During shortcake season — from the first Arkansas strawberries in the spring to the last Arkansas peaches in the early fall — my husband and I eat a lot of those cake dessert shells, sometimes called shortcakes, found in the supermarket produce aisle. The tender little cakes aren't expensive, but I've always wanted to make my own.
While browsing through the King Arthur Flour catalog I came across a mini MaryAnn pan that produces cakes quite similar to the ones from the store. The pan was part of a kit in the printed catalog, but a quick search on the company's website revealed it is sold separately as well. Into the shopping cart it went.
The little cakes at the grocery store have the texture of and similar ingredients to sponge cake, but lighter, like a chiffon, but different. More like, well exactly like a Twinkie, but without the filling.
There are numerous copycat Twinkie recipes, but because she has never failed me, I opted to use Stella Parks' recipe in BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts.
The first batch of cakes were a bit eggy for my taste so I reduced the egg yolks from six to five.
Perfect.
If you don't have a mini MaryAnn pan or a canoe pan, you can still make these little cakes, but you'll need parchment-paper cupcake liners — they will stick to regular paper cupcake liners.
Mini MaryAnn Cakes
1 cup cake flour, Swan's Down recommended (see note)
¾ teaspoon baking powder
5 or 6 egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar
⅛ teaspoon fine kosher salt such as Diamond Crystal kosher salt OR 1/16 teaspoon coarse kosher salt such as Morton
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons neutral-flavored vegetable oil
½ cup fizzy club soda
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift flour and baking powder into a medium bowl. Whisk well to combine; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg yolks, sugar, salt and vanilla. Mix on low speed to moisten. Stop mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl. Increase mixer to medium-high speed and beat for 5 minutes or until mixture has doubled in volume and the whisk leaves a clear vortex pattern. Do not over-mix.
Reduce speed to medium-low and drizzle in the oil, followed by the club soda. Immediately turn off mixer. The batter will be thin. Add the cake flour and gently combine with a whisk. Use a rubber spatula to fold the batter, from the bottom, once or twice.
Lightly grease a 12-well mini MaryAnn pan with vegetable oil or nonstick spray or line a 12-cup muffin pan with parchment paper liners and coat paper with vegetable oil. Fill each well ⅔ to ¾ full. If using a mini MaryAnn pan, bake 12 minutes or until cakes are lightly browned and spring back when lightly touched with your fingertip. If using a muffin pan, bake 15 minutes or until cakes are lightly browned and springy.
Cool cakes in pan for 10 minutes. While the cakes are still warm, use a plastic spatula or plastic knife to loosen the edges and then gently pry the cakes from the pan with your fingers. Cool cakes completely on a wire rack.
Serve immediately. Leftover cakes will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 3 days.
Makes 12 mini cakes.
Note: I've also made these with all-purpose flour. It will work, but the texture isn't as light.
Food on 05/22/2019