These little mini cakes are one of my favorites to make during the weekend. I usually make them in the air fryer rather than heat up the regular oven, and the cakes are done in about 20 minutes. The simple little cakes are infused with bright, citrus flavor from lime zest and juice. Tangy buttermilk keeps them moist without the need for a lot of fat. You can serve the cakes plain with just a dusting of powdered sugar or top them with a glaze and adorn them with macadamia nuts--chopped or not. The cakes are great the day you make them and taste just as good, maybe better, the next day as the glaze sinks into the cake. Enjoy!
Mini Lime Cakes -- Makes Two 6-inch cakes
Zest and juice of 1 medium-size lime
2/3 cup of sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup of canola oil
3/4 cup of buttermilk
1 1/4 cup of flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
Glaze
Reserved lime zest
2 tablespoons of lime juice
3/4 cup of confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup of toasted macadamia nuts (chopped or not), optional
Coat two 6-inch round mini cake pans with baking spray (the kind with flour in it) and set them aside. In a medium-size bowl, mix the sugar and all but 1 teaspoon of the lime zest (reserve it for the glaze). The lime zest should blend into the sugar a little and release some of its oils. The mixture should smell quite "limey" as you mix it. Add 2 tablespoons of the lime juice, the egg, the oil, and the buttermilk and whisk the mixture well. Stir or sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and then whisk the dry mixture into the wet mixture until everything is just combined and barely smooth. Don't over-whisk! Heat the air fryer to 320 degrees. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake the cakes, one-at-a-time, in the air fryer for 18-20 minutes. (The cakes are done when they turn golden brown and a pick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out with just a few moist, not wet, crumbs.) Bake the second cake while the first is cooling. While the cakes bake/cool, make the glaze. Combine the reserved teaspoon of lime zest, 2 tablespoons of lime juice (you should have some left from your lime), and the confectioner's sugar. Stir the mixture well and then microwave it for about 30 seconds or until hot. Stir the mixture again until it's smooth and can be poured/drizzled. If the glaze seems to thick, add a little water, a drop or two at a time, and stir it again. Pour half of the glaze over each little cake and top each cake with some of the macadamia nuts, if you like. Serve the cakes warm or at room temperature.
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