Mini Almond Bundt Cakes

Baby Shower Cake and Cupcake Recipes

To make one large Bundt cake instead of six small ones, double this recipe and bake in a 10-inch Bundt pan for 45 to 50 minutes.

Ingredients

Makes 6

* 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
* 6 tablespoons sliced almonds
* 1/3 cup coarsely chopped almonds
* 5 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 1 large egg
* 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
* 3/4 cup sour cream, or plain yogurt
* 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
* 3 to 4 tablespoons milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter six mini Bundt pans; set aside. Spread sliced almonds out on a baking pan, and toast until golden brown. Transfer nuts to a bowl to cool.
2. In a medium bowl, combine chopped almonds, light-brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside. In another medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine 6 tablespoons butter and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg; beat until combined. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, and beat until smooth. Add 1/3 of reserved flour mixture and half of sour cream; beat to combine. Repeat. Add final third of flour mixture, and beat to combine.
4. Fill each Bundt pan with 3 tablespoons batter, and spread evenly with a small offset spatula or spoon. Sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons of reserved almond-spice mixture. Top with additional 3 tablespoons batter; the batter should come to within 1/2 inch of the rims of the pans.
5. Bake until cakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cakes to a wire rack to cool completely. Unmold cakes. Place cakes, flat sides down, on a wire rack placed over a baking pan.
6. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat until color turns nut brown, about 5 minutes. Pour butter into a medium bowl, leaving behind any dark sediment. Stir in confectioners' sugar, remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla, and 3 tablespoons milk until smooth; add an additional tablespoon milk, if necessary, so glaze is pourable. Drizzle glaze over cakes, and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Serve.

Swirly Cupcakes

Baby Shower Cake and Cupcake Recipes

These cupcakes make memorable party treats. Chilling the bowl beforehand helps the cream whip up with the most volume.

Ingredients

Makes 30

* Dark Chocolate Cake
* 3 pints ice cream, any flavor
* 5 1/2 cups heavy cream
* 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
* Sprinkles, for decorating

Directions

1. Place 30 paper baking cups on two baking sheets. Set aside. Slice each cake layer in half horizontally, making a total of four layers.
2. Using a 2 1/4-inch-round cookie cutter, cut 30 rounds from cake layers. Place a round in each baking cup. Using a 2-inch ice-cream scoop, place one scoop ice cream on each cake round. Transfer baking sheets to freezer for 20 minutes. Chill a medium mixing bowl.
3. Place heavy cream and confectioners' sugar in the chilled bowl. Whip until soft peaks form. Fit a 16-inch pastry bag with a coupler. Fill pastry bag with whipped cream. Starting at the perimeter of a baking cup, pipe a spiral of whipped cream, covering the ice cream. Repeat with remaining cupcakes. Return to freezer, and chill until hard, about 45 minutes. Decorate with sprinkles, and serve.

Lemon Blueberry Tart

Baby Shower Cake and Cupcake Recipes

Ingredients

Serves 8

* All-purpose flour, for dusting
* Pate Sucree
* 2 recipes Lemon Curd
* 1 cup creme fraiche
* 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
* 1 cup blueberries, washed and picked over
* 3 tablespoons apricot jam
* 1 tablespoon Candied Lemon Zest, dredged in granulated sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly flour a clean work surface. Roll out pate sucree to 1/8-inch thickness. Place dough in the bottom of an 8-inch tart pan with a removable bottom; place in refrigerator about 30 minutes.
2. Place tart pan on a baking sheet. Using a fork, prick crust all over. Carefully line pastry with parchment paper, pressing it into the corners and edges, and weight with beans, rice, or pie weights. Bake about 20 minutes. Remove the paper and weights, and continue baking until crust is golden, about 10 minutes more. Transfer to a cooling rack. Spread lemon curd in tart shell, and return to oven until curd is set, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack, and let cool to room temperature.
3. Place creme fraiche and confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Dollop in the center of cooled tart.
4. Place blueberries in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, warm apricot jam over medium heat, and add 2 teaspoons water until thin, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a fine sieve, strain jam directly over blueberries. Toss blueberries until coated with jam mixture. Pile blueberries on top of creme fraiche. Garnish with candied lemon zest, and serve.

S'mores Mini Cakes

BABY SHOWER CAKE RECIPE

These tiered mini cakes are as fun to make as traditional s'mores.

