21 April 2011

mini chocolate cakes baked in ramekins and stacked into towers.


this mini stack tower cake has been in my dreams for awhile now. i kid you not. ever since my open-faced whoopie pie birthday cake, i've dreamt of all the fun of baking cakes in ramekins. once again i used my favorite go-to cake recipe. the chocolate sour cream cake. it is the most adaptable recipe i've come across yet. bake it in layers, bake it in a rectangle, bake it in cupcakes, bake it in ramekins. pair it with fudge frosting, pair it with buttercream, eat it plain out of the pan. here is the whole story, in case you ever need a tower of mini cakes.


gather your ramekins. grease and sugar them. my mom taught me to spray them with pam and dust them with granulated sugar. then pour in your batter. i love this cake batter because it is thick and industrious like mousse. bake them a bit longer than cupcakes. watch them in the oven and do the toothpick test. i baked mine 26 minutes, however my oven is the most fickle thing on the planet.


while your ramekin cakes are cooling–but before you flip them–whip up your favorite frosting. (don't worry, this dessert is worth all the dishes in the sink.) when baking chocolate cake i turn to the classic white buttercream frosting. use about 2 1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 cube unsalted butter. beat or whip the mixture for a good long while to whip it into a fluffy frosting. if it gets too thick, add a teaspoons of milk (one at a time) until you get your desired consistency. the key is to beat it for longer than you think. all the while praying that those itty bitty cakes come out of their ramekins. turning cakes out gives me major anxiety.


loosen them, ever so gingerly, with a plastic knife. i feel that plastic knives give the most give to my precious little cakes. when you feel you are ready, turn and pat gently. if they are ripe, they will usually plop right out into your palm like good little girls and boys. if they resist and tug, that means they are gonna give you a run for your money.


one of my little cakes was naughty. it didn't want to come out and play. so benji and i shared a mid-morning treat; a chocolate cake stump. yum.


when cakes turn out nicely, i am so elated, i feel like giving an acceptance speech. seriously, a feat like this is such a rare occurrence in my life. the sugar crystals give the edges a bit of a crunch, which i'm obsessed with. this is the reason i do not frost over them. after cooling, toss the pretty cakes into the freezer for ten minutes or more.


frozen cakes are much easier to slice layers into. skim off the curved tops. which made me a little sad. but like director gary marshall always says, sometimes you have to cut your darlings. slice the cakes into halves or even thirds with a serrated knife. begin dolling the layers up with serious amounts of fluffy frosting. stack them into cake towers or one giant leaning tower of pisa. go wild. i resisted the urge to plaster mine with sprinkles. (for the record, i still think that would be super cute for easter.) and voila. a mahvelous mini cake fit for sharing.



when it comes to cake, i love sharing a plate and taking turns taking bites.

wishing you a happy easter weekend. 

21 comments:

Sarah said...

Oh, Marta, you are tempting me! These look awesome. A couple of years ago, I attempted this gigantic stacked chocolate cake that just ended up in a mess and looking like the leaning tower of Pisa. These look much more manageable! Thanks for the idea!

Marisa said...

Turning out cakes gives me anxiety, too. I've had the worst luck with it lately.

You're so generous. . . I prefer NEVER to share my cake. I like a large piece all to myself. :)

Alix said...

I wanted to try and do mini rainbow cakes and now I am going to go the ramekin route! Thanks for solving my problem!

ps

I like to share cake at the end of a big meal out but in general I just like my OWN cake.

Miranda said...

Dear Marta,

I can't get over the genius of this. I shall adopt it into my repertoire and give you all of the credit.

Love,

Miranda

Lesa said...

Can I just say that this is my favorite post.

Kiasa said...

so cute!!!

Hannah said...

These are brilliant and darling. Am thinking that a double stacked cake might be perfect for a friend luncheon I'm hosting. Can't wait to try it out. Must buy more ramekins.

Unknown said...

this looks amazing marta! AND, it's my hubby's BIG three oh tomorrow! Great timing!

Jackie said...

I am in love with these little cakes! Delish!

Abby said...

Such a cute idea! Gonna have to try it out.

Moments and Impressions said...

These are the most fabulous... what is better than your own cup cake... your very own personal layer cake! Genius Marta.

Kendra said...

um, yum! those look so good! just might have to have a "free day" so I can taste these guys! :)

Anonymous said...

these look simply delightful...now if i wasn't terrified of making cake from scratch. somehow it always ends up all over my oven!

Bridget said...

a) yum
b) i love your the title of this post. it made me chuckle.

Ashley said...

Yum! Thanks for sharing.

Padgett Hoke said...

I love how petite, yet delectible they are! I would love to give these a go, so fun!

Unknown said...

This is my kind of dessert! Actually, every dessert is my kind...Have you tried lining the bottom of the cups with a circle of parchment or wax paper? Then you just run the knife around the outside of the cake, and it should pop right out. I love this idea of stacking the cake. Thanks for sharing!

Ginger said...

These are adorable! Thanks for the idea!
I use wax paper on the bottom of my cake pans (as the commenter above suggests), and never have a problem with the cake getting stuck. I grease with Pam for Baking, and then line the bottom with a circle of wax paper.

Unknown said...

these look so yummy! I'll have to give them a go myself..
xo

http://louisejoyb.blogspot.com/

Natalie Jean Kelsey said...

Delish! I have had great luck with Wilton's Cake Release vs Pam when using my mini bundt pans. Thanks so much for sharing.

Vee P said...

this looks absolutely delicious!!! I must make this immediately, thank you! `=]

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