These
decadent mini-cakes are drenched in white chocolate icing,
sprinkled with toasted coconut, then topped with pecans for a
satisfying crunch.
White Chocolate Batter
1/2 cup whole milk
4
ounces Nestlé White Cocoa Butter Coating, shaved
1 cup
golden brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
3
large eggs
2
teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2
cups cake flour
3/4
teaspoon baking soda
1/4
teaspoon salt
3/4
cup low-fat buttermilk
White Chocolate Icing
3/4 cup unsalted butter
7
ounces Nestlé White Cocoa Butter Coating, shaved
1/2
cup fat-free milk
2
teaspoons vanilla extract
8 cups
confectioners' sugar
2
tablespoons meringue powder
Toppings
1 cup pecan halves
1 cup coconut, toasted in the 350°
oven
for a few minutes
on a baking sheet
1.
Preheat the oven to 350°
.
2. Cake:
In a 2-quart saucepan, heat the milk over medium
heat. Add the shaved chocolate (sliced
off chocolate bar with
a chef's knife) and stir
until melted with a wooden spoon.
3. In a large bowl,
use a mixer to cream the sugar and butter. Beat in the
eggs
and vanilla, then beat for 1 minute. Beat in the chocolate milk
mixture.
4. Sift the flour,
baking soda and salt onto the batter. Beat well,
then
beat in the buttermilk. Divide the batter between two 13
x
9 x 2-inch glass baking dishes sprayed with nonstick spray.
Bake
in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
5. Cool the cakes
completely in their pans before turning the cakes
out onto a cooling rack. Place the
first cake on a large breadboard.
Cut off the hard crispy edges, then use
a ruler to help you cut the
cake into 1-inch squares. Place the
squares back onto the cooling
rack which has been set on sheets of
waxed paper. Prepare the
second cake in the same manner. Place
all the squares on the
cooling rack.
6. Icing:
Melt the butter in a 3-quart saucepan. Add the shaved
chocolate and stir until melted. Stir
in the milk and vanilla.
Place the sugar in a large bowl, use a
mixer to beat in the
white chocolate mixture.
7. Cakes:
Pour the chocolate icing over each cake square to
cover
the cake completely. Sprinkle each cake with coconut
and
top with a pecan half. When the icing has set, transfer
the
mini-cakes to a regular sized foil cupcake pan liner. Serve
on
a large silver platter.
Hint:
Save any leftover cake pieces for a trifle recipe.
Coconut may be toasted in the oven
while cakes are cooling.
These pretty cakes freeze well and thaw
quickly.
Makes
60 or more mini-cakes
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