Cinnamon Bun Mini Cakes

When I was little I asked Santa for a Betty Crocker Easy-Bake Oven for Christmas.
I wanted that little oven so badly!
Mini boxes of Betty Crocker cake mix and tiny cake pans - I would have been in heaven!

Santa was good to me that year, but he never did come through with that Easy-Bake Oven.
My mom said I should just learn how to bake in a real oven and so I did.  Thanks mom :)
I cranked out cookies, brownies and cakes for my brothers and they were happy, but deep
down I still longed for that little oven that baked cakes with a light bulb.

When I found these little disposable bake pans a few months ago they reminded me so much
of the pans that came with the Easy-Bake Oven, so I immediately threw them in my cart.
I guess Santa really traumatized me that year - ha ha.  Anyway, enough about my issues.
I love these little cakes and had so much fun baking them for a few special friends.

I totally cheated and doctored up a box of cake mix, but they were delicious with sweet
vanilla buttercream and chopped bits of crunchy toffee.

If I ever see a working Easy-Bake Even with all of the accessories at a Thrift Store, you can
bet that thing will be coming home with me!!

The clear plastic lids that come with these little pans make them great for gifting.  I did have
to cut the domes off of the cakes so that the frosting doesn't touch the top of the lids. I think
they turned out so cute!

Cinnamon Bun Mini Cakes

1 box Pillsbury Cinnamon Roll Cake Mix
4 eggs
1/3 C canola oil
1 C buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place mini bake pans on a cookie sheet.
In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, eggs, oil and buttermilk.
Using an electric mixer, mix until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Using a large cookie scoop fill mini pans half full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.  Once the cakes have cooled cut off the domes with a
serrated knife.  Frost with buttercream and top with chopped toffee bits.


Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

4 T butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tsp. heavy cream
1 C powdered sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter for 1 minute.
Slowly add powdered sugar and beat for another minute.
Add vanilla extract and heavy cream and whip until light and fluffy.

Note - This is a small batch of buttercream. I didn't want to frost the
cakes too high so that the lids would fit on each cake.

Enjoy!
Yield - 6 mini cakes

Adapted from Whipperberry.