A Royal Tribute and an Anniversary Memory

I admit it...I love a fairy tale and yes, I stayed up to watch the Royal wedding between William and Catherine as millions of others did.   It was on at 1:00 a.m. here in the Pacific Northwest, but the fascination of what Catherine's dress would look like, her bouquet, and seeing the kiss (or two) on the balcony kept me wide awake.

April 29th also marked the memory of my own parent's wedding.  William Joseph Tierney and Helen Margaret Huekels were married in 1938 and today would have marked 73 years for them.  Also a fairy tale, my father said he knew from a kiss in the cloakroom in 5th grade that he would one day marry my mother.

So, I baked these "happy" little cakes from a Nordic Ware mold I purchased last year.  (At the time, I just thought, one day I'll need this pan!)  The recipe for the cake comes with the pan, but I added a strawberry filling and glazed the little cakes with a pourable fondant--a King Arthur Flour recipe.  I couldn't help but add a few decorations and the edible stardust to make them sparkle.

Tiered Cakelets
12 T (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups Queen Guinevere Cake Flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup milk

1/3 cup Strawberry Jam (or your favorite)

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray the Tiered Cakelet Pan with a non-stick spray (one with flour in it)
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes.  Gradually add the granulated sugar and beat 3 minutes more.  Scrape down the sides, then, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the vanilla extract.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt.  On low speed, add half the flour and all the milk, then, end with the other half of flour.  Scrape down the sides once more.  Divide the batter evenly among the prepared wells.  Tap the pan on the countertop to release any air bubbles.  Using a small spatula, spread some of the batter up the sides of the wells.

Bake until the cakelets are golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean--20 to 25 minutes.  (Mine took exactly 22 minutes).  Don't overbake!
Cool in the pan about 10 minutes.  Invert the pan onto a rack and life off the pan.  Let the cakelets cool completely before glazing.

Poured Fondant Icing
5 oz. (1 cup) white melting chocolate pieces or white chocolate chips
1/4 cup Light Karo Syrup
1/4 cup hot water
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Melt the white melting chocolate pieces in the microwave.  In a bowl, sift the confectioners' sugar, then, add the Karo Syrup and hot water.  Mix on low speed, being careful not to incorporate too much air into the fondant.  Add the melted chocolate pieces and mix once more.  Add the vanilla and if mixture is too thick, additional hot water.  You should be able to pour the fondant over the cakelets.

Use an apple corer to remove some of the cake to allow for the filling.  Save the plugs!

 Fill a piping bag with jam and fill the center cavity that has been created with the corer.

 Place the "cake" plug back over the hole to cover.

 I placed the fondant icing in a squeeze bottle and began pouring it over the cake.

If you keep pouring over the top, it should cascade down.  For the decorations, I mixed up a small batch of buttercream:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups of confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup of leftover fondant icing.

Using a #7 tip, I piped little dots around the tiers.  The shell border is done with tip #18 and finally, the top rosette was tip #6B.

I used a little rose colored stardust to brush over the cakes for some sparkle.

I was thinking about Kelly today when I was making these little cakelets.  She had a job once where she worked as a server for a caterer.  She would tell me the best events were weddings because she'd get to have a piece of wedding cake.  As I take a bite into one of these little cakelets, I'll imagine I was a guest at the royal wedding, toasting the bride and groom with a lifetime of happiness.  Enjoy!