Mini Christmas Cakes! Great to serve at gatherings and ideal for gifting – long shelf life, packages up beautifully, easy to make and economical. Made with my classic Christmas cake batter, the rich fruit cake is moist and velvety.

Mini Christmas Cakes

Here are the Mini Christmas Cakes I promised in last weeks’ Holiday Gift Guide!! This is just my classic Christmas Cake converted into mini form. They look so great on a platter to serve at gatherings, and are also ideal for gifting because they have a long shelf life. The cake is beautifully moist, rich with dried fruit, perfumed with Christmas spices. Dense, but soft pudding-like, not like a brick as many store bought ones are.

I also like that they’re easy to dress up for serving and gifting, because this Christmas Cake is designed to be eaten plain. So you don’t need to fuss to work around frosting or add a sauce for serving. Just dust with icing sugar, then for an extra Christmassy touch, tie a ribbon around each one and add a sprig of rosemary!

Also – the option to add a Christmas pudding drippy glaze!

What you need to make Mini Christmas Cakes

A LOT of dried fruit and very little cake batter!!

1. SOAKED DRIED FRUIT (booze optional)

Here’s what you need for the Soaked Dried Fruit. The fruit is soaked in either apple juice OR a combination of apple juice and brandy (for those who like boozy Christmas Cake).

Dried fruit mix speedy option – While I like to chop my own dried fruit (cake is softer, you get better flavour and I can use the ratios I like), feel free to use a store bought mix of pre chopped dried fruit for convenience.

• Use any dried fruit you want – As long as it weighs 855g / 30 oz in total. The selection above is the mix I like!

• Mixed peel is a store bought mix of dried, crystallised (ie sugared) lemon and orange peel. Usually it comes pre chopped – I like to chop it a bit finer. I like less citrus peel than some recipes because I’m too scarred by all those times I bit into a huge piece of orange peel. Just not to my taste! Don’t use FRESH orange and lemon peel, it will be too strong and too bitter. I do not know how much fresh peel to substitute this for.

• Juice and/or booze – for a traditional boozy Christmas Cake, just switch 1/3 of the apple juice with brandy. Can also sub apple juice with orange juice if you want a stronger citrus flavour.

2. CHRISTMAS CAKE BATTER

And here’s what you need for the cake batter part. The cake has very little baking powder because it’s quite a dense cake with a pudding-like texture. But it’s still got a distinct “cake” texture – unlike some Christmas Cakes that are so dense they are like eating fudge!

• Brown sugar – Dark brown sugar gives the cake a richer colour and that is what I use for my classic single large Christmas cake. For individual ones, I prefer a slightly lighter coloured crumb so the fruit bits stand out more, so I use regular brown sugar.

• Molasses / golden syrup – adds to the richness of flavour and colour of cake. Either is fine – I interchange year on year.

• Walnuts – sub with any nuts of choice, or leave it out completely.

• Oil AND butter – oil is what gives this cake a superb moistness. Butter is for flavour!

• Eggs – This is what makes the cake hold together rather than being crumbly.

• Flour – Just regular plain / all-purpose flour. Self raising flour can be used to substitute the flour and baking powder but the cake may dome a little more than pictured.

• Spices – All spice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Classic Christmas cake flavours!

How to make Mini Christmas Cakes

The only difference between this and my classic Christmas Cake is that I bake it in a square pan so I can cut into square individual cakes.

Pan size – I use a 20 cm / 8″ square pan which makes a 4.5cm / 1.8″ tall cake so when cut into 9 squares, they are a nice tall height and impressive gift-giving size. Feel free to use a larger pan – for example, a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ pan will make a 2.3cm / 1″ tall cake which you can cut into more pieces. You can also use a muffin tin lined with silver foil patties.

1. Baking the Christmas cake

The key step that makes this so much faster to make than other fruit cakes is the fruit soaking step. Most recipes call for dried fruit to be soaked overnight. I take a speedy approach: just microwave the dried fruit with juice and/or brandy, then stand for 1 hour to soak up the liquid. So much faster – and just as effective!

1. Soak fruit – Microwave the dried fruit with the juice/brand for 1 1/2 minutes or until hot. Stir to coat then set aside for 1 hour to let the fruit soak up the liquid and plump up.

2. Batter – Beat the butter and sugar for 1 minute until light and fluffy. Because of the volume of sugar vs butter, it won’t look creamy but you can tell it’s soft from the texture. Then beat in the oil and molasses, then the salt, spices and baking powder. Then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating until just incorporated.

3. Mix in the flour using a wooden spoon.

4. Soaked fruit – Then mix in the dried fruit, including any residual liquid left in the bottom of the bowl.

5. Pan – Pour the batter into a lined 20cm / 8″ pan. It will fill it right to the top and that’s fine, the cake barely rises. As noted above, it’s a dense cake but it’s not brick-like! It’s still distinctly cakey.

6. Bake 2 1/2 hours – Cover the cake with a sheet of baking paper (which will peel off without ripping the cake surface off), then foil. Then bake for 2 hours, remove foil and paper, then bake for a further 30 minutes uncovered to colour the surface.

   Cool – Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferred to a rack to fully cool.

2. Cutting mini cakes

I like to cut into 9 squares because I think the proportions look nice and the cake is a gift-worthy size. To be specific, they are 6.5cm / 2 1/2″ squares that are 4.5cm / 1.8″ tall. As noted above, feel free to use different size pans. For example, a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ pan will make a cake that is 2.3cm / 1″ tall and you will be able to cut many more pieces.

1. Cutting – Trim the edges (to make the sides neat). Then cut the cake into pieces as desired. I do 9 squares.

2. Trim surface – The surface of the cake is ever so slightly domed. So to make the Christmas Cake into perfect uniform pieces, I trim the surface then turn them upside down and decorate the base.

3. Flip and dust or ice – Flip the cake upside down so the base of the cake is the side you decorate. Then either dust with icing sugar (easy option I use when gift-wrapping), or decorate drippy-style with white frosting (for a classic Christmas Pudding look) or top with fondant (see classic Christmas Cake recipe for directions).

Gift wrapping

As I mentioned earlier, Mini Christmas Cakes have in their favour as a homemade gifting idea. They are:

• Easy to make

• Economical – especially if you use a mixed fruit option instead of getting individual dried fruits

• Easy to decorate – Just a dusting of icing sugar makes them instantly Christmassy! Though tying ribbon around the cake really is an easy way to make them even more gift-worthy.

• Easy to gift wrap – no need to find specific size jars of gift bags. Just wrap in cellophane and tie with ribbon.

• Long shelf life – This one is important to me! A few years ago I did cookies but they just don’t have a great shelf life. It’s rare for any cookie to truly remain in top-notch fresh form beyond 2 days. Wheres the Christmas Cake? I’ve kept mine in the fridge for a month and it was still like freshly made. How good is that!

Love to know how you present these Mini Christmas Cakes if you try them, or how you customise the cake to your taste. Share in the comments below – readers love getting inspiration!

Also, spoiler alert for my friends – you’re all getting Mini Christmas Cakes this year. 😂 – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Mini Christmas Cakes – ideal for gifting!

