Easy Mini Cakes

When I "inherited" my sister's kitchen after she got married, she left a stack of these little aluminum "cupcake" pans, thinking they might be of use to me since I make a lot of mini cakes. I was ecstatic to use it for not only are they easy to use, but moreso, they are very convenient to transport.

As it is, I soon found out that their reason for existence in my kitchen is for being the receptacles of excess batter. Everytime I use a new recipe or one that I haven't already tweaked to suit my need, I always end up having excess batter, which I use to bake in my mini cake molds. When I've amassed more mini cakes than I have use for, I bake them in these aluminum cupcake pans and give them to friends. They're very easy to frost at this point (just as you would cupcakes) and keep very, very well, as the covered body keeps the cake absolutely moist.

And although cake recipes would do great in these mini pans, keep in mind that they can only be eaten with a fork or spoon. The foiled body does not tear, therefore, they don't work as cupcakes do, essentially. I'd also avoid using them when I'm making chocolate chiffon, which has the capacity to shrink substantially and I'd be left with only a small cake in the center, which has to be filled with more icing than its worth.

I find them most useful when there are unexpected get togethers. I just grab some from the freezer, let them thaw in the fridge while we're having our dinner, whip up some frosting and serve them just in time for dessert! They'll be as fresh as they are just-baked. And so would I.