Ingredients

Serves 8

FOR THE CAKES:
* 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 2/3 cup untoasted wheat germ
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons clover honey, or other mild honey
* 3 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE GLAZE:
* 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
* 5 ounces heavy cream
* 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
* 8 large plus 8 mini marshmallows

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square cake pan; line with parchment paper, allowing a 2-inch overhang. Make the cakes: Whisk flour, wheat germ, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Put butter, brown sugar, and honey into mixer bowl; mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium; mix in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined.
2. Spread batter into prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in pan 15 minutes. Lift out; let cool completely on wire rack. Can be stored, wrapped in plastic, up to 1 day.
3. Cut out 8 rounds with 2 1/4-inch cutter and 8 rounds with 7/8-inch cutter. Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment.
4. Make the glaze: Put chocolate in a small bowl. Heat cream and corn syrup in a small pan over medium-high heat until just simmering. Pour over chocolate; stir until chocolate has melted. Let cool, stirring occasionally, 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Spoon a dollop of glaze over each cake and large marshmallow, spreading so it runs down sides. Stack: large cake, large marshmallow, small cake, mini marshmallow.

Monkey Cake

BABY SHOWER CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients

Serves 10 to 12

* 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
* 3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for dusting
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 3 very ripe, large bananas, mashed (about 1 1/3 cups)
* 3/4 cup buttermilk
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
* 3 large eggs
* 1 cup chopped pecans, optional
* Fluffy Chocolate and Yellow Buttercreams
* 2 black-licorice drop candies
* Black-licorice rope, for decorating
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8 1/2-inch-diameter 3-quart stainless-steel or ovenproof bowl and 1 cup of a large (1-cup capacity) muffin tin; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and brown sugar; mix on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to medium; mix in flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with banana mixture. Stir in pecans.
4. Fill prepared muffin cup three-quarters full. Transfer remaining batter to prepared baking bowl. Transfer to oven, side by side. Bake cupcake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool in tin on a wire rack. Continue baking large cake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes more (1 hour and 40 minutes total). Let cool in bowl on a wire rack 30 minutes. Invert bowl to remove cake; let cool completely.
5. Trim flat side of cake to be level. Trim away top of cupcake to be level. Cut cupcake in half vertically for the two monkey ears. Cut bowl cake in half horizontally to make 2 layers. Spread 3/4 cup chocolate buttercream on top of flat layer. Top with domed layer. Transfer to a cake plate. Spread a thick layer of chocolate buttercream over entire monkey head. Spread buttercream over cupcake ears. Attach ears to sides of head, top of cupcake facing forward, securing with toothpicks.
6. Place remaining chocolate frosting in a piping bag fitted with a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #5). Pipe dots around bottom edge of cake in a continuous line. Switch to a small multi-opening tip (such as Ateco #233); pipe hair on top of head.
7. Fill another piping bag fitted with a large plain round tip (such as Ateco #11) with yellow buttercream. Pipe an oval near the front base of cake. Fill in with frosting, and smooth. Place 2 small pieces of licorice rope inside for nose. Add a long piece of rope for mouth. Place licorice drops above oval for eyes. Pipe yellow half-circles in centers of ears; fill in with frosting, and smooth. Decorated cake can be refrigerated up to 3 hours.

Chocolate Chip Angel Food Cake

Baby Shower Cake and Cupcake Recipes

Ingredients

Makes one 10-inch cake

* 1 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
* 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
* 14 large egg whites, room temperature
* 1 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
* 1/2 cup grated bittersweet chocolate, (about 1 1/2 ounces)
* 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
* 1 1/2 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate, (about 5 ounces)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour into a mixing bowl, then resift flour with 3/4 cup sugar.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar; beat until whites have tripled in size, about 3 minutes. Slowly add remaining 3/4 cup sugar; beat until firm and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Transfer egg whites to a large metal mixing bowl. Gently fold in flour mixture in three additions, mixing from bottom of bowl (try to use fewest strokes possible). Fold in grated chocolate, and mix. Pour batter into a 10-inch nonstick angel-food-cake pan, and run a knife through center of the batter to release any air bubbles. Bake until top becomes golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.
4. Invert the pan over the neck of a bottle, and cool about 1 hour. Loosen the cake from the pan with a flexible knife, and turn the cake over onto a cake stand.
5. Make ganache: Heat buttermilk over medium heat; add chopped chocolate, and stir slowly until melted. Since buttermilk will curdle slightly, strain mixture through a very fine sieve, and stir slowly until smooth. Spread ganache over top of cooled angel-food cake, and allow to harden slightly before serving.