Recipe video above. Here's my classic Christmas Cake converted into mini form! They look so great lined up on a platter to serve at a gathering, and are also ideal for gifting because they have a long shelf life. The cake is beautifully moist, rich with dried fruit, perfumed with Christmas spices. Dense, but soft pudding-like, not like an enjoyable brick as many store bought ones are.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Australia, British, Western

Keyword christmas cake, easy christmas cake, fruit cake

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Fruit soaking 1 hour hour

Total Time 4 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Servings 9 – 16 pieces

Calories 388cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Fast soaked fruit (Note 1):

• 300g / 10 oz raisins
• 150g / 5 oz diced dried apricots , chopped 8 mm / 1/3"
• 75g / 2 1/2 oz mixed peel , diced 5mm / 1/5
• 150g / 5 oz glace cherries , chopped 8 mm / 1/3"
• 180g / 6 oz dates , diced 5mm / 1/5"
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp apple juice , OR 1/3 brandy + 2/3 juice (Note 2)

Cake:

• 115g / 8 tbsp unsalted butter , softened (1 US stick)
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar , packed (or dark brown sugar for a darker crumb, Note 3)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or canola, peanut, grapeseed)
• 3 tbsp molasses or golden syrup (Note 4)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp all spice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 2/3 cups plain flour (all purpose flour)
• 3/4 cup walnuts , chopped (optional)

Decorating

• Icing sugar, for dusting
• Christmas fondant – see directions here

Christmas Pudding Drippy Glaze

• 1 1/2 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp / 15g unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 – 3 tbsp milk

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Fast Soaked Fruit:

• Heat – Place dried fruit and juice/brandy in a large microwavable container. Microwave 1 1/2 minutes on high or until hot.
• Soak – Stir to coat all fruit in liquid. Cover then set aside for 1 hour (to plump up/soak and cool).

Cake:

• Preheat oven to 160°C / 320°F (140°C fan). Grease and line a 20cm / 8" square cake pan with baking paper / parchment paper, or larger pan to get more cakes out of it. (Note 5 on pan size).
• Beating – Using an electric beater, beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute on speed 5). Add oil and molasses, beat until combined. Add salt, spices and baking powder – beat until incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated.
• Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon, then the dried fruit (including all the extra liquid in bowl) and walnuts (if using).
• Pour into the cake pan, it will fill it right to the top (it won't spill over, the cake barely rises). Cover the surface with paper then cover with foil.
• Bake 2 1/2 hours – Bake for 2 hours, remove the foil and paper, then bake for a further 30 minutes. A skewer inserted into middle should come out clean with no batter on it.
• Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Cool completely before cutting.
• Cutting – Trim off the sides (to make them neat). Then cut into 9 squares (or more, if you want). Trim the surface (to make them level as the cake slightly domes). Then flip upside down and decorate the base of the cake.

Decorating, gifting and serving

• Simple – Dust with icing sugar. That's all this cake needs, it's so full flavoured and moist! Wrap with cellophane and ribbon to gift.
• Ribbon – Wrap and tie a ribbon around each cake. Nice way to present for serving. (Optional to include for gift wrapping too, but then there's a double ribbon situation happening – ie ribbon and cake, ribbon on cellophane!)
• Drippy white glaze – Mix the icing sugar, butter, vanilla and start with 2 tbsp milk. Mix really well (it will take time to come together, be patient). Then adjust thickness using 1/2 tsp milk at a time. BE CAREFUL – it goes from too thick to too thin very easily! Goal: Thick glaze that will ooze "pudding style", as pictured, rather than dripping in long streaks. Spoon onto cake, coaxing it down the sides. Allow to set before wrapping.
• Fondant – See directions in my classic round Christmas Cake.
• Serving – serve with custard for a traditional experience! Either homemade custard or store bought pouring custard.

Notes

1. Dried fruit – any fruit of choice can be used as long as it totals 855g / 30 oz and it’s finely chopped. Combination I’ve used is to my taste – I do not like my fruit cake too citrusy (hate biting into big chunks of orange peel!). I like having variety for flavour.

Mixed peel is a store bought mix of diced, dried, crystallised (ie sweet) orange and lemon peel. Sometimes it’s already chopped, sometimes not. Chop it to size per recipe. It is not fresh peel. Fresh peel will be much stronger and more bitter – not sure how much to use.

Pre chopped mixed dried fruit – store bought mix of pre chopped dried fruit is fine to use. Chopping your own will yield a more moist cake (pre chopped dried fruit is not as moist) BUT having said that, this cake is so ultra moist, it has the give to use pre chopped!

2. Juice / brandy – this cake tastes just as good made with or without alcohol, it comes down to personal taste. I usually make it without because Christmas Cake stretches far and I want everyone to be able to eat it.

BRANDY – If you want to use brandy, use 1/3 cup brandy PLUS 2/3 cup + 2 tbsp juice.

Juice – I like using apple juice for its neutral flavour. Pineapple and other not so strong flavoured juices will be fine here. If you like citrus flavour, use orange juice – you can taste it a bit more than other juices.

3. Dark brown sugar – makes the cake a rich dark brown colour. Can sub with normal brown sugar – will make cake lighter (also looks nice as fruit stands out!)

4. Molasses / golden syrup – adds to the richness of flavour and colour of cake. Either is fine – I interchange year on year.

5. Cake pan size – A square 20cm/8″ pan makes a 4.5cm / 1.8″ tall cake which is a nice height for 9 squares. Feel free to make this cake in a larger cake pan. a 23 x 33cm/9 x 13″ pan will make a cake 2.3cm / 0.9″ thick, it takes around 1 hour 45 minutes to bake (covered for 1 hour 15 minutes, then uncovered for 30 minutes). Don’t fret about exact baking times because the cake is very moist so it’s forgiving.

You can also use a muffin tin – silver liners look lovely. They take around 25 minutes to bake (no need to cover, just bake uncovered).

6. Serving – cake is moist and so full flavoured it’s wonderful eaten plain. But for an extra special touch, serve with custard.

7. Storage – I’ve kept it for a month in an airtight container in the fridge and it was good as it was freshly made (at room temperature). Having researched online, looks like 2 to 3 months is the general consensus (for fridge) and a year in the freezer (for this sort of cake, with no alcohol. 

Nutrition

Calories: 388cal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 127mg | Potassium: 413mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 469IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg

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We make mini chocolate cakes because they’re adorable, there’s an excellent ratio of frosting to cake, and you get the whole thing to yourself! With 3 layers of chocolate cake smothered in fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting, these are the perfect special occasion dessert.

Mini Chocolate Cakes

These adorable mini chocolate cakes are a petite 7cm/2.75cm size that’s made for not sharing with family and friends. Right in the spirit of special occasions that I’m suggesting you make these for! 😂

So, let me speak frankly. Individual portion mini cakes do take more time to decorate than a single chocolate cake. But they are more special. They look so great lined up on a platter. You don’t have to deal with the mess of cutting a giant cake.

And there is a high ratio of frosting to cake. These mini cakes call for half a batch of chocolate cake but a FULL batch of frosting! Not just because I’m being greedy, but simply because mini cakes have more surface area to cover.

So, for your next special occasion, there’s no need to spend $12 for a single mini cake from that posh patisserie down the road, only to be disappointed with how dry the sponge is and how meh the frosting is because it’s not made with real butter for cost cutting reasons. Let’s make our own!

(PS This recipe makes 7 mini cakes which is $84 worth for around $13 of ingredients).

