Recipe: Lime-Basil and Blueberry Petit Fours (mini-cakes)
Why is mini stuff so gosh darn cute? I mean you could literally take almost anything–even something as mundane as an eraser or a shoelace–shrink it, and then take over the entire internet with cute pictures of a tiny eraser (this is hypothetical, but if an itty-bitty eraser goes viral tomorrow, I’m officially a psychic…and maybe slightly concerned for society…).
As far as dessert goes, going mini definitely has it’s perks (even beyond it’s adorable qualities); bite-sized treats are more palatable and great for parties and events. They also allow for more variety if you’re serving a dessert platter to others; when you go mini, you can make several different options instead of a singular item, such as a cake or a pie. That’s why I love this recipe so much (aside from the exponential yumminess!); it’s a great crowd-pleasing treat that can be paired other desserts (like my lime-basil macarons at Poeme Macarons!).
A petit four is really just a fancy way of saying a mini-cake (not to be confused with a cupcake!); petit four molds are (most often) square or rectangular, although there are specialty shapes as well. When I make this recipe, I like to use my special flower-shaped petit four pan, but it’s totally fine to make them square. I just think flowers emphasize the springtime flavors…plus they look pretty (hey, I’m a simple girl. I like pretty things).
This recipe makes a tender cake, similar in texture to a light pound cake. The zesty impact of lime is an excellent pair to the sweet, floral basil flavor; the blueberry adds a punch of color and a splash of fruity fun 🙂 The basil-lime glaze on top adds the delicious, finishing touch. This dessert is soooo good you’ll be sad they’re so small (although I’m sure that means they’re practically no calories so you can eat about 20 without feeling bad…I know this sounds wrong but don’t ruin my ignorant bliss!).
Here’s the recipe:
Lime-Basil and Blueberry Petit Fours (Mini-Cakes)
Ingredients
For the Cake Batter:
- 1 pound butter, cubed and softened This is 4 sticks of butter
- 3 cups granulated white sugar
- 6 eggs, at room temperature
- zest of two limes
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- juice of two limes This will be around 2 Tbsp. of lime juice
- 3 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped finely
- 4 cups AP Flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
For the Lime-Basil Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- juice and zest of two limes
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped finely
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and grease the mini-bundt cake molds or petit four pan (or one large 10-inch bundt cake pan).
- Put the sugar and lime zest in a medium bowl, and (with your fingers), work the lime zest into the sugar thoroughly. It will look a little green and start giving off a citrusy aroma when ready. Set aside.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer (or in a stand mixer) until light and creamy, around 5-7 minutes. You want to make sure it’s whipped enough so that the cake will rise nicely.
- Add the sugar-lime mixture to the butter and whip until fluffy (about 3-5 minutes).
- Now add the eggs, one by one, until thoroughly incorporated in the batter with not egg yolks visible.
- Mix in the extract, lime juice, and chopped basil on medium speed until just combined.
- Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix on low speed, until just incorporated. Then add 1/2 of the liquids (I would combine the milk and heavy cream in one glass so that it’s easier) and mix until combined.
- Continue alternating flour and liquid, finishing with flour (so you’ll add another 1/3 of the flour mixture next and mix, followed by mixing in the remaining liquids, and then finishing with the final flour portion). It will look relatively thick.
- Now take out about 1/4 of the batter and place it into a separate bowl. Mix in around 1/2 cup blueberry jam (you can add a little more or less; it just depends how blueberry-tasting you want it to be!). Set aside.
- Start filling the mini-cake molds. Put down around 1 tbsp. of the original batter (non-blueberry) on the bottom of the greased mold, spreading it to cover the entire bottom. Then add around 1 tsp. or so of the blueberry cake batter, spreading it gently across the top. Finish with another teaspoon of the original batter, swirling it together with the blueberry batter. Continue this process until all the molds are filled. NOTE: If making one large bundt cake, put down around 2/3 of the leftover original batter on the bottom of the pan and then add all of the blueberry batter on top. Finish the the rest of the original batter and swirl together.
- Bake the cakes for around 30 minutes, until a cake tester (or toothpick) comes back clean and the tops feel springy. If you’re making a large Bundt cake, you’ll probably want to cook it for around 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Let cakes cool (preferably on a cooling rack) before glazing.
To make the glaze:
- Mix together the lime zest, sugar, and basil in a bowl.
- Add the lime juice and extract and whisk together until a thick glaze forms. I like to pipe the glaze on; however, if you want the glaze thinner, feel free to add more lime juice or a touch of milk or cream to thin it out.
- Pipe or drizzle the glaze on top of the mini cakes and let set before eating.
- Enjoy every little bite 🙂
Notes
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Happy baking everyone!
