My mini bakery

It’s a treat to go out for cakes and coffee. The cafés’ refrigerator counters are a joy to behold, bursting with glorious cakes and gateaux in all sizes, shapes and colours. But you don’t need to be a professional baker to produce these creations. Here is a collection of classic favourites for you to rustle up in our own kitchen. All respect to large cakes, but these mini versions mean more tempting morsels to delight your guests.

Mini cinnamon buns

Makes about 30

Ingredients
75 g butter or margerine
2 1/2 dl milk
25 g fresh yeast
Pinch of salt
3/4 dl Dansukker Granulated Sugar or White Syrup
1 tsp ground cardamom
Approx. 7 dl plain flour

Filling
50 g butter or margarine
½ dl Dansukker Brown Sugar Dry
1 tbsp cinnamon

Glaze
Egg

Decoration
Dansukker Nib Sugar

Small cake cases

Melt the butter or margarine in a saucepan. Add the milk and warm to 37ºC (body temperature).

Crumble the yeast into a bowl and add a little of the liquid. Mix until the yeast dissolves. Add the rest of the liquid.

Add the salt, sugar and cardamom and 2/3 of the flour. Knead the dough until it is smooth and shiny. Add more flour and work the dough until it comes away from the sides of the bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in size, 20-30 minutes.

Mix together all the ingredients for the filling.

Put the dough on a floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll it out into a rectangular sheet. Spread the filling over the sheet of dough. Cut the sheet into 3 pieces. Roll each piece up into a length and cut it into slices. Place the slices in paper baking cups. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 20 minutes.

Set the oven temperature to 250°C. Brush the buns with lightly beaten egg. Sprinkle nib sugar over the buns. Bake at the centre of the oven for approx. 20 minutes.

Leave to cool on a wire rack covered with a tea towel.

If you don’t like cinnamon you can fill the buns with one of the following mixtures instead:
50 g butter or margarine, 1/2 dl granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla sugar or
50 g butter or margarine, 1/2 dl granulated sugar, 2 tsp ground cardamom or
25 g butter or margarine, 75 g grated almond paste or
1 dl orange marmalade or
1 dl raisins

Mini muffins

Makes about 30

Ingredients
50 g margarine
2 1/2 tbsp milk
1 egg
3/4 dl Dansukker Cane Sugar or Granulated Sugar
1 1/4 dl plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp potato starch
1/2 tsp Dansukker Vanilla Sugar
Small cake cases

Suggested flavourings
1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
or
1/2 dl chocolate chips
or
Grated zest of 1/4 lemon
or
1/2 dl fresh or frozen berries
or
½ dl raisins

Suggested toppings
Powdered icing sugar
or icing made with 1 dl Dansukker Icing Sugar and a couple of drops of water
or nib sugar
or nuts and almonds

Melt the margarine and add the milk. Heat through but do not allow to boil. Lightly whisk the egg with the sugar. Mix the flour with the baking powder, potato starch and vanilla sugar. Add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the egg mixture, alternating them. If you leave the mixture in the fridge overnight, your muffins will have extra pointed tops. Spoon the mixture into paper cases on a baking tray. Bake in the centre of the oven at 225°C for approx. 5 minutes.

Mini macaroons

Makes about 25

Ingredients
200 g almond paste
1 1/4 dl Dansukker Superfine Sugar
1 egg white

Filling
100 g Philadelphia cream cheese light
50 g butter or margarine
1 1/4 dl Dansukker Icing Sugar
1 tsp Dansukker Vanilla Sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp cocoa powder

Decoration
100 g chocolate (any kind)
15 g coconut fat
Optional: 100 g finely chopped nuts or almonds

Grate the almond paste and mix it with sugar and egg white. Pipe or spoon small round or oval mounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press the mounds with your finger to give them a flat, even shape. Leave on the baking tray for 30 minutes, then bake at the centre of the oven at 175°C for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet.

Stir the cream cheese, butter/margarine and sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla sugar, egg yolk and cocoa powder and stir until thoroughly combined. Spread or pipe the filling onto the cooled biscuits. Place the biscuits in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Melt the chocolate and coconut fat in a bowl over a water bath. Dip the side of the biscuits with the filling on into the chocolate and then, if desired, into the chopped nuts or almonds. Store in the refrigerator. Can be frozen.

Petits Choux Maria

 Makes 15

Ingredients
Choux pastry
1 1/2 dl water
50 g butter or margarine
1 dl plain flour
1 large egg

Sweet pastry
1 dl plain flour
2 tbsp Dansukker Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp Dansukker Vanilla Sugar
40 g butter or margarine

Filling
1 1/2 dl jam
1/2 dl double cream

Vanilla custard
1 egg yolk
1 dl single cream
1 tbsp potato starch
1 tbsp Dansukker Icing Sugar
1 tsp Dansukker Vanilla Sugar

Decoration
Dansukker Icing Sugar
Jam or jelly (optional)

First, work together all the ingredients for the sweet pastry. Put the dough in a plastic bag and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Next, make the vanilla custard. Combine all the ingredients except the vanilla sugar in a saucepan and simmer gently until the custard has thickened. Allow to cool, then add the vanilla sugar.

To make the choux pastry, put the water and butter in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the flour and continue to boil, stirring vigorously, until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then add the eggs, stirring vigorously until well combined. Spoon the paste into small, round balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Roll the sweet pastry out to a thickness of 3 mm. Cut out small rounds with a cookie cutter or a glass. Place a round of pastry on top of each mound of choux paste. Bake in the lower part of the oven at 175°C for about 30 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Whip the cream until firm and fold into the vanilla custard. Make a small hole at the bottom edge of each cake and put some jam inside each one. Place