Lion and Lamb Cupcakes

BABY SHOWER CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients

* Swiss Meringue Buttercream for March Cupcakes
* Pink food coloring
* 2 1/2 tablespoons chocolate chips, melted
* Vanilla Cupcakes
* 2 ounces mini marshmallows, halved crosswise
* 6 full-sized marshmallows, halved lengthwise, then diagonally to create lamb ears
* 24 brown mini candy-coated chocolates
* 3 pieces pink bubblegum, cut into 12 small triangles
* Toasted Coconut
* 12 white gumdrops, halved
* 1 bag licorice laces, cut into 1-to 1/2-inch lengths

Directions

1. Measure 1/2 cup buttercream, and tint with pink food coloring to desired shade; transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip; set aside. Divide remaining buttercream equally between two bowls. Into one bowl, stir melted chocolate; set aside.
2. Frost half of the cupcakes with the plain buttercream for the lambs, and half with the chocolate buttercream for the lions: set aside.
3. For the lamb cupcakes: Arrange the halved mini marshmallows around the perimeter of each plain-buttercream cupcake, in two concentric circles. Leave room for ears on the edges, and an empty circle in the center for the face. Place halved full-sized marshmallows in reserved spots for the ears. Place two mini chocolate candies in upper half of each empty circle to make the eyes, and a bubble gum triangle for the nose.
4. For the lion cupcakes: Press coconut into the edge of the chocolate-buttercream on the cupcake to create a mane. On each cupcake, pipe a small dot of pink buttercream in the center to form a nose, then arrange two gumdrop halves on either side of the nose for cheeks. Stick three licorice pieces into buttercream on either side of cheeks for whiskers. Place two mini chocolate candies over gumdrops for eyes.

Makes: 24

Flower Cupcakes

BABY SHOWER CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients

Makes 1 dozen regular or 3 dozen mini cupcakes

* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 4 large eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 1/4 cups milk
* Vanilla Buttercream
* Chocolate pastel lentil candies, for flower centers

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line regular or miniature cupcake pans with liners; set aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down bowl, and beat in vanilla.
3. Alternating, add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl to ensure batter is thoroughly mixed.
4. Divide batter evenly among liners; fill regular pans three-quarters full and miniature pans to just below the top. Bake until golden and tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes for regular and 15 minutes for miniature. Rotate pans once while baking. Turn out, and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely.
5. Fill pastry bags fitted with couplers with buttercream. To shape the petals: Use an Ateco #104 flat-petal tip. With the wide edge of the tip in the center of the cupcake, pipe the petal by making a halfmoon motion with the outer, thinner edge of the tip. Repeat until you have 5 or 6 petals forming a flower. Garnish the center with a candy. To shape the leaves: Use an Ateco #68 leaf tip with green icing to make the leaves by piping from the flower towards the edge of the cupcake, lifting off as you reach the end. Place iced cupcakes in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Tea Party Cake

BABY SHOWER CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients

Serves 12 to 15

* 2 recipes Chocolate Cake, thicker cake cut in half horizontally (3 layers total)
* Strawberry-Cream Cheese Filling
* Swiss Meringue Buttercream for Cupcakes, mixed with 1 cup strawberry puree (from Strawberry-Cream Cheese Filling
* Rolled fondant, for decorating

Directions

1. Spread 2 cake layers with 1 1/2 cups filling each. Stack; top with unfrosted layer. Frost with buttercream. Tint fondant; cut into flower shapes, and roll into balls. Garnish cake with assembled fondant flowers.

Lollipop Garden Cake

BABY SHOWER CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients

* 1 recipe Carrot Cake
* 1 recipe Cream Cheese Frosting

Directions

1. Tint 2 cups frosting light green, and tint the remainder dark green; chill at least 3 hours. Place bottom layer on cake round; use small offset spatula to spread 1 1/2 cups dark-green frosting over top. Add second layer; spread 1 1/2 cups dark-green frosting in a thin layer over entire cake. Refrigerate 40 minutes until frosting is firm.
2. Place cake on rotating cake stand; spread another layer of dark-green frosting over cake. Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a #113 tip, with light-green frosting. Place tip at base of cake; pipe elongated varying sizes of leaves up sides of cake. Chill at least one hour before serving.
3. Just before serving, insert lollipop sticks in cake.

Baby Bootie Cakes

BABY SHOWER CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients

White Sheet Cake
Swiss-Meringue Buttercream
Food coloring, as desired for shoe color and decorative details
Apricot, or other fruit leather, cut into 1/2-inch wide strips, for straps, if using

