maple cakelets

These tasty little maple-flavored cakes would make a lovely addition to your Thanksgiving or fall party. They can be made in a muffin tin, but a special pan from Nordic Ware creates cute 2-inch leaf, acorn, pumpkin and turkey shapes. We've tried a couple recipes in the pan and have yet to find one that really sets off the shapes. We think if you overbake the batter, it will show the shape better. But we'd rather have a tasty cake than a cute shape!

This is the recipe the company suggests for the pan. We preferred our own cinnamon swirl pound cake for flavor, but this recipe showed off the shapes a little better. It's tasty, too.

We tried using a thin icing and a light cinnamon sugar coating to boost flavor, but that obscured the cute shapes. We'll try more batters in it soon, and will update this post with additional results. Let us know if you have any suggestions!

Makes 14-15 cakelets or 12 small muffins (not mini).
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ingredients

• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup milk, room temperature
• 1-1/2 teaspoons maple extract
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 cup maple syrup, for glazing after baked

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directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Spray cavities in pan well with cooking spray plus flour, or spray then flour the pan. Set aside.
3. In a measuring cup, add maple extract to milk and set aside.
4. In your mixer fitted with SideSwipe, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy. 
5. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing on medium speed each time until incorporated. The batter will look a bit like cottage cheese at this point. Add the milk mixture, then beat for another minute.
6. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients. Mix just until incorporated.
7. Divide the batter into the pan, filling each about 3/4 full. Using a small spatula, push the batter into the nooks and crannies of the pan. You will have some extra batter. Save to make a few extra cakelets in a second batch. If you are making in a muffin tin, just divide into 12 muffins. Tap the bottom of the pan on the counter to release any bubbles.
8. Bake for about 18-21 minutes, until the edges turn a golden brown color.
9. Remove pan from oven. Allow the cakelets to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
10. Invert the cakes onto a wire rack.
    

If you want to eat them the same day: Brush with maple syrup while the cakes are still warm. This helps bring out the design and add a little moisture to the cakes.
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If you are baking for a later date: Freeze the cakes un-glazed in a tightly sealed container for up to two weeks. Thaw overnight in the fridge and glaze with maple syrup when they're ready to serve.

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shopping

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You can order the Nordic Ware Autumn Delights pan we used by clicking this link to Amazon.com. They have lots of high quality specialty pans, many with less seasonal themes. We've seen this and similar pans at discount home stores in our area, so you can try there, too!

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Nordic Ware offers a similarly themed loaf pan that would work really well for a pound cake or another fine-grained cake:

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We will earn a referral fee from Amazon if you order a pan from these links.