A New Toy and a Good Little Cake~

So happy when I went to Winner's and found a Marabout kit..same Co.as my small cake silicone molds and cookbook..and the macarons kit and cookbook..This one was a kit too..with a book of cakes and a small Heritage Bundt style(the top part) the bottom is like a crown~ mold.With 4 mini molds.
I have loved Susan's since she got it:) Never found one here..never remembered to look in Florida.
But in essence,Jacques is the dessert eater here..so I was literally thrilled o find a mini version.Then he is not stuck w/ 12~16 portions:) Although an exquisite recent Lemon Tart disappeared dans le temps de le dire~
I perused the book..the recipes seemed substantial for the smaller mold..I remembered Susan's recipe and took a chance..I halved it.
It was perfect!

Even the tiny pearl drops above the jagged crown like base,escaped the mold flawlessly~


The tiny tots are so sweet also~

Very happy with my find.The uncanny thing is that these gift sets/kits retail on the box from France for ap. 25 Euros..All 3 of my kits were purchased here for under $20.00.The latter being $15.00.There was a second kit and I was so tempted to buy it as a gift..for a fellow bakeress..but the lady at the cash said she was going to get it:( How could I go back and get it?Not.


Here is the recipe I used from Susan's beautiful blog~
Only 2 notes here..I did as Susan did and added almond essence..we are crazy about almond essence..and I halved the recipe~So baking took less time..and of course the tiny ones took even less time~

Heritage Bundt Cake
Adapted from the Williams Sonoma Kitchen


Serves 16

2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar (I like to use Bakers Ultrafine Sugar)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon vanilla extract*
1 teaspoon almond extract*
1 cup whole milk
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Advance Preparation – allow all ingredients to come to room temperature. Position the oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325F. Grease and flour the bundt pan, tapping out the excess flour. (I like to use very soft butter and a silicone basting brush to get in all of the crevices to grease the pan.)

In a large measuring bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

With an electric mixer using the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth for approximately 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of he bowl occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat until well incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and add 1/3 of the flour, then 1/2 of the milk, another 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the milk and then the final 1/3 of the flour, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl after mixing each addition.

Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, spreading the batter so the sides are slightly higher than the center. Bake until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.

Gently tap the pan on a counter or work surface to loosen the cake. Place a wire rack upside down over the top of the cake and turn the pan over onto the rack. Slowly lift the pan off of the cake and cool completely before serving. Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.

*Note - the original recipe called for 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Since I love the taste of almond extract, I decided to add it and it tasted wonderful in this recipe.


I love that post of hers w/the tea set and cup etc:)

Enjoy~!

Gracious Thanks to The Graphics Fairy for the Ephemera in my collage~
And if ever you come across one of those Marabout Chef kits and understand French..I highly recommend them.The quality of the silicone is like my Italian brand ones..Silikomart.Not the same..but as good quality.

Even Jéhane Benoit's Classic Gâteau Chocolat et Crème sure.. halved,worked perfectly for this mold~
This is one of Jacque's favorite cakes..he made it before I ever did.He cooked before I ever did~I learned after we married and I guess I just fell in love with the whole homemaking process~

Bon Appétit~
I recently found Marabout Chef gift sets..at Chapters..however the cost is much higher.Love that store though..and if I ahd never found these at W and C..I would not have known.Again..these kits were only available in French~