Ingredients in Mini Chocolate Cakes

We’re using my classic chocolate cake batter here. It’s the perfect cake to use for mini cakes because it’s moist and stays moist (small cakes dry out faster than large ones) with the bonus that it’s a really quick and easy batter.

Chocolate cake layers

Here’s what you need for the chocolate cake batter:

• Flour – Just plain / all-purpose flour. The cake won’t be as soft using self-raising flour.

• Sugar – Either superfine / caster sugar or ordinary white sugar (granulated sugar). They work the same.

• Baking powder and baking soda (bi-carb) – This cake specifically uses both because it makes the softest cake with an even rise (rather than a dome). However, if you’ve only got baking powder, you can substitute the baking soda with an extra 2 teaspoons of baking powder.

• Cocoa powder – Just ordinary unsweetened cocoa powder. Not dutch processed, not hot chocolate sweetened cocoa!

• Milk – Full fat cow milk is best, though low fat works too.

• Large egg – A 55-60g/2oz egg from a carton labelled “large eggs”. More on eggs for baking here.

• Oil is the fat in this cake which is what keeps this cake incredibly moist for days upon days. The sponge is drier if you use butter. Any natural flavoured oil can be used.

• Coffee powder – Enhances the chocolate flavour, but you can’t taste coffee! Feel free to skip it.

• Vanilla – For extra flavour!

chocolate buttercream frosting

And here’s what you need for the chocolate buttercream frosting.

• Unsalted butter – Softened to room temperature so it can be whipped into a fluffy frosting. Don’t let it get too soft and sloppy else your frosting will be too! Technically in baking terms, “softened butter” should be 17°C/63°F – firmer than you think! This is soft enough to whip into creamy fluffiness but firm enough so it doesn’t turn frosting into slop.

• Soft icing sugar / powdered sugar – As noted above, be sure to get soft icing sugar! If you use pure icing sugar the frosting will not be soft and fluffy, it sets hard.

• Cocoa – As with the cake, use plain unsweetened cocoa. Not dutch processed or sweetened.

• Vanilla – For flavour.

• Pinch of salt – To bring out the flavours in the frosting.

How to make Mini Chocolate Cakes

It really is just your favourite chocolate layer cake in mini form. But I have some little tips to make your mini-baking-life a little easier because it can get a little fiddly!

1. The cake part (super easy!)

This is my classic chocolate cake batter with minor alterations to make a smaller batch baked in a thin layer that we cut rounds out of.

1. Whisk dry – Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl. Add the sugar and salt, then whisk to combine.

2. Add wet – Add the egg, oil, milk and vanilla first, then whisk. Stir the coffee powder (if using) into the hot water then whisk that into the batter. It will be VERY thin!

3. Baking tray – Pour into a lined baking tray. I use a 40 x 28.5 x 2.5cm cm tray (15.8 x 11.3 x 1″ – US standard jelly roll pan). This makes a cake which is about 12mm / 1/2″ thick which is ideal for a 3 layer mini cake. Any tray around this size will work though smaller pans will make thicker sponges and larger ones will make thinner ones.

4. Bake for 13 minutes at 180°C/350°C (160°C fan-forced).

5. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then use the paper to lift it out onto a cooling rack. Leave to cool on the paper for at least 30 minutes, then refrigerate for another 1 to 4 hours (uncovered) to fully, fully cool.  ⚠️ Cooling properly is an important step because otherwise the cake may be too fresh and crumbly to cut out neat circles.

6. Invert – ⚠️ Another important step – flip the cake upside down before cutting circles! Cover the surface of the cake with baking paper (it is quite sticky, so using paper is important). Then flip it upside down onto a cutting board so the sticky surface of the cake is facedown.

   Why does this matter? Because if the sticky surface is facing up, it is difficult to cut out neat circles as the sticky surface gets stuck on the ring then drags down the cake as you press down.

2. Cutting rounds

Use a 6cm / 2.4″ round cutter to cut circles out of the cake. Cut the circles as close to each other as you can to minimise wastage. You should have 21 circles. Feel free to use a different size cutter to make more smaller ones, or less larger ones!

See below for option to not cut rounds.

Prefer not to cut rounds? Or don’t have a cutter? No problems! Make square or rectangle cakes. Cut the cake into 3 equal size rectangles. Frost and stack. Refrigerate to set the frosting (so it doesn’t smear when you cut). Then cut into squares / rectangles, and frost the sides.

3. Chocolate buttercream

This is your standard buttercream, so the only things to watch out for is to start the beater on low once you add the icing sugar (to avoid a snow storm!) and to beat, beat, beat for a good few minutes at the end to get the frosting nice and fluffy!

1. Cream butter & icing sugar – Beat the butter first until nice and fluffy (a good 3 minutes), then gradually add the icing sugar and beat it in.

2. Fluff it! Beat in the cocoa powder, milk and vanilla, then once it’s all incorporated, beat on high for a full 3 minutes. This creates volume and makes the frosting fluffy so don’t skip it!

3. Proof of fluffiness. Try not to eat too much!

4. Piping bags – Transfer the frosting to a piping bag to apply to the cakes. This is the fastest and easiest way to frost the cakes! Without, you will be tearing your hair out and cursing me. Here’s why:

Trust me – piping bag is best!

The fastest and easiest way to frost these mini cakes is to use a piping bag. This avoids the need for a two step “crumb coating” that we’d otherwise need to avoid crumbs smearing into the frosting as we spread it across the cake.

This is my standard way of frosting cakes these days, mini and full size!

The crumb smearing frustration – The chocolate cake is soft and delicate because it’s a moist, springy cake (rather than dry and stiff!). What this means is that in mini form, and especially once you’ve cut rounds, the cake is very susceptible to crumbs smearing into the frosting as you spread it across the surface, which makes it look untidy.

Getting around the crumb smear – One way to get around this is to do what is called a crumb coat whereby a thin layer of frosting is spread all over the cake to catch and “glue down” the crumbs, and create a smooth surface for the final layer. The cake is then refrigerated to set the frosting, then the final layer of frosting is applied.

The piping bag solution! However, we can bypass that fiddly two step process simply by using a piping bag. By piping the frosting on, we essentially avoid contact with the surface of the crumbs on the cake layers when spreading!

So, trust me on this. A piping bag is the way to go! You can even just use a freezer bag because this frosting is so smooth. Just something to pipe it on. You don’t need a piping tip.

4. frosting

OK, now that you’re fully on board the frosting piping train (which, by the way, is my standard way of applying frosting to cakes these days, mini or not), let me show you how easy it is to do for these mini cakes!

1. First layer – Place a layer on a small piece of paper on a cake turntable if you’ve got one (or lazy Susan). But it’s fine if you don’t, it’s easy to use this method on small cakes even without one. Then a snail on the first layer. No spreading needed.

2. Layer – Place the 2nd cake layer on top, pipe another snail then cover with the 3rd layer.

3. Surface – Pipe a snail on the top which will be the surface.

4. Sides – Then pipe the frosting around the side of the cake, starting at the bottom. No need to be meticulous here because we will spread it.

5. Spreading – Now, to spread the frosting, use a light touch and spread just the surface. Avoid making contact with the cake which will dislodge crumbs that smear into your frosting! No need to be meticulous with the frosting if you plan to cover the surface. And the sides are nice when they are left a little rustic!

