EmptyJays
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: makes about 18 (2-inch diameter) mini cakes
 
These multi-colored mini cakes are just as fun as they are delicious.
Ingredients
  • FOR THE VANILLA BEAN POUND CAKE:
  • 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 5 eggs
  • 
2 tsp vanilla bean paste (pure vanilla extract works, too!)
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 
1 cup whole milk
  • 
food coloring (3-6 different colors)
  • FOR THE FROSTING:
  • 2 cups butter (4 sticks)
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 4 tbsp sour cream
  • 1 tsp Madagascar vanilla
 extract (may sub pure vanilla extract)
  • 2½ tsp salt
Instructions
  1. Make the Vanilla Bean Pound Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 (18x13) rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper and grease with baking spray. Using a standard mixer with paddle attachment, mix the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla on high speed for about 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, measure out the flour and baking powder and whisk to blend.
Turn the mixer on low, adding the flour mixture and the milk alternately in 3 additions. Mix just until combined.
 Divide mixture evenly into separate bowls; the number of bowls depends on the number of dyes you want to use. Dye each bowl of batter with a different color; a few drops per bowl should be sufficient. Stir just until dye is incorporated into batter and the color is uniform.
 Spread the different colors, one at a time, in sections on sheet trays. Don't leave any room between colors, they should come right up to one another.
 Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. When the cakes are done, you'll notice the edges begin to pull away slightly from the sides of the pans. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting and assembling.
  2. Make the Frosting: Cream the butter for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix until blended. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Mix for another 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until frosting is smooth and creamy.
  3. Assemble the EmptyJays: Using a round cookie cutter (any size!), stamp out as many circles from the cake as you can. Wipe the cookie cutter with a paper towel between cuts to ensure that each cut-out is nice and clean. Fill a piping bag with the frosting, using tip #30 if you have it. Starting close to the edge of one of your cake cut-outs, but leaving a little bit bare, begin piping in circles until you reach the center of the cut-out. Place a different colored cake cut-out on top of the frosting, and repeat the piping process. Finally, add a third, different colored cake cut-out. In the middle of the top cake cut-out, pipe a blob of frosting by applying pressure and then lifting upwards. Then, tracing the edges of the blob and starting at the bottom, pipe the frosting around and around until you reach the top—then swirl! Repeat the process for all remaining cake cut-outs.
Recipe by dramatic pancake at https://www.dramaticpancake.com/jess-emptyjays/