Fresh raspberry mini cakes are a beautiful dessert you can customize for many occasions. Even novice bakers can achieve stunning results!
I’m so in love with mini cakes right now, especially if they’re layered with open sides (i.e. – the “naked” cake style). I think they’re so much fun. They’re the perfect size for either eating alone or sharing with someone you love, with zero guilt about overindulging because you just have the one little cake. Mini cakes also make such pretty gifts, and I think these darling raspberry cakes are a perfect Valentine’s Day dessert without chocolate!
This recipe bakes rather quickly in a jelly roll pan, and when it’s completely cool, you just level and cut out your shapes with a cookie cutter. I chose a heart, naturally, and used a little bit of cream cheese frosting for the filling and decorating since I had a little extra from making my red velvet cake. For a little extra flavor in the raspberry department, my smooth raspberry buttercream would be another fabulous alternative.
The trick to getting a subtle raspberry flavor without seeds is to run the raspberries through a fine mesh sieve and then just adding the juice to your cake batter. The juice also naturally dyes the batter a bit, but the color is a little more of a dusty pink grey.
If you’d prefer a stronger pink color, you’ll need to add food coloring of some sort. I opted to add a drop of fuschia to deepen the pink, but no more. I liked the dusty color – it made the cakes look like something my mother would put on the Old English Roses plates she loves so much. One day when I’m visiting her I need to set up a tea party using her collection and make these cakes… life needs more tea parties.
My batch made 8 cakes, so I had enough to package and share with friends and keep one for dessert to share with my loves at home. This is why I think it’s a great little recipe to have in your arsenal for Valentine’s Day. Fresh raspberry mini cakes a fun way to spread a little sweetness. 😉
Enjoy!
Fresh Raspberry Mini Cakes
Cake for you and one for me... bake these fresh raspberry mini cakes and you'll have sweet treats to share! Perfect for a Valentine's Day gathering or unique Valentine's dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh raspberries + additional for garnish if desired, 114 g
- 1 1/2 g sticks unsalted butter, 170, softened
- 1/4 c buttermilk, 60 mL
- 1 cup granulated sugar, 225 g
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 187.5 g
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pink food coloring, optional
- 1 1/2 cups frosting of your choice for filling/decorating
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F (180 C/ gas mark 4), and butter an 11x13" jelly roll pan. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang over either side to aid in lifting the cake after it has set. Butter the parchment.
- Press the fresh raspberries through a fine mesh sieve, collecting the juice in a bowl. You'll get about 1/4 cup raspberry juice from a cup of raspberries.
- Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Sift together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and combine the buttermilk, vanilla, and raspberry juice in a measuring cup.
- Add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk mixture to the butter in halves, alternating dry, wet, dry wet. Mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan and use a spatula to ensure it is evenly spread, even into the corners.
- Bake 15-20 minutes until a tester inserted into the center comes out mostly clean or with only 1-2 crumbs. You don't want to over bake.
- Remove from the oven and allow to set in the pan 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- When the cake is completely cool, cut out your shapes using a cutter, and carefully peel off the parchment. Top one heart with a layer of frosting and sandwich with a second heart. Decorate the top of the second heart with additional frosting and raspberries if desired, or sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving. These cakes are best enjoyed the day they are assembled due to the open sides.
Keith @ How's it Lookin?
Wednesday 4th of May 2016
I gotta try these. Raspberry flavored cake is my favorite, thanks for the idea
Mary (The Goodie Godmother)
Friday 6th of May 2016
I love that the flavor here is natural too. Perfect for berry season!
Hillary Reeves
Wednesday 10th of February 2016
Love these so much. I cannot get enough mini cakes myself. Feels like I make them and then have perfectly portioned desserts for a week! I love the "dusty" color too--you're right. They'd be perfect at a little tea party!
Whitney @ That Square Plate
Monday 8th of February 2016
Oh these look perfect, Mary!! I really need to bake more, I could totally have like ALL of these right now.
Paige @ Where Latin Meets Lagniappe
Monday 8th of February 2016
Mary, you make these sound so easy to make! I love how you used a jelly roll pan...and I can only imagine how awesome the raspberry tastes with the cream cheese frosting :) Delicious!
The Godmother
Wednesday 10th of February 2016
They are easy! As much as I love spending hours working on a cake, real life happens and it's good to have a few simple decorating tricks up your sleeve.
Whitney
Friday 5th of February 2016
These are absolutely darling! Gorgeously decorated, too!