6. Voilà! Crumb-free frosting mini chocolate cakes, ready for decorating!

5. CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS FOR DECORATING

Decorate as you please! The easiest would be a dusting of cocoa or icing sugar / powdered sugar, or colourful sprinkles for cheerful mini birthday cakes. Pictured in post are chocolate shavings. Here’s how to do them:

1. Chocolate blocks – Use chocolate of choice. In the video I use mainly dark chocolate with a bit of white for colour.

2. Shave – Stand the chocolate on a 45 degree angle then use a knife to shave shards.

3. Said shards!

4. White chocolate is softer than dark chocolate so you will get nice curls. Whereas dark chocolate is harder so is more flaky.

5. Pile onto the cakes. Avoid touching the chocolate because it will break / melt easily. A fork makes transference and pilling easy.

6. Decorated and ready to impress!

I know, you’re already visualising the look on everybody’s face when you walk into the room with a platter of these mini cakes.

Surprise. Delight.

And of course, so, so impressed. So if the eat part isn’t enough to spur you on to make these, do it for the praise! People will be talking about your mini cakes for days to come. Weeks! Month! (I really need to grow up. Who encourages people to bake things just for the praise? 😂) – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Mini chocolate cakes

Recipe video above. We make mini chocolate cakes because they're adorable, there's an excellent ratio of frosting to cake, and you get the whole thing to yourself! With 3 layers of chocolate cake smothered in fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting, these are the perfect special occasion dessert.

No round cutter? Make square or rectangle layer cakes instead!

Makes 7 x 3 layer cakes that are 7cm / 2.8” wide.

Course Baking

Cuisine Western

Keyword individual cake, Mini cakes, Mini chocolate cake

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 7 mini cakes

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain flour / all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa , sifted (unsweetened, not dutch processed – Note 1)
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda / bi-carb (Note 2)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 1 large egg , at room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk , preferably full fat, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup plain oil , like vegetable, canola, peanut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 tsp instant coffee powder , option (Note 3)

Chocolate Buttercream

• 250g / 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
• 4 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder , unsweetened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 tbsp milk , preferably full fat

Decorations

• Dark chocolate , finely shaved using a knife (white chocolate is also pretty)
• Raspberries, rosemary sprigs

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced).
• Baking pan – Butter a 40 x 28.5 x 2.5cm cm tray (15.8 x 11.3 x 1" – US standard jelly roll pan) then line with baking paper (parchment paper).

Cake layers

• Whisk dry – Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl. Add the sugar and salt, then whisk to combine.
• Mix in wet – Add the egg, milk, oil and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Dissolve the coffee in the hot water, then add into the batter. Whisk to combine. The batter will be VERY thin!
• Bake – Pour into the pan and bake for 13 minutes.
• Cool for 10 minutes then use the paper overhang to lift the cake onto a rack and cool for 30 minutes (leave it on the paper). Then refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour before cutting rounds (cake is too soft when freshly baked).

Assembling & frosting:

• Cutting rounds – Cover the sticky surface with paper. Then flip upside down onto a cutting board (ie sticky side down). (Note 4) Peel the paper off the base. Then press out 21 x 6cm / 2.4" rounds (or other size or shape as you desire).
• Pipe frosting – Place a piece of cake on a small piece of paper, using a dab of frosting to stop it from sliding. Pipe coils of frosting on the layers, using 3 rounds for each cake. Pipe frosting around the sides and on the top. (A cake turntable is handy if you've got one but not essential.)
• Smooth frosting – Smooth the frosting using a small offset spatula or knife, taking care to only touch the surface. Avoid touching the cake because it will dislodge crumbs that will end up in your frosting!
• Decorate with piles of chocolate shards. I also used raspberries and rosemary for the photos in the post!

Chocolate buttercream:

• Beat butter for 3 minutes on high until soft and fluffy. Add icing sugar in 3 lots. Beat it in, starting on low speed then increasing the speed (to avoid a snow storm). Once incorporated, add more icing sugar and repeat.
• Beat 3 minutes – Once the icing sugar has all been added, added the cocoa powder, milk and vanilla. Beat again, starting on low speed then increasing the speed gradually. Once the cocoa is incorporated, beat on high for 3 minutes to make it really nice and fluffy.
• Piping bags – Transfer to a piping bag for frosting. (This is the fastest and easiest way, trust me on this. Even a ziplock bag will work here).

Notes

1. Cocoa – This recipe calls for ordinary unsweetened cocoa powder, though the pricier dutch processed cocoa powder (which has more intense chocolate colour and flavour) can be used.

2. Baking soda – Can be substituted with 2 1/4 tsp extra baking powder (baking soda is an insurance policy to ensure even rise).

3. Coffee in chocolate is a common practice these days to enhance the chocolate flavour. You can’t taste it. Optional!

4. Flipping upside down is important to help cut out neat rounds because the surface of the cake is sticky so it sticks to the cutter and you end up with rather untidy circles.

5. Square or rectangle mini cakes – Easier to assemble and no cake scraps! Cut the cake into 3 equal rectangles. Frosting the layers to make one large 3 layer cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour to set the frosting (so it cuts neatly). Then cut into square or rectangles. Frost sides as desired (whip frosting again to re-fluff).

6. Storage: If leaving cooked cakes overnight, make sure it’s 100% cool then cover the top with paper (it’s sticky) then cling wrap. Refrigerate until required – you can actually do this 5 days ahead because the cake stays fresh for 5 days. Or freeze for 3 months.

Assembled cakes will stay fresh in the fridge for 5 days – the cake sponge has excellent shelf life!

Life of Dozer

In today’s recipe video, you get to watch Dozer following me around the house while I eat the chocolate cake then eventually trapping me in a dead end (laundry). No chocolate cake for Dozer!!

The post Mini chocolate cakes appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

A magnificent Chocolate Cream Pie with a chocolate biscuit base, a creamy smooth chocolate custard filling, topped with clouds of cream. Also known as a chocolate pudding pie, it tastes like a cross between chocolate mousse and Chocolate Bavarian Pie!

Chocolate Cream Pie

As a kid, I’d get so excited on the rare occasion my mother would splurge on a chocolate bavarian pie. I’m talking about the kind sold in the freezer section of supermarkets. Not a fancy patisserie cake made with the beautiful French bavarian cream, crème bavaroise.

I thought it was the best thing ever. Just the right amount of crumbly biscuity base. That chocolatey creamy filling.

And it would still be the best thing ever had I not learnt to cook it myself! While the biscuit base isn’t too different, the chocolate layer is absolutely no comparison. Homemade has real chocolate flavour and a mouthfeel that store-bought never will.

My childhood bavarian pie also evolved with the addition of a generous cloud of whipped cream, which is just heavenly with the chocolate filling, Hence, re-christened as a Chocolate Cream Pie.

I could eat this every day. I predict you will feel the same!

What’s in a Chocolate Cream Pie

This Chocolate Cream Pie is a classic combination with:

1. chocolate cookie base – made from Oreo cookies which gives it an extra intense chocolate flavour.

2. chocolate filling – it’s essentially a pudding, a creamy-but-light custard chocolate filling. If you want to get fancy, it is in fact a type of French chocolate custard called crème pâtissière. Fancy it may sound, but it’s actually a surprisingly simple custard that you see contestants in reality cooking shows frantically stressing about making silky smooth and thick, rather than gritty and runny.

