Today I propose delicious sour cherry mini cakes: soft single portions with an aromatic heart, enhanced by a velvety egg-free mascarpone white cream. A simple yet elegant dessert, perfect to serve at the end of a meal or for a special snack, able to win you over at first bite.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 12
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 5 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 1/2 tbsp potato starch
- 1/4 cup sour cherry syrup (plus extra for decorating)
- 1 packet (about 2 tsp) baking powder
- salt
- 3/4 cup sweetened plant-based whipping cream
- 1 1/8 cups (about 9 oz / 250 g) mascarpone
Preparation
Prepare the base: whip the egg whites until stiff. In another bowl, beat the yolks with the sugar until pale and fluffy, then gently fold them into the egg whites with bottom-to-top movements.
Add the potato starch, the flour and the baking powder sifted together. Continue working with the electric whisk, pouring in the milk in a steady stream. Add the oil, a pinch of salt and the sour cherry syrup, mixing until you obtain a homogeneous batter.
Butter and flour an 8 2/3×8 2/3 in (22×22 cm) square pan or an 8×12 in (20×30 cm) rectangular pan. Pour the batter and bake in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) for about 30 minutes. Do the toothpick test before removing from the oven.
Prepare the cream: whip the cream, then add the mascarpone incorporating it with the mixer at the lowest speed until you obtain a smooth, velvety cream.
Remove the base from the oven and let it cool completely. Cut it into single-serving pieces of about 1 1/4–1 1/2 inches per side.
Using two teaspoons, form quenelles of cream (about the size of an almond with the shell), passing the cream from one spoon to the other 3–4 times to obtain a regular oval shape. Arrange them gently on the mini cakes.
Finish with a few drops of sour cherry syrup and decorate with fresh cherries or marinated sour cherries.
Tips and storage
If you use unsweetened cream, add about 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar to the cream to achieve the right sweetness.
The mini cakes with cream keep in the refrigerator for 2 days, well covered in a cake carrier.
The base without cream stays fresh up to 3 days if covered and stored in a cool, dry place.
