Turning a tres leches cake recipe into mini cakes?
November 27, 2013 1:21 PM Subscribe
I have a beloved recipe for tres leches cake. It makes a single 9" diameter cake, and bakes for about 45 minutes at 350F. I would love to convert this recipe so I make a lot of individual tres leches cakes with it - cupcake-sized.
So I have two questions:
1. How do I convert the baking time for individual size cakes? Is there a formula for this? If not, any tips to improve the guessing process?
2. I have muffin pans, and I have cupcake liners. I assume I can't use the paper cupcake liners because the cake mix is very wet and would just soak in, making it difficult to flip them upside-down and uncover after baking? I do have some foil cupcake liners, would this likely work? I'm trying to think of any gotchas.
(I can post the full recipe if needed)
So I have two questions:
1. How do I convert the baking time for individual size cakes? Is there a formula for this? If not, any tips to improve the guessing process?
2. I have muffin pans, and I have cupcake liners. I assume I can't use the paper cupcake liners because the cake mix is very wet and would just soak in, making it difficult to flip them upside-down and uncover after baking? I do have some foil cupcake liners, would this likely work? I'm trying to think of any gotchas.
(I can post the full recipe if needed)
I agree that you start checking at 15 minutes, but it probably takes closer to 20, even as much as 25.
You can buy parchment paper cupcake liners. Foil would probably also work, or silicone cupcake pans. Depending on how your timing and batter amounts are, you might try baking three -- one in a greased tin with parchment paper, one in a normal liner, one in a foil liner -- and then use whichever is easiest.
posted by jeather at 2:13 PM on November 27, 2013
You can buy parchment paper cupcake liners. Foil would probably also work, or silicone cupcake pans. Depending on how your timing and batter amounts are, you might try baking three -- one in a greased tin with parchment paper, one in a normal liner, one in a foil liner -- and then use whichever is easiest.
posted by jeather at 2:13 PM on November 27, 2013
I'd bake directly in the pans, with something like baker's joy spray to keep from sticking. No one likes soggy pieces of liner stuck to their cake.
(Also could you post the recipe pretty please?)
posted by rmless at 2:45 PM on November 27, 2013
(Also could you post the recipe pretty please?)
posted by rmless at 2:45 PM on November 27, 2013
Following the directions for this recipe with your own ingredients might help
posted by waterlily at 2:57 PM on November 27, 2013
posted by waterlily at 2:57 PM on November 27, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks! I used foil liners, until I ran out and used some paper ones. They only needed 15 minutes baking time, much less than I expected, good thing I started checking at 12! There really wasn't space for the pour-over liquid in the liners, so I took the liners off, and put them upside-down into ramekins, and then toddler bowls when I ran out of ramekins. I pulled off the "skin" of cake on the top (used to be the bottom), stabbed them with a wooden toothpick and poured over the milk sauce thingy. Final tasting tomorrow, but so far I am pleased with the result, and mini tres leches cakes in ramekins and toddler bowls looks cute!
Here's the recipe for rmless.
Cake
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ tsp cinnamon (this was an experiment I added today, not sure if its noticeable)
Sauce
• 1 x 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 x 13 ounce can evaporated milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Topping
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Fresh strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, or other fresh fruit, sliced
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 3 inch springform pan with a baking spray, or 24 cupcake liners in muffin pans.
2. In a stand mixer, mix the eggs and sugar on high speed for about 5 minutes or until the volume has doubled. Reduce the speed to low and add the water and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well on low.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium size bowl.
4. Gently fold the flour ingredients into the egg mixture on the slowest setting.
5. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the center of the oven for 35 to 45 minutes. For cupcakes pour into cupcake liners (only fill about 2/3 of way up) and bake for 15 minutes approx.
6. You can tell when it's done when the center is firm and the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, and go golden brown around the edges. Its a very pale-looking cake.
7. Cool the cake completely, then remove from pan and invert onto a serving dish with a lip (to contain the milk sauce). For cupcakes remove them from liners and put them upside-down into ramekins.
8. Use a knife to slice and/or peel off the top skin off the cake, as the skin will make it harder to soak up the milk sauce.
9. Whisk together the evaporated milk, the condensed milk, 1 cup of the heavy cream, and 2 teaspoons of the vanilla.
10. Using a tooth pick or skewer, poke holes all over the cake. The holes will allow the cake to absorb more of the milk.
11. Pour the milk mixture slowly all over the cake and allow it time to soak in before adding more milk. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
12. Just before serving, put 2 cups whipping cream in a chilled mixing bowl and begin mixing on medium. Add one teaspoon vanilla and the 2 tbsp sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and beat on high until stiff peaks form.
13. Spread whipping cream generously on the top of cake. Garnish with sliced berries or fruit.
posted by Joh at 4:35 PM on November 27, 2013 [10 favorites]
Here's the recipe for rmless.
Cake
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ tsp cinnamon (this was an experiment I added today, not sure if its noticeable)
Sauce
• 1 x 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 x 13 ounce can evaporated milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Topping
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Fresh strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, or other fresh fruit, sliced
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 3 inch springform pan with a baking spray, or 24 cupcake liners in muffin pans.
2. In a stand mixer, mix the eggs and sugar on high speed for about 5 minutes or until the volume has doubled. Reduce the speed to low and add the water and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well on low.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium size bowl.
4. Gently fold the flour ingredients into the egg mixture on the slowest setting.
5. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the center of the oven for 35 to 45 minutes. For cupcakes pour into cupcake liners (only fill about 2/3 of way up) and bake for 15 minutes approx.
6. You can tell when it's done when the center is firm and the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, and go golden brown around the edges. Its a very pale-looking cake.
7. Cool the cake completely, then remove from pan and invert onto a serving dish with a lip (to contain the milk sauce). For cupcakes remove them from liners and put them upside-down into ramekins.
8. Use a knife to slice and/or peel off the top skin off the cake, as the skin will make it harder to soak up the milk sauce.
9. Whisk together the evaporated milk, the condensed milk, 1 cup of the heavy cream, and 2 teaspoons of the vanilla.
10. Using a tooth pick or skewer, poke holes all over the cake. The holes will allow the cake to absorb more of the milk.
11. Pour the milk mixture slowly all over the cake and allow it time to soak in before adding more milk. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
12. Just before serving, put 2 cups whipping cream in a chilled mixing bowl and begin mixing on medium. Add one teaspoon vanilla and the 2 tbsp sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and beat on high until stiff peaks form.
13. Spread whipping cream generously on the top of cake. Garnish with sliced berries or fruit.
posted by Joh at 4:35 PM on November 27, 2013 [10 favorites]
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If you need to flip them upside down afterwards (which you probably don't need to do, you can just pour your stuff over the top of them just fine probably), it'll take a while but a good foolproof way is to grease the muffin tins and drop a little circle of parchment paper down at the bottom of each one. Just loosen with a knife around the edges of each one, turn the muffin tin over, and they'll pop out perfectly.
posted by phunniemee at 1:38 PM on November 27, 2013