   I’m sorry, but I don’t get it. It’s not hard to make. Not if you follow the very few simple steps required to make it! You’ll see in the recipe video.

3. whipped cream – the pie is topped with a mound of fluffy lightly sweetened vanilla whipped cream.

Dreamy is a word that comes to mind!

Ingredients in Chocolate Cream Pie

1. Chocolate filling ingredients

This custard / pudding is thickened with a combination of cornflour/cornstarch and egg yolks, enriched with butter and cream and flavoured with melted chocolate. It is DIVINE!

• Chocolate – I use a combination of 70% cocoa dark chocolate and milk chocolate for my ideal balance of chocolate flavour intensity (70% cocoa) and creamy chocolatey-ness (milk chocolate).

• Egg yolks – This helps the custard thicken and set as well as giving it a luxurious mouthfeel that frozen Sara-Lee chocolate bavarian pies can ever compare to!

  Also, here is a list of what I do with leftover egg whites.

• Cornflour / cornstarch – This is also used to thicken the custard.

• Cream and milk – The liquids for the custard. Cream is not typical for custards but it adds richness here! You can just use milk, if you’d prefer.

• Butter – This adds yet more richness into the custard.

• Sugar for sweetness (this is not overly sweet), vanilla for flavour and a pinch of salt to bring out the flavours (standard sweet baking practice these days).

**Forget Cool Whip** Shortcut recipes for chocolate pie fillings are pretty common on the internet. Some are made with Cool Whip (Australia, we don’t have this and I hope we never do, it’s an artificial thickened “cream” filling), or boxed chocolate pudding powder, marshmallows (too sweet for my taste), or a simple ganache filling (which is very dense and very rich).

For me, I believe that there are some things that should be done right. And if we’re going to make a homemade Chocolate Cream Pie – let’s make the best one we can! I promise it trumps boxed pudding powder.

2. Oreo Cookie pie base ingredients

I like making Chocolate Cream Pie with an Oreo Cookie pie crust. Made with crushed Oreo cookies, there’s terrific texture contrast with the creamy filling and an extra hit of chocolate. I also like the dark almost-black colour.

Here’s what you need:

• Oreo biscuits – I like using Oreo cookies for the texture and flavour, I find they’re more chocolate-y than most other chocolate biscuits. But any plain chocolate biscuits / cookies will work fine here, such as Arnott’s Chocolate Ripples.

• Melted butter – This is what makes the Oreo crumbs hold together to form a crust.

vanilla Whipped cream

And here’s what you need for the fluffy mound of whipped cream:

• Whipping cream – Make sure you use cream that can be whipped. Not all creams are, some are made for just pouring or dolloping. Read the label to check. And – NO LOW FAT! 🙂

• Vanilla for a touch of lovely flavour.

• Sugar – Not too much. Just a bit, to lightly sweeten.

How to make Chocolate Cream Pie

This is an almost no-bake recipe. The crust is baked for 10 minutes to make it extra crisp. The custard-pudding filling is cooked on the stove, poured into the crust then refrigerated overnight to set.

1. how to make the pie crust

I use a food processor to blitz the Oreo cookies. It takes seconds!

1. Blitz – Roughly break up the Oreo cookies by hand and drop into a food processor. Blitz into fine crumbs (~5 – 10 seconds). Add melted butter then blitz briefly just to mix through. The mixture should resemble wet sand.

2. Press – Pour into a 22.5cm/9″ pie tin. Use your hands / rubber spatula / something flat to press the crumbs firmly into the base and walls.

3. Bake for 10 minutes at 180°C/350°F (160° fan-forced). This makes the pie crust crisper.

4. Deflate – The crust puffs up in the oven. Gently deflate using a rubber spatula or similar – the base and walls. This too makes the pie crust crisper and firmer.

2. how to (EASILY) CUT A ROUND FROM PAPER

Before we get into the fun chocolate filling making part, a quick little tip for how to cut a circle from paper. Do this before you start the custard so you can cover the custard as soon as you pour it into the crust. It prevents a skin from forming on the surface which starts pretty quickly.

1. Baking paper – Tear a sheet of baking paper larger than the pie tine, then fold in half.

2. Fold in half again.

3. Then fold into a triangle.

4. Keep folding to form a long thin triangle.

5. Measure how large your pie dish is by placing the tip of the triangle above the centre of the pie tin. Cut off the end.

6. Then unfold. Voila! Neat circle that covers your pie!

3. how to make the chocolate filling

The chocolate filling ingredients are simply whisked on the stove which thickens into a custard as it heats up. The custard is pourable when hot, then sets so it’s cuttable once refrigerated.

1. Whisk dry – Place cornflour, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk to combine.

2. Add liquids – Add milk, cream and yolks. Whisk to combine. Then whisk every now and then over medium high heat (or medium for strong gas stoves) as the mixture is heating up. Once the liquid is hot (around 3 – 5 minutes, you’ll see steam), turn the stove down to medium low and start to whisk constantly to ensure the base doesn’t catch. You will feel and see the mixture starting to thicken into a custard.

   45 second whisk to finish – When the mixture starts bubbling (around 4 minutes), whisk constantly for 45 seconds then take it off the stove. To see the bubbles, you will need to pause whisking. They will be slow, lazy bubbles! See video at 1:49 here.

   Lumps? Don’t fret! Take it off the stove and whisk vigorously, you should be able to whisk them out. Once smooth, return to the stove and continue. As a last resort, you can strain the custard at step 5.

3. Melt in chocolate – Remove off the stove. Add butter, chocolate and vanilla and whisk until the chocolate melts and the filling is smooth.

4. Thickness – The custard should have a thickness like honey. It will be pourable, but won’t mound.

5. Pour the custard straight into the pie crust.

6. Smooth the surface.

4. Setting and decorating

7. Cover – Immediately cover with a round piece of baking/parchment paper, pressing lightly so it is in contact with the surface. This will prevent a skin from forming. (Don’t use cling wrap, you’ll peel a thick layer of custard off which I know you’re thinking well then I get to lick it all off! But the reality is it’s actually quite difficult to do off cling wrap. Yes, I know from first hand experience. Stick with paper!!)

8. Refrigerate for 12 hours+ – Cool on the counter. Then refrigerate for 12 hours+ to ensure the custard fully sets.

   Don’t try to shortcut it and don’t think that you can cut a slice at the 3 hour mark because it seems pretty set! If you cut out a slice before it’s fully set, you will break the custard in the whole pie and it will never set again. Again, I know this from first hand experience from testing variation iterations of this Chocolate Cream Pie as well as this recipe, this recipe and this recipe!

9. Cream – Carefully peel off the paper then top with whipped cream.

10. Garnish with a sprinkle of grated chocolate, if desired. Then, it’s ready to devour!

Matters of serving and eating

Because it’s a pie, it’s best to serve it out of the pie tin. Removing the whole pie would be risky! Cut in the pie tin and lift (pulling the first slice out neatly is always a little tricky, if necessary, I will resort to a rubber spatula to get right underneath). The Oreo cookie crust holds together when sliced (see video and photos) but it crumbles a bit as you start eating it which makes the whole eating experience even better. Because, imagine this:

A big mouthful of rich, smooth, chocolatey filling with clouds of fluffy cream PLUS little bits of crumbled Oreo cookie…..

