Do you love mini desserts? You will enjoy making this Mini Cherry Creme Torte. The torte begins with 2 x 3″ cut cherry flavored sponge cakes filled with flavored whipped cream. The cakes are brushed with maraschino cherry juice before filling and stacked into thirds. Garnished with piped whipped cream and cherry sends these tiny treats into heaven.
How to Make Mini Cherry Creme Tortes
Whether making mini’s as rectangles or circles makes a cute dessert. The recipe begins with a cherry flavored sponge cake recipe. You will need the following tools to make these treats. One 2″ x 3″cardboard pattern or metal rectangular cookie cutter. (I used a cookie cutter for clean cuts. If you use cardboard pattern, make sure your cutting knife if very sharp and your cake is frozen before cutting.) You will also need almond extract and chopped maraschino cherries, 10″ x 15″ x 1″ sheet pan, parchment paper, piping bags and tips # 3 and # 1 M.
Cherry Sponge Cake Recipe
In large mixing bowl, beat eggs with hand mixer for 5 full minutes. It is very important to beat these eggs for the 5 minutes. It will look like yellow cake batter. While mixer is running on medium speed slowly add sugar and oil. Add buttermilk, vinegar, flavoring and pink food gel. Add additional gel to preferred color of cake. I used chopped cherries for flavoring.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add to liquid ingredients. Mix until combined but do not beat on high speed. It is best if you hand fold the flour into the batter. With cooking spray lightly coat 10″ x 15″ x 1″ baking sheet, line with parchment paper, lightly spray parchment paper. Pour batter into pan, spreading evenly with off set spatula. Meanwhile, coat a tea towel with confectioners sugar, rub sugar into towel using your hands. Set aside a wire cooling rack for the cake.
Bake cake 13 -15 minutes at 375 degrees until cake is done. It is done when cake springs back after pressing with fingers. Remove cake from oven and while hot flip the cake onto the tea towel with confectioners sugar. Remove parchment paper, brush cake with melted cherry jam or maraschino cherry juice until it soaks into cake. Cover cake with plastic wrap and freeze 15 minutes or refrigerate 30 minutes to firm up. Photo below has not been brushed with jam.
Cutting the Cakes
Before cutting into rectangles having the cake chilled will make your slices cut beautifully without tearing or having cake crumbles. Use a 2″ x 3″ cutter or make your own pattern, cut out 25 cakes. The cakes will be stacked into thirds making 8 desserts. Be sure to spread the cake slices with maraschino juice or cherry jam, this will keep the cakes moist and add additional cherry flavor.
The Whipped Creme Filling
In large chilled mixing bowl add 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whip with whisk attachment of stand or hand held mixer. Start on medium speed and whip until creme is frothy and somewhat thick, add confectioners sugar and flavoring, whip on high speed until firm peaks are formed. Fill piping bag fitted with round tip # 10 or desired tip of choice. You will also need piping tip 1 M for garnishing cakes.
Assembling the Mini Cakes
To assemble these little cakes, begin with stacking three cakes together to make sure they are all the same same. Once cakes are stacked, unstack one by one and pipe cream. Beginning with bottom cake pipe layer of cream filling entire top of cake but not the sides. Repeat with second cake layer and cream. Last add top cake layer. Garnish with piped whipped cream and maraschino cherry with or without a stem. I used tip 1 M for piping the garnish.
It’s pretty easy to make. Keep cakes refrigerated until serving time. Best if made the day of party so cake will not dry out and whipped cream stays firm. Here’s the recipe for the sponge cake.
Mini Cherry Creme Tortes
Three stacked 2″ x 3″ sponge cakes , brushed with cherry jam is filled with fresh whipped cream make cute easy fanciful dessert. (You will need one 10 x 15″ sheet pan, 2″ x 3″ rectangle cookie cutter, piping tip # 3 and 1M, 2 disposable piping bags.) Makes 8 mini cake tortes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 90 minutes-includes chill
- Yield: 8–three layer tortes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Cake- Sponge
4 eggs- room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries, drained and patted dry
1 –2 drops pink food gel
1 cup all purpose flour OR 1 cup + 2 tablespoons cake flour
1–1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Cherry Jam, melted
Filling
1–1/4 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
Garnish
8 maraschino cherries, drained and dried, with or without stems
Instructions
Cake Sponge
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 10″ x 15′ x 1″ baking sheet with cooking spray. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, lightly spray parchment. Allow paper to extend over the sides of the pan for easy removal from pan after baking.
- In large bowl, beat eggs with hand mixer for 5 minutes. Do not skip 5 minutes. Important step.
- Lower speed to medium and add sugar gradually, add oil to the whipped eggs, Add buttermilk, vinegar, flavoring, and chopped cherries. Add food coloring a little at time until desired color is achieved.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, salt. Slowly add to liquid ingredients. Mix until well combined. Pour batter over prepared baking sheet.Spread batter evenly in pan with off set spatula. Place in oven and bake 13-15 minutes. Cake is done with it springs back when pressed with fingers. Use your oven mitt to slightly flatten the cake if there are any areas that are raised.
- Sprinkle a tea towel with powdered sugar and rub sugar into the towel with your hands, set aside.
- When cake is done, flip cake onto tea towel. Remove parchment paper. Pick up tea towel and place cake back in baking pan. Using pastry brush, brush cake with melted cherry jam allowing it to soak into cake, use all the jam. Place cake in freezer for 15 minutes or refrigerator for 30. Chilling cake will ensure clean cut lines and set jam.
- Remove from chill, lift cake from pan, trim sides and edges of cake with serrated knife removing any hard edges. Cut 25 -2″ x 3″ cake slices. Or enough to use all the cake you should have 8- three stacked cakes. I used this cookie cutter.
- Meanwhile whip chilled heavy cream in medium mixing bowl with whisk attachment. Beat until cream is frothy, add confectioners sugar and extract. Whip until stiff peaks form.
- Fill 2 piping bags with whipped cream. One bag is fitted with tip # 3 and the other with tip # 1 M.
Assembling Cakes
Place one cake slice on flat surface, pipe with tip # 3 whipped cream piping strips over the top of the cake corner to corner edge to edge, add second cake, pipe again in smooth lines filling the area of the cake, add last cake. Make sure cakes are stacked evenly and whipped cream nor cake crumbs are on the sides of the cakes. Pipe swirls of whipped cream on top of each 8 cakes, top with single maraschino cherry with or without stems.
For pretty presentation, if using stemmed cherries, make sure the stems are aligned in the same direction on the serving tray.
Notes
* Chill medium mixing bowl in refrigerator for whipping cream. Make sure cream is well chilled.
* Chilling baked cake will ensure clean cuts.
Other Ideas you Might Like to Try:
Mini Strawberry Cake & Strawberry Frosting
Cherry, Orange Jellied No Bake Cheesecake