)
Working in a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and salt. Drop in the eggs and beat with a mixer on medium speed (or continue with a whisk) for about 2 minutes, or until foamy and slightly thickened. Stir in the vanilla extract and the rose extract, if you're using it, followed by the corn syrup.
Switch to a flexible spatula, and blend in the flour in two or three additions. You'll have a thick batter. Mix the butter into the batter in three or four additions, stirring gently until well incorporated. The batter will be stretchy and a bit slippery. Pour the melted chocolate over the mixture, stir it in gently and, when it's fully blended into the batter, stir in the milk.
Spoon about 1 teaspoon of batter into each muffin cup, and then drop in a piece of strawberry. Divide the remaining batter evenly among the cakes, covering each berry.
Bake the cakes for 11 to 13 minutes, or until a slender tester poked into the center of a cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack, and let rest for 2 minutes before carefully removing the cakes; cool to room temperature on the rack.
Make the topping (optional): In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt together the chocolate and oil in a microwave set to half power, or in a small pan over very low heat. White chocolate is fragile and finicky - it burns quickly - so stay close. Stir the mixture to make sure it's smooth.
One by one, dip the tops of the baby cakes into the chocolate, swirling the cakes to even out the topping and allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl or pan. Return the cakes to the rack and, if you'd like, finish with sprinkles.
You can refrigerate the cakes for about 10 minutes to set the chocolate or leave them at room temperature. Chilled or not, the chocolate will remain a tad soft, and that's nice. Kept in a covered container, the cakes will hold for a day or two.

MARTHA'S STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES

Martha's Strawberry Cupcakes image

Our founder's sweet recipe is perfect for summer. Top these delightful strawberry cupcakes with Strawberry Meringue Buttercream and tiny wild strawberries.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Cupcake Recipes

Yield Makes about 30

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
1 3/4 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling fruit
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk
10 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into small dice, plus more for garnish
Strawberry Meringue Buttercream

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 1/2 standard 12-cup cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside.
Into a medium bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and then beat in vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined after each addition. Fold in strawberries.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cups so that each is about two-thirds full, about 2 ounces each. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cupcakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on wire racks.
Make Strawberry Meringue Buttercream and spread or pipe about 1/2 cup frosting on top of each cupcake. Garnish with strawberries, cut into halves, quarters, or left whole, depending on the size.