Directions

1. Each bootie consists of two cake rounds of different heights. To make booties, trim top of sheet cake so it is level. Place trimmed cake on work surface. Using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit or cookie cutter, cut out 12 circles from cake, keeping the circles as close together as possible. Discard the scraps or save for a delicious snack.
2. To make toe pieces for booties, cut four circles in half horizontally, making eight shorter circles. Trim each short circle by cutting a straight line 1/2-inch in from the edge. Place one tall and one short circle on a piece of waxed paper or parchment. Using a dab of buttercream as glue, affix trimmed edge of shorter circle to taller one. This forms the basic bootie shape. Repeat with other pairs.
3. Using an offset spatula or a butter knife, thinly coat each bootie with a layer of buttercream to seal in the crumbs; giving the shoe shape by adding more icing to the front and top. Refrigerate the booties until the crumb coat has set. Decorate the booties one at a time. Remove from the refrigerator, and cover with a final coat of buttercream, shaping and smoothing the shoes as you go.
4. Pipe laces and trim to resemble a child's shoe: Fit couplers onto piping bags and fill halfway with tinted buttercream. To make dots and trim, use a No. 4 tip. To fashion thin, dainty laces and other delicate details, use a No. 3 tip. To pipe small stars, use a No. 13 tip. Chill booties again until buttercream is firm, then transfer to serving

Makes: 8 cakes

Baby Block Cake

BABY SHOWER CAKE RECIPE

These "building blocks" -- ideal for a baby shower or first birthday -- are covered with fondant and decorated with royal icing. One sheet-cake recipe will make twelve scrumptious blocks.

Ingredients

1 white sheet cake
1 recipe buttercream
2 pounds rolled fondant divided in thirds and tinted green, yellow, and white (available at cake decorating supply stores)
One recipe royal icing divided in fourths and tinted blue, green, yellow, and pink
Cornstarch for work surface for rolling out fondant

Tools and Materials

Serrated knife: To slice uneven cake layers with precision.
Offset spatula: Its flat, slightly flexible metal blade makes this the best tool for spreading icing.
Piping bag: A soft, conical sack with the tip lopped off, made of coated fabric or plastic. Put each color of icing in its own bag, so you don't have to wash bags in the middle of the project.
Piping tips: A round hole creates a line or dot; a star-shape hole makes a ridged line or flower.
Plastic coupler: Allows you to change piping tips to make various shapes in the same color.
Drinking glass: Place a damp paper towel at bottom, and set piping bags in it when not in use.
Cake turntable: Lets you spin the cake with one hand while holding bag or spatula steady with the other (a useful extra).

Baby Block Cake How-To

All these designs were piped with a #3 plain tip using royal icing, which dries hard in about ten minutes. Turn the side you're decorating face up before piping. Wait for the finished design to dry, and then you can lay it face down to do the opposite side.

1. Place sheet cake on clean work surface, top side up. Trim top to make level. Cut cake in half horizontally. Sandwich layer of buttercream between the layers. Trim sides of cake to be square. Cut cake into twelve 2 1/2-inch squares. Place each on its own piece of parchment or waxed paper. Ice each with a thin layer of buttercream to help fondant stick to cake. Chill blocks to set the buttercream.

2. Lightly brush cornstarch onto a clean work surface. You'll cover just one block at a time. Remove a 2-inch ball of fondant from one of the larger, tinted pieces (tightly wrap remaining fondant to keep it from hardening). Using a rolling pin, roll it out into a thin circle about 1/8 inch thick and roughly 7 inches in diameter. Don't refrigerate the blocks after you cover them; the fondant will get sticky.

3. Remove cake squares from refrigerator. Center the rolled fondant circle over a block of cake, and place it gently on the cake. Carefully press the fondant against the sides of the block, working on two opposite sides at the same time and smoothing up from the bottom. Repeat for the other pair of sides. Gently pinch the fondant together at the corners, creating four flaps. Working quickly, so fondant doesn't dry out, fold two flaps toward center of one side, as if wrapping a gift box; repeat for opposite side. Use a dab of water to help the flaps adhere, if necessary. Trim excess fondant from base of block with a sharp knife.

4. Repeat process for each block, using different-colored fondants, as desired. (If trimmed scraps are free of crumbs, knead together and reuse.)

Baby Shower Cake and Cupcake Recipes

Nesting Baby-Bluebird Cupcakes

When preparing the chocolate buttercream frosting, reserve 1 1/2 cups buttercream and 1 teaspoon melted chocolate.

Ingredients

Makes 1 dozen

* 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut (about 5 ounces)
* Vanilla Cupcakes
* Chocolate Buttercream
* Yellow and light-blue food coloring

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating pan once. Set aside to cool.

2. Lightly frost cupcakes with 1 cup chocolate buttercream; set aside. Tint 2 tablespoons reserved buttercream pale yellow; place in a pastry bag fitted with a #349 Ateco leaf tip; set aside. Tint remaining buttercream light blue; place in a pastry bag fitted with a #11 Ateco plain round tip, and pipe three bluebird heads, 3/4 inch in diameter, onto each cupcake. Using leaf tip, pipe yellow beaks. With a toothpick, add melted-chocolate eyes. Form each nest with 2 tablespoons toasted coconut.