Enchanted Baking: 60 Fairy-Inspired Treats to Bring Magic into Your Kitchen, written by Mari Vasseur, features a beautiful assortment of floral and whimsical baked goods for every season. A few highlights include Petite Purple Pixie Cheesecakes, Lemon Blossom Tea Sandwiches, Fairy Godmother Pumpkin Cupcakes, Strawberry Phyllo Roses, and Apple Gingerbread Loaves. I will also be sharing her recipe for Mini Orange Olive Oil Cakes following the review.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Page Street Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and statements are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Mari Vasseur
Mari Vasseur is an award-winning baker and creator of the website, Brownie Mischief, where she shares reimagined vintage recipes, tutorials, and fanciful bakes with a bit of kitchen magic. Her work has been featured on The Martha Stewart Show, American Cake Decorating magazine, BuzzFeed, and LAist.
Mari is currently based in Valencia, California. This is her first cookbook.
Enchanted Baking
Mari begins Enchanted Baking with a short introduction before jumping into the recipes.
Chapters are divided according to type of treat: Teatime Delights, Cookies in Bloom, Magically Bestowed Cakes, Pixie Pies & Pastries, Enchanted Brownies, Woodland Breads & Bakes, and Gifts for the Wee Folk. The contents have a list of the included recipes with page numbers for easy reference.
I especially love the use of the edible flowers throughout many of the recipes, particularly the violas and pansies. I have been growing them indoors in a countertop hydroponic garden and sometimes they all take off at once. It is so exciting to see a few more ways to use them in and alongside my baking.
The photography is also provided by Mari with fairy illustrations by Violet Vasseur. Every recipe is paired with a beautifully styled, vibrant full-page photo of the finished treat.
Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Each recipe has a short headnote with background information, personal stories, yield, helpful tips, and notes.
Mini Orange Olive Oil Cakes
These Mini Orange Olive Oil Cakes come from the Teatime Delights chapter! They are such a wonderful way to enjoy citrus season and add a little elegance to afternoon tea.
The miniature cakes are simply baked in muffin tins just until puffed and golden, then brushed with a sweet citrus glaze to add an extra burst of orange flavor in every bite.
To finish, they are dusted with powdered sugar and optionally topped with edible flowers.
A Few Mini Orange Olive Oil Cake Tips
Do not pack in the flour when measuring or you may end up with too much. To measure flour, gently spoon it into the measuring cup and level with a knife without pressing down. The most accurate way to measure is by weight.
Mari recommends using a light olive oil in this recipe to add a subtle flavor.
Grease and flour the muffin tins well to keep the cakes from sticking. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before attempting to remove.
Fill each muffin tin 2/3 full with batter, no higher. Overfilling the tins will make the cakes more difficult to remove.
Bake the Mini Orange Olive Oil Cakes just until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Over-baking may cause a tough texture.
More Treats
I also made the Lavender White Chocolate Scones, Little Garden Focaccias, Honey Glazed Heart Buns, and Crystal Gem Candy.
The Lavender White Chocolate Scones are the very first treat in the book! These scones have a lavender-infused cream for a subtle floral flavor that pairs beautifully with white chocolate chips. To finish, they are topped with lavender sparkling sugar.
I was immediately drawn to the adorable size of the Little Garden Focaccias. I have made the larger sheet-pan decorated focaccia before, but this was our first time trying the miniature (and more manageable for kids) version. The homemade bread is divided into individual rolls, decorated as desired with assortment of herbs and vegetables, then baked until golden.
The Honey Glazed Heart Buns were another fun bread recipe. An enriched, yeast-based dough is formed and cut into individual hearts, baked until golden, then brushed with a sweet vanilla honey glaze to finish.
My daughter especially loved the Crystal Gem Candy and it was so fun to make! Inspired by Japanese Kohakutou, these treats are assembled into crystals and need rest for two days to develop a crunchy exterior that gives way to a jelly-like consistency.
Enchanted Baking is a fantastic pick for those wanting to add little magic to their home kitchen. Some treats come together in as little as 30 minutes while others are a bit more intricate. There is such an incredible variety of cakes, cupcakes, brownies, pies, cookies, and even savory options with a focus on seasonal flavors.
Many of the ingredients are readily available in larger American supermarkets. Having access to culinary-grade flowers will be helpful. Other items that may require further searching include fondant, Swedish pearl sugar, edible glitter, honeycomb, maple extract, golden raisins, hazelnuts, and pistachio flour.
Mini Orange Olive Oil Cakes Recipe
Excerpt from Enchanted Baking
Mini Orange Olive Oil Cakes
Ingredients
Orange Simple Syrup:
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) orange juice
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Orange Olive Oil Cakes:
- 1 cup (113 grams) cake flour sifted
- 1/4 cup (28 grams) almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2/3 cup (133 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons (4 grams) orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (115 milliliters) light olive oil
- 1/4 cup (59 milliliters) whole milk
- 1/4 cup (59 milliliters) orange juice
- Powdered sugar for dusting the tops
- Edible flowers for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Grease and flour a 12-serving muffin pan.
To make the Orange Simple Syrup:
- In a small saucepan, stir together the sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, and orange zest.
- Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until the sugar dissolves.
- Remove the simple syrup from the heat and set it aside to cool.
To make the Orange Olive Oil Cakes:
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the cake flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, eggs, orange zest and vanilla extract together by hand or with an electric mixer until it is smooth.
- Gradually mix in the olive oil and beat until the ingredients are well combined.
- Stir in the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk and the orange juice. Stir just until everything is combined.
- Fill the prepared muffin pan two-thirds full with the batter. Do not overfill or the cakes will be more difficult to remove.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops look lightly golden, but still moist and a toothpick can be inserted into the center of the cakes and come out clean. They bake very quickly, so check them a couple of minutes early to avoid overbaking.
- Cool the cakes in the pan for 5 minutes.
- Remove them from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack.
- Brush the warm cakes with the orange simple syrup and allow them to cool completely.
- Dust the cooled cakes with powdered sugar. Top with edible flowers, if desired.
Leave a Reply