DINKY RASPBERRY AND LIMONCELLO CAKES

Having stumbled across some old Lakeland vouchers last week I thought it was time to use them and bought myself a 12 hole mini loaf tin. As soon as I got home put it straight to good use and got baking these scrummy little limoncello cakes with a raspberry and poppy seed sponge and mascarpone and lemon pie topping. All individually wrapped in baking paper, they are perfect little portions to nibble on after a meal. Defiantly a most delicious and dinky delight!

First of all you will need a mini loaf tin to separate your batter and as mentioned I got a twelve hole version from Lakeland although I'm sure they can be picked up elsewhere too. I ended up with enough batter for 16 cakes and baked two batches so don't overfill the holes just to use up what you have as they might end up overflowing or being undercooked. Plus, 16 cakes is better than 12 isn't it?

Whilst looking deceptively kids partyesqe there is alcohol here what with the addition of the limoncello. I used it as I had leftover overs in the house and the lemony tang really works with the raspberries. If you don't want the buy a whole bottle for just for 3 tbsps or don't want alcohol in your cakes then just replace it with 3 tbsps of lemon juice.

Raspberry tip! Dust them with a bit of flour before adding them to the cake. This will stop them from sinking to the bottom of the cakes. If your not a raspberry fan then use another berry instead. Blueberries would work well I think!

Poppy seeds too are optional so leave them out if you can't get your hands on any or don't have them in the kitchen but they are defiantly worth adding in for that little bit of crunch to the cake. A tbsp or two of chopped nuts could work as well if you prefer to use them to give that extra bit to your sponge.

The lemon and marscapone topping can also be swapped out for another like a vanilla butter cream or chocolate ganache if you prefer. In this months Flavourly box I acquired a tub of Whole Plus Lemon Pie Topping and I sprinkled these over the top for added lemony crunch and it was delicious. Go get yourself some online or you can simply decorate yours how you see fit.

In fact the cute little nature of the cakes makes them perfect for getting the kids involved in the kitchen. Here are two little nieces went a bit mad with the sprinkles, chocolate chips and marshmallows to decorate the cakes and they really enjoyed it. Take inspiration from them and get your thinking caps on when making your cakes and come up with your own interesting toppings.

The recipe is based on the Catherine Fulvio limoncello and raspberry loaf cake recipe which I have tweaked slightly for the little cakes. Give it a go and bake yourself a batch of these little treasures next time you've got your got your baking groove on:

Dinky Limoncello And Raspberry Cakes

150g Golden Caster Sugar
50ml Olive Oil 

4 Whole Eggs 

200g Plain Flour

250g Raspberries 

Zest Of 1 Lemon

3 Tbsp Limoncello 

1 And 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Tbsp Poppyseeds
100g Icing Sugar
60g Softened Butter
100g Mascarpone
100g Lemon Pie Topping
 

1. Start by lining each of your mini loaf holes with greaseproof paper and get your oven on to 180 degrees (160 fan)
2. Place the caster sugar, olive oil and eggs in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy before adding in the flour, 200g of raspberries, half the lemon zest, baking powder and poppyseeds and folding everything through until you see no streaks of flour.
3. Spoon the cake batter mixture equally into each of the mini loaf holes and place in the oven for around 20-25 minutes until golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
4. Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool for ten minutes before transferring the cakes to a wire rack. Make up some more cakes if you had any left over batter.
5. Whilst the cakes cool, beat together the icing sugar and butter until light and fluffy before folding through the marscapone and remaining lemon zest until well combined. Place in the fridge to chill and firm up whilst the cakes finish cooling.
6. When the cakes have fully cooled spread the marscapone icing over the top of each, sprinkle over the lemon pie topping and plonk one of the remaining raspberries in the middle.

You now have 16 little pretty dinky treats in their individual paper cases which are in perfect for dishing up at a party or afternoon tea with a big pot of super hot early grey! The crunchy topping is a great foil to the soft citrus packed cakes and now and then you'll get a burst of raspberry freshness and pop of the poppyseeds dancing in your mouth.  

They do always say good things come in small packages!