It’s just perfection!  – Nagi xx

PS If you want to make this ahead, do it up to 2 days ahead without the whipped cream weeping, then stabilise the whipped cream by adding marscapone. Information about stabilised whipped cream here, recipe is in the notes of the recipe card below.

Watch how to make it

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Chocolate Cream Pie

Recipe video above. This is a magnificent yet surprisingly straight forward pie that can be made days in advance of serving. A biscuit base, filled with a creamy pudding / chocolate custard filling and topped with clouds of cream that's made entirely from scratch. No pudding mix around here!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Western

Keyword Chocolate bavarian pie, chocolate cream pie, chocolate pudding pie

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Cooling / refrigeration 15 hours hours

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 10 – 12

Calories 521cal

Ingredients

Crust:

• 25 Oreo biscuits , whole with filling in tact (244g / 8.5 oz) (Note 1)
• 60g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter , melted

Filling:

• 1/4 cup cornflour / cornstarch
• 2/3 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar)
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cups milk (whole or reduced fat, not zero fat)
• 1 cup cream (pouring or thickened/heavy), or sub with milk (Note 2)
• 4 egg yolks from large eggs (Note 3 for leftover whites)
• 2 tbsp / 30g unsalted butter , cut into 1cm / 0.5" cubes
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 150g/ 5 oz dark 70% cocoa chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (Note 4)
• 75g/ 3 oz milk chocolate , finely chopped (Note 4)

Whipped cream

• 1 1/2 cups thickened / heavy cream , for whipping
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Optional garnish

• Chocolate , for grating (optional decoration)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160° fan-forced).
• Cut round paper – Cut a round piece of baking / parchment paper, the size of the pie dish (to prevent skin forming on custard). (Note 5)

Oreo cookie crust:

• Blitz – Break up Oreos roughly by hand and place in a food processor. Blitz into crumbs (~10 sec). Add butter, blitz to mix through. Mixture should resemble wet sand. (No food processor? Bash in ziplock bag with a rolling pin).
• Press – Pour into a 23cm / 9" pie dish. Spread crumbs out and press firmly into the base and up the walls using your hands, spatula or something flat.
• Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven – the crust will be slightly puffed. Press down gently using a rubber spatula (makes it even crustier!) then allow to cool on the counter before filling.

Filling (see video, it's helpful):

• Whisk dry, then wet – Place cornflour, sugar and salt in a large saucepan. Whisk to combine. Add milk, cream and yolks. Whisk to combine.
• Heat to thicken – Turn heat onto medium high. As the mixture warms up, whisk every now and then, but not constantly. As the liquid starts to get hot at around the 3 – 5 minute mark (you'll see steam), turn the stove down to medium low and start to whisk constantly. You will feel and see the mixture start to thicken. Got lumps? See Note 6!
• 45 second whisk – When you see slow, lazy bubbles (~6 minutes, you will need to pause whisking to see bubbles), whisk constantly for 45 seconds then take it off the stove.
• Chocolate and butter – Add butter, chocolate and vanilla. Whisk until chocolate melts and filling is smooth.

Assembling / setting custard

• Pour hot filling into pie crust, filling it right to the top, smooth surface. Gently place round baking paper on surface. (Surplus custard? Note 7)
• Cool on the counter for 2 hours then refrigerate for 12+ hours to allow the custard to fully set.
• Whipped cream – Beat whipped cream ingredients in a bowl on high for 2 to 3 minutes until softly whipped.
• Topping – Carefully peel back paper. Pile on the whipped cream, then grate chocolate across the surface.
• Serving – Keep the pie in the pie tin. Cut and serve!

Notes

1. Oreos – You will need 2 standard Oreo packets. There are 14 in each packet so you’ll use all of one packet and all but 3 in the 2nd packet.

Plain chocolate biscuits/cookies, like Arnott’s Chocolate Ripples, can also be used though the colour is not as an intense dark chocolate brown.

2. Cream – I like to add cream into the filling because it makes it just that touch more creamy and rich however, most chocolate custards / crème pâtissières are made with just milk. So you can just use milk if you wish – the filling may take 30 seconds or so longer to thicken.

3. Leftover egg whites – Here’s my list of what I do with them and all my egg white recipes can be found in this recipe collection.

4. Chocolate –I make this with a combination of dark and milk chocolate because the dark provides that intense chocolate flavour and the milk lightens the colour of the filling so it contrasts with the dark crust. You could make this entirely with milk or dark chocolate. 

Australia: For the 70% cocoa, Plaistow from the supermarkets is fine, Lindt is great! US: Ghirardelli is great too.

Chips or melts can be used as well, for a better quality option. However, I recommend using chocolate purchased from the baking aisle, not eating chocolate, as some brands are designed to not melt very well!

5. Cutting round – See recipe video at 55 seconds here. Fold a sheet of baking/parchment in half, then half again. Keep folding to make a long thin triangle with a pointy end. Measure how large your pie dish is by placing the tip of the triangle above the centre of the pie tin. Cut off the end, then unfold. Voila! Neat circle!

6. Lumpy custard? That’s ok! If you get them while on the stove, take it off the stove and whisk vigorously, this will remove most. If you’ve still got lumps after the chocolate is melted through, just strain the custard into the pie crust. 

7. Surplus custard? You might, it depends how high up the wall of the pie tin your crust goes. If you go all the way up you should use it all. If you have spare, just pour into a little ramekin and have a secret custard pot for yourself! (Maybe do this anyway 😈)

8. Storage – This pie will keep for around 3 days, then I notice the base starts softening a bit. Keep in the fridge. 

Stabilised cream – To prevent the cream from weeping, add 100g / 1/2 cup mascarpone into the cream, then beat until whipped. This will stabilise it so it doesn’t deflate for 2 – 3 days. More on stabilised cream here.

Nutrition per serving assuming 12 slices.

Nutrition

Serving: 173g | Calories: 521cal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 114mg | Potassium: 186mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 1069IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 3mg

Originally published in 2017. It’s such a personal favourite, I really wanted to re-publish it with better photos and a much improved recipe video. My skills have improved over the past 5 years with lots of practice!

Life of Dozer

Normally when I re-publish a recipe, I add a new Life of Dozer photo. But this one from 2017 is so lovely, I don’t want to change it!

From 2017, as originally published:

Not just food photos that Dozer photobombs….. This is a magnificent sun rise we had earlier this week. Once a year thing. Pretty, isn’t it?

The post Chocolate Cream Pie appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Mini Pavlovas are the individual version of traditional Pavlova. A delicate crisp meringue shell with fluffy marshmallow-y insides, they’re adorable, easier to make, and a lot less messy to serve! BONUS: you get the whole thing to yourself. 🙌🏻

How to assemble 12 Mini Pavs in 5 minutes flat

I love a traditional Pav, in all it’s rustic summer beauty. But let’s face it – they are not the easiest to transport. And they are not the best of friends with hot, humid Aussie weather (think – sweaty surface, excessively chewy, weeping sugar, cracking 😭).

And when it comes to messy desserts to serve, pretty sure they take the top spot.

So, this year, avoid the stress and swan in with a platter of mini pavlovas that you assembled within minutes because:

• you made the pavs last night;

• you brought whipped cream already whipped (because you now know the Stabilised Whipped Cream secret!); and

• you brought fruit ready chopped (though mostly berries because…well, no chop 😇).

