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Strawberry Buttercream & Pistachio Mini Cakes

Warm, tender mini cakes layered with pink strawberry buttercream and rolled in crunchy pistachios, perfect for afternoon tea or small celebrations.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, French
Servings 4 servings
Calories 200 kcal

Ingredients
  

Baking base

  • 60 g Margarine Can substitute with unsalted butter.
  • 60 g Golden Caster Sugar Use granulated sugar if unavailable.
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract Use a splash.
  • 60 g Self Raising Flour Alternatively, substitute with all-purpose flour and baking powder.
  • 0.5 tsp Baking Powder

Fruit & citrus

  • 65 g Fresh Strawberries
  • 0.5 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

Buttercream

  • 85 g Unsalted Butter At room temperature.
  • 300 g Icing Sugar Confectioners' sugar.

Toppings

  • 50 g Unsalted, shelled Pistachios Finely chopped.

Instructions
 

Preparation

  • Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees (335 Fahrenheit).
  • Cut out four small circles of greaseproof paper and place them at the bottom of four cake tin holes. Grease tins with a little butter if not non-stick.
  • Beat together the margarine and the sugar until lightened in color. Add the egg and a small splash of vanilla extract. Beat in the baking powder and flour until smooth.
  • Divide the batter between the tins, filling just under 3/4 full. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Once cool enough, turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Buttercream Preparation

  • While the sponges cool, puree the strawberries with lemon juice. Press through a fine sieve to discard seeds.
  • Beat together the butter and icing sugar until smooth, gradually adding the strawberry puree until combined.

Assembly

  • Finely chop the pistachios. Slice each sponge horizontally to make mini sandwich cakes. Fill with strawberry buttercream and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
  • Spread buttercream around the edges and over the top of each sponge. Roll the sides in chopped pistachios.
  • Refrigerate for another 10 minutes to set, then allow to come to room temperature before storing.

Notes

Measure flour properly to avoid dense sponges. Chill filled cakes before frosting to prevent lopsided layers. Keep refrigerated if kitchen is warm.
Keyword Buttercream, cake, Mini Cakes, Pistachio, strawberry