Staff reporter Shreya Agrawal, shares how to bake cranberry orange mini cakes, a comforting dessert that pairs perfectly with the flavors of fall.
Cranberry orange mini cakes
Singing the flavors of fall, this comforting dessert is the perfect treat for a chilly day. It’s easy to make, satisfying, and warms you up within minutes. Enjoy with coconut sugar glaze and a warm cup of herbal tea.
Ingredients:
Wet ingredients
⅙ cup applesauce
⅙ cup melted coconut oil
⅓ cup orange juice
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 chia eggs (basic recipe in the link)
Dry ingredients
1 Simple Mills Vanilla Cake Mix
¼ cup cranberries (To fold in at the end)
Optional Glaze:
½ cup of powdered coconut sugar (I powdered it in my blender)
1 tsp to 1 tbsp orange juice (or more as desired)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit.
- Whisk 3 tbsp ground chia seeds together with ¾ cup of water. Let the “egg” rest for 5 minutes so it can gel properly.
- Meanwhile, combine the other wet ingredients using an immersion blender (or an electric mixer) until oil bubbles rise to the top and/or the ingredients become frothy
- Once the chia egg is ready, add it to the other wet ingredients and whisk to combine.
- Pour the Cake mix into the wet ingredients and whisk to combine (I used an electric whisk but you can use a manual one)
- Gently fold in the cranberries using a spatula
- Pour the mixture into parchment lined cake pans and place it in the oven (I used 3 4 inch round pans)
- Let the cakes bake at 325 degrees fahrenheit and for about 25-27 minutes (If you are using a single cake pan, it will take longer to cook)
- You can check if it is done using a toothpick and if the toothpick doesn’t come out clean, you can bake it for 5-10 minutes
- As soon as it is ready, immediately flip it onto a cooling rack.
- If desired, you can make the orange glaze by mixing the orange juice and powdered coconut sugar until smooth.
- Enjoy with a hot cup of herbal tea.
Tips and Tricks:
- Feel free to add 1 teaspoon of fresh orange zest for a punch of flavor
- Whisk the wet ingredients until the oil is well distributed.
- Fully line the cake pan with parchment to prevent the cake from sticking to the pan.