Oh you domestic goddess, you!! (Or god.)

Difference between pavlova and meringue

Pavlova is a meringue based dessert made with egg white and sugar that is beaten until fluffy (that fluff is called a meringue mixture).

But there’s one big difference between pavlovas and meringues. Both are made from the same meringue mixture. But pavlovas are baked just until the surface has dried out to form a thin crispy shell, and the inside is soft and marshmallow-y.

Meringues, on the other hand, are crisp all the way through.

Meringue nests – bonus recipe!

You can actually make meringues (or meringue nests!) using this same recipe, just by baking it longer until it is fully crisp all the way through. Meringues are handy as they have a longer shelf life – as in 5 days. Whereas mini-pavs are best used within 24 hours because they start to get excessively chewy inside (think – stuck in teeth!) and the surface starts to sweat.

I’ve popped directions in the recipe. Bonus recipe!!

Ingredients for Mini Pavlova

Here’s what you need to make mini pavlovas.

Ordinarily I make notes about each ingredient here in this section. But for pav, I find the commentary flows better as I talk through the steps so you’ll find notes on each ingredient in the How to Make section below.

How to make Mini Pavlova

Key tip – measure your egg whites. Don’t rely on “5 eggs”. Egg sizes vary drastically!!

1. Separate eggs

Use any technique that works for you to separate the eggs. I pass the yolk back and forth between shells so the white slides out. If you’re not confident using this technique, just crack the eggs into your hand and let the whites slip through your fingers. Easy!

1. Fresher eggs work better – The older the egg, the more liquid the whites become (see demo photos in Poached Eggs). Loose egg whites will not fluff as well when beaten, so the volume of meringue will be less.

   So try to buy fresh eggs close to the date you’re making the pavlova for the best results. Don’t use eggs that are weeks old!

   Freshly laid eggs note – If you’re lucky enough to have your own chickens, it’s best not to use freshly laid eggs as the whites are so tight, it takes longer to beat them into a meringue. Use eggs that are 4 – 5 days old. This is the approximate age of eggs by the time they get into grocery stores.
   

2. Separate eggs while fridge cold – Whites and yolks separate more easily when cold;

3. Measure, don’t count eggs – The amount of whites in each egg varies depending on size and other variables. It’s too unreliable to just use “5 eggs”! We need 160ml / 2/3 cup of whites. This might be 5 or 6 eggs. Measure out your whites!

4. Whip at room temp – While eggs separate better when cold, they fluff up when they are not fridge cold. So after measuring out the egg whites, leave it on the counter while you prepare the other ingredients, tray etc.

2. How to make meringue mixture

Making the meringue mixture for the mini pavs is as simple as 1-2-3:

1. beat

2. beat

3. beat!!!

Oh, and make sure your bowl and whisk are clean and dry. Meringue hates grease and water!

1. Soft peaks – Beat the egg whites for 1 minute on high speed until soft peaks form. If you have a stand mixer with 10 speeds like I do (I have a KitchenAid), use speed 8.

2. Gradually add sugar – With the beater running, add sugar one spoonful at a time, taking around 1 minute. This keeps the whites more aerated and ensures the sugar dissolves, compared with dumping all the sugar in one go.

3. Beat 8 minutes on speed 8. The whites will become thick and glossy, and when you rub between your fingers there should be no sugar grit remaining.

4. Vinegar & cornflour/cornstarch for added stability – Add the vinegar and cornflour then beat for a further 30 seconds. Just a bit of cornflour and vinegar helps make the pavlova more structurally stable and strong so it won’t crack or collapse which is a common problem with a large traditional pavlova. Though less of a risk with mini ones, why risk it when we can take this easy precautionary measure?

5. Thick and glossy – The meringue mixture should be thick and glossy, but just to be extra sure, do the …. 

6. Upside down test! Flip the bowl upside down and ensure no meringue drops down. If it doesn’t, you know it’s stiff enough for sure and your mini pavs are going to be perfect. If yours drips down, keep beating!

⚠️ Pipe the meringue straight away else the fluffed egg whites start to deflate!

3. Bake

The trick to the perfect pav is to turn the oven off before the surface of the pav is fully crisp so the insides are still marshmallowy. The surface crisps up by leaving the pavs in the turn off oven for 4 hours – or even overnight.

If you bake for too long, the inside will dry out and you’ll end up with meringues (fully crisp all the way through) rather than pavs (which have the signature cloud-like soft insides).

1. Line trays – Dab a bit of the meringue mixture on the corner of 2 trays, then cover with baking paper (parchment). The meringue will glue the paper in place.

2. Pipe (or dollop) mounds – Transfer meringue mixture into a large piping bag fitted with a nozzle of choice. Pipe 12 – 13 mounds 6 – 7 cm / 2.5″ wide about 5 cm / 2″ tall. Exact number depends on how much your whites fluffed up by (fresher eggs = more fluff!).

   No piping bag? No problem! Just use a spoon and dollop mounds on the tray then shape.

   Size matters! You can make yours smaller if you like, and make more. But the smaller they are, the less marshmallow insides you will have ie it becomes more like a meringue. Both delicious, just depends what you’re going for!

3. Topping nest – Use the back of a spoon to make a “nest” on the surface for the cream and toppings.

4. Bake 1 hour 30 minutes – Place both trays in the oven and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes at 110°C/225°F (100°C) or until the surface is dry to touch and lightly crisp. If it is still sticky, keep baking. The circulation and accuracy of heat in ovens can vary so yours may take longer. (Note: Work quickly when checking, we don’t want heat to escape from the oven.)

   Because these pavs are small, we really want to be careful not to take the pavs too far else the inside will dry out (ie no marshmallow centre). Which means you’ll end up with meringues instead of pavs. Not a disaster, but not what we’re aiming for here. We want the marshmallowy insides!

5. Cool in oven 4 hrs to overnight – Turn the oven off then leave the pavs in the oven for 4 hours or even overnight (this is what I usually do). During this step the surface of the pavs will dry up and crisp up, while the middle will stay nice and marshmallowy.

   Don’t shortcut or skip this step else you run the risk of the pavs becoming sticky instead of being dry and crisp within mere hours of making the pav. This is a high risk in the humid Aussie weather!

6. Shelf life and storing – Once the pavs are fully cool, pull them out of the oven. They will be a very pale cream colour and delicately crisp on the outside. Handle gently as the shell is fragile.

   Store in an airtight container until required. On hot summer days, be sure to store in them in a cool, dry place. In my house, this is the downstair bathroom!

   Shelf life – Though pavs will last for a couple of days, they are best served on the day you take them out of the oven after cooling. The shell will stay dry and crisp for 2 to 3 days, but the marshmallow inside will start to deflate. It reduces by about 1/3 on Day 2.

   Also, on very hot humid days and/or if the pavs are not stored in a cool dry room, they can get sticky and chewy.

   What I do – I typically bake the night before then leave them overnight in the oven. Pop them straight into a container then use them that day at lunch or dinner.

OK – mini pavs made. Now it’s time to decorate!

As with traditional pavlovas, the mini version is also best decorated just prior to serving as the cream and juices from fruit will soft the delicate shell of the pav.

Pavlova Toppings

You can really use whatever fruit that takes your fancy, though juicy, soft fruit works best texture-wise with pavlova. Berries, mango and kiwi are common. I can’t imagine crunchy apple pieces on a delicate pav…. someone may have thoughts to the contrary!!

