Steamed Mini Lemon Cakes With Fresh Cherry Syrup
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 14 mini cakes
 
If you have ever wondered whether you can make a cake without an oven, then yes, you can! These mini lemon cakes are steamed in cute silicone molds and served with a fresh cherry syrup. How adorable would these be for afternoon tea or a kid's birthday party!!
You will need:
For steamed mini lemon cakes,
  • All-purpose flour - 1½ cups
  • Baking powder - 1 tsp
  • Baking soda - ¼ tsp
  • Salt - ¼ tsp
  • Butter - ½ cup, softened
  • Sugar - 1 cup
  • Eggs - 2, large
  • Vanilla extract - ½ tsp
  • Lemon zest - 2 tsp
  • Yogurt - ¼ cup
  • Lemon juice - 3 tbsp (from 1 large lemon)
For fresh cherry syrup,
  • Fresh cherries - 2 cups, halved and pitted
  • Sugar - ½ cup
  • Water - ½ cup
  • Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
How to:
  1. Steamed Mini Lemon Cakes: Fill a large steamer vessel with water and place on the stove to come to a gentle boil. Grease your molds lightly with oil or melted butter. Set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, leavening agents, salt) into a medium bowl. Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar on high speed till pale and fluffy, around 2 minutes.
  4. Add eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.
  5. Add vanilla extract, lemon zest, lemon juice and yogurt and beat well to incorporate.
  6. Quickly add the sifted dry ingredients and mix to form a smooth batter. Do not over-beat with an electric beater, use a spatula to gently combine the ingredients. Batter will be very thick and fluffy.
  7. Using a spoon, fill the molds ⅔rd with batter. Use the spoon to smooth batter into the crevices if using a special mold. Cover molds with aluminum foil or parchment paper and string.
  8. Place filled and covered molds into the steamer vessel. Cook on medium-low heat for 30 minutes or till a toothpick inserted into the cakes come out with just a few slightly moist crumbs.
  9. Remove molds from steamer and remove the covers. Once cooled, remove cakes and serve with fresh cherry syrup. Recipe follows.
  10. Fresh Cherry Syrup: Take all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Lower heat and cook till cherries are soft and can be mashed with a spoon.
  11. Cook for 5 more minutes till you can see the syrup thickening slightly. Strain into a clean jar and chill till needed.
Notes:
1. This recipe makes 14-16 mini cakes depending on the shape that you choose. Each of the molds pictured here has 7 depressions.
2. These silicone molds are stackable, so you can use one large steamer vessel if it is tall enough to fit 2 of them at once. I ended up using 2 different vessels. If you have something that resembles a traditional idli steamer or bamboo steamer, it is perfect to be used here. Otherwise, pick any Dutch oven or stock pot that has a cover and is large enough to fit the mold. To test the amount of water needed, place the silicone mold in the vessel and fill with water to come midway up the sides of the molds. If you see the water has drastically reduced during cooking, open the lid and top up with hot water.
3. You can also use individual mini ramekins in place of baking molds.
Recipe by At The Corner of Happy And Harried at https://www.happyandharried.com/2017/07/25/steamed-mini-lemon-cakes/