Gingerbread Mini Cakes with Sugared Cranberries and Rosemary
Makes: 8 mini cakes Prep time: 30 minutes Bake time : 25 to 27 minutes
Ingredients:
Cake:
1 cup softened, unsalted butter. I use Organic Valley
1 cup Dixie Crystals brown sugar
2 large Organic Valley eggs
3/4 cup water
1 cup molasses
1 teaspoon Nielsen Massey Vanilla
2 and 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Cream cheese frosting
1 pound Organic Valley cream cheese softened
1 cup Organic Valley unsalted butter, softened
32 ounce bag of Dixie Crystals Confectioners Sugar
2 tablespoons Organic Valley heavy cream
1 teaspoon Nielsen Massey vanilla
pinch of salt
Sugared Cranberries and Rosemary
2 cups Dixie Crystals granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1, 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries, washed
several fresh rosemary sprigs
Directions
Make the cake
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking sheets and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, blend the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Add in the vanilla, water and molasses and blend well.
Add in the flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt and blend until combined. DO NOT over mix the batter, or the cakes will be tough.
Fill your paper liners about 3/4 of the way full.
Place on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for anywhere from 24 to 27 minutes. The cakes need to be very moist, so be careful not to over bake them!!
Remove the cakes and place them on wire racks to cool. After 20 minutes, place them in the fridge to chill before you frost them.
Make the frosting
In the bowl of your stand mixer, blend together the cream cheese, butter, heavy cream, vanilla and pinch of salt.
Slowly add in the 2 pounds of confectioners sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.
Set aside until the cakes are ready to be frosted.
This recipe makes a lot of frosting because I used a lot to pipe borders around the edges of the cakes. I even had leftovers that I saved for another recipe. It’s so good that you can put it on anything and it will taste delicious 🙂
Frost the cakes when they are completely cool.
Make the sugared cranberries and rosemary
Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. DO NOT BOIL. You just want the sugar to be dissolved.
Stir in the cranberries and gently toss them to coat. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cranberries to a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath it.
Gently dip the rosemary sprigs in the sugar syrup and use the slotted spoon again to let the remaining sugar syrup drip off.
Carefully place them on the same wire rack.
Let them dry for an hour, then toss the cranberries in the remaining 1 and 1/2 cups sugar. Gently place the rosemary sprigs into the sugar and toss to coat.
Let sit on the wire rack to completely dry for an hour before you decorate your cakes.
You can refer to my photos for decorating inspiration!!
Store the cakes in the fridge in airtight containers for a few days, if not eaten right away.
You may freeze them for up to two months wrapped in wax paper and foil.
ENJOY and HAPPY AND HEALTHY HOLIDAYS my sweet friends!!
xoxo