Here are my favourite combinations (I’m so predictable 😂):

1. Whipped cream – A classic and essential pav topping, to act as a glue so you can pile that fruit up on your pav.

   Make-ahead stabilised whipped cream – One of my top tips to make your Christmas cooking easier, whip up your cream the day before by making stabilised whipped cream which will stay fluffy and aerated overnight (unlike ordinary whipped cream which deflates and weeps).

2. Berries – Diced strawberries, blueberries and raspberries with a small sprig of mint and dusting of icing sugar. This is my classic.

3. Mango and passionfruit – Diced strawberries and mangoes, finished with a spoonful of passionfruit. A terrific one when mangoes and passionfruit are in season!

4. Kiwi – Also an excellent topping option. Either half moons or diced. Nice touch of green colour,

5. Lemon curd or passionfruit curd – One day I’ll get my lemon and passionfruit curd recipes on my website! I would dollop the curd into the nest then pipe on a swirl of cream.

6. Reader suggestions added to the list! Watermelon, peaches (great one!), crushed peppermint crisp (unique! Might have to try this!).

Hmm. I think that’s pretty much the only combinations I use! I’d love to know if you have any other suggestions. Please share below and I’ll add them to the list! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Mini Pavlovas

Recipe video above. Mini Pavs are so cute and so practical! Easier and safer to make and transport than a large traditional pav, they have a delicate crisp shell and the signature marshmallow centre inside with slightly chewy edges – just as they should! Top with whipped cream and fruit of choice!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Australian, New Zealand

Keyword Mini pavlova

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cooling 4 hours hours

Servings 12 to 14 mini pavs

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Mini Pavlovas:

• 160 ml / 2/3 cup egg whites (5 – 6 large eggs) (Note 1)
• 1 1/4 cups caster sugar (superfine sugar)
• 2 1/2 tsp cornflour / cornstarch (Note 2)
• 1 tsp white vinegar (Note 2)

Whipped cream:

• 1 1/2 cups heavy/thickened cream (whipping cream), COLD
• 1/2 cup mascarpone, OPTIONAL for stabilising (Note 3)
• 3 tbsp caster sugar / superfine sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Toppings – choose:

• Strawberries, mangoes – diced into 1cm / 1/3" cubes
• Blueberries, raspberries, kiwi sliced, passionfruit pulp
• Small mint sprigs
• Icing sugar / powdered sugar , for dusting

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Mini Pavlovas:

• Egg whites – Separate the egg yolks from egg whites while fridge cold (it's easier). Measure out 2/3 cup (160 ml) egg whites then set aside to come to room temperature for 30 minutes (fluffs better at room temp).
• Preheat oven to 150°C / 325°F (all oven types).
• Add sugar – In a stand mixer or using an electric beater, beat the egg whites on high for 1 minute. While still beating, add the sugar 1 dessert spoon at a time.
• Beat 8 minutes – Continue to beat for 8 minutes on high until it's fluffy, glossy, and there are no sugar grains remaining when you rub a bit between your fingers. Add vinegar and cornflour then beat for a further 30 seconds.
• Line tray – Dab a bit on the corner of 2 trays then cover with baking paper (parchment).
• Pipe mounds Transfer meringue mixture into a large piping bag fitted with nozzle of choice. Pipe 12 – 13 mounds 6 – 7 cm / 2.5" wide about 5 cm / 2" tall. Use a spoon to flatten and make a slight dent on the surface to hold cream and fruit. Pavs should end up about 4 cm / 1.6" high.
• Bake 1 hour 30 minutes – Place both trays in the oven, immediately turn oven DOWN to 110°C/225°F (100°C fan) and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until they are dry to touch. Keep baking if still sticky – exact times may vary. (Note 4)
• Cool in oven – Turn oven OFF and leave to fully cool for 4 hours or overnight around 10 hours (I usually do this).
• Airtight container – As soon as the pavs are fully cool, store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place until required. (Note 6)
• Cream – Beat cream ingredients (including mascarpone, if using) in a large bowl on high until soft peaks form (1 minute using a stand mixer, 2 – 3 minutes with hand held beater).
• Decorate – Just before serving, spoon a big dollop of cream in the nest, top with fruit and dust with icing sugar if using.

Notes

1. Egg Whites:

• For best results, use fresh eggs
• DO NOT use carton egg whites – it doesn’t fluff up nearly as well
• Separate the egg whites from the yolks while fridge cold (it’s easier to do than with warm eggs)
• Measure out the egg whites until you have 2/3 cup (160 ml), usually 5 to 6 eggs. Why measures? Because it turns out not all eggs are the same size…. So annoying right? Someone needs to have a talk to chickens! 😂
• Leave whites for 30 minutes to take out the fridge chill, cold eggs don’t fluff as well. 

2. Vinegar & cornflour/cornstarch – Helps stabilise pav and avoid cracks. For vinegar just use plain white vinegar. Not anything fancy!

3. Mascarpone for stabilising whipped cream – If you add this, it will stabilise the whipped cream so you can whip it the day before and it stays fluffy. Store in a piping bag for ease of storage and use the next day, else in an airtight container but do NOT stir before spooning onto pavs (this will deflate it ia bit). For more information, read here about stabilised whipped cream.

4. How to check the Pav is ready – Bake time can vary depending on how well heat distributes in your oven. Goal: dry, lightly crispy shell. The shell will dry out further as it cools in the oven, whilst the centre stays marshmallowy.

5. Meringue nests – For fully crisp meringue nests (ie no chewy / fluffy insides), pipe a spiral base then 2 layers around the edge (the wall), see photo in post. Bake per recipe for 2 – 2.5 hours until they are fully crisp (pick up and check base) then cool per recipe in the oven. This will make them fully crisp all the way through. Shelf life – 3 to 5 days, in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

6. Storage –  Store in an airtight container as soon as you take them out of the oven and they are fully cooled. If pavs are exposed to heat and humidity, the surface may get sticky and chewy.

Best served on the day you take them out of the oven after cooling. The shell will stay dry and crisp for 2 to 3 days, but the marshmallow inside will start to deflate. It reduces by about 1/3 on Day 2.

Assemble just prior to serving because the cream will soak into the pav.

Life of Dozer

When Dozer was on TV again!!! I was his side kick, just doing a little food demo (Never Ending Meringue Tart!).

It started out very promising, Dozer looking adorably festive with his little elf hat perched on the Dozer Podium next to the cooking bench…..

Oh look, there I am, looking so tall and gazelle-like next to good looking TV hosts – story of my life these days!

As for Mr Dozer, used to being the star of the show these days, lost interest the moment the cameras swung away from him and turned towards me. And promptly fell asleep. On live television.

Followed by refusing to make his own way off the Dozer Podium (let me remind you, he is 40kg / 80lb!!):

Dozer, you are lucky I love you so darn much. Nobody else would put up with your attitude!!!

And that was the final cookbook TV appearance for 2022. Dozer, you are the best publicity tour wing-mandog any girl could ask for.

Thank you for being a smoochy, cuddly support all those times I was so nervous before stepping out in front of the cameras! Thank you for the laughs with your un-intentional antics, for putting smiles on the face of the TV crew when you waddled up for a pat and your unconditional, unwavering loyalty.

Love you, Dozer! – Nagi x

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