With summer approaching, I figured there’s no better cake than something light, flavorful, but not overly sweet. That’s how I came up with this gluten free raspberry lemon mini cakes recipe. If you’re in need of a birthday cake, or something light for a picnic, this is it!
I first made a spongecake in a baking tray of 30 X 42 cm (12 X 17 inch) dimensions. Once baked and cooled, I cut it using a circular cookie cutter of 9 cm (3.5 inch) diameter. This resulted in 4 round mini cakes, however there was also quite a bit of spongecake leftover. To prevent waste, you can use the leftovers to make a parfait. Alternatively, you can cut the spongecake into rectangles and prevent any leftovers. You can cut it into larger sizes and make 4-6 cakes, or you can cut it into small, bite-sized squares (perfect for a picnic).
To make the spongecake gluten free I used oat flour. From all the gluten free flours I have tried, I find this one to be the most similar in taste to regular flour.
Note: Oats are naturally gluten free, however, sometimes they can get contaminated during processing or packaging. If you cannot tolerate gluten, I recommend you buy oats and oat flour that are certified gluten free.
The frosting is a delicious, lemon buttercream, which is great for warm environments (like a summer picnic) because it doesn’t melt and leak. However, it will soften quite a bit if you keep it in the sun.
See more cake recipes here.
That being said, here’s the recipe for the gluten free raspberry lemon mini cakes:
Gluten Free Raspberry Lemon Mini Cakes
Ingredients
For the spongecake:
- 1 cup (100 g/ 3 ½ oz.) oat flour
- ½ cup (100 g/ 3 ½ oz.) granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 6 tbsp. melted butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 2-3 tbsp. icing sugar for dusting the work surface
- 5 tbsp. unsalted butter for greasing the baking pan
- 4-5 tbsp. oat flour, for dusting the baking pan
For the buttercream:
- 1 stick (115 g/ 4 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups (240 g/ 8 ½ oz.) icing sugar
- 4-5 tbsp. cream (35% fat content) at room temperature
- zest from one medium lemon
For the filling:
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 1⁄4 cup raspberry jam
Instructions
For the spongecake:
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
- In a bowl, sift the flour and set it aside.
- Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in a medium bowl, and the whites in a large bowl. Beat the whites to a soft peak, then add 2 tbsp. granulated sugar and beat to a stiff peak.
- Beat the yolks with the remaining sugar, until they are light and fluffy, and double in volume. Add the vanilla extract and salt, and whisk until combined. With a spatula, gently fold the yolk mixture into the beaten whites. Add the flour in two steps, gently folding it into the mixture after each addition. Drizzle the melted, cooled butter and gently mix.
- Grease a baking tray, and line it with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper, then dust it with oat flour. Discard any excess flour. Pour the batter into the pan and level the batter. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and allow it to cool 10 minutes. Lightly dust a work surface with icing sugar. Flip the sponge cake onto the work surface. Gently remove the parchment paper and allow it to cool toroom temperature. Cut the sponge cake into squares or circles.
For the buttercream:
- In a medium bowl beat the butter and sugar until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add the lemon zest and whipping cream, and beat until the mixture becomes creamy. If the mixture is not yet creamy, add 1-2 tbsp. of additional cream. Place in a piping bag.
For the assembly:
- Place one square/ circle of sponge cake on a plate. Place one tsp. jam in the middle, pipe buttercream around the jam, and place raspberries around the buttercream. Add a second layer of sponge cake and decorate with more cream and raspberries.
