Dot Cake Recipe
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Recipe Overview
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Serves: 10
Ingredients Needed
For Cake
- 1 1/4 cups/310ml/11flozs. whole milk
- 1 stick/113g butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups/300g/10.6ozs cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 3/4 cups/385g/13.6ozs caster or superfine sugar
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
For Frosting and Decoration
- 400g/14oz butter, softened (not melted)
- 900g/2lbs pure icing sugar or icing sugar mixture, sifted
- 1-2 tablespoons milk (2 tablespoons if using pure icing sugar)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
To Assemble
- 1/2 cup/125ml/4fl oz simple syrup (optional)
- 180g/6ozs sprinkles
- 10 ice cream cups
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1 PREP - Line a 40x30x5cm/15x12x2inch solid rectangular pan on the base and sides with parchment. Preheat oven to 160C/320F fan forced or 180C/350F conventional. In a saucepan heat the milk and butter until the butter has melted and stir in the salt (do not boil, just scald the milk). Set aside. Sift the flour and baking powder together into a bowl.
Step 2 BEAT - In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment whisk the sugar, eggs and vanilla on medium high speed for 5 minutes until thick and almost white. Add the hot milk mixture and whisk for 15 seconds or until incorporated. Then fold in the flour mixture on low speed in two lots until smooth (do not overmix). It will be a very liquidy batter. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the centre springs back when gently pressed. Cover with a baking dish to keep the steam in the cake and cool completely.
Step 3 FROSTING - While the cake is baking, make the buttercream frosting. Beat the butter on medium high speed for 2 minutes until pale. On low speed, add the sifted icing sugar in 4 lots until incorporated. Add in milk and vanilla and beat on medium high speed for 3 minutes until fluffy and creamy. Scoop into 2 large piping bags.
Step 4 CUT - Cut out rounds to match the size of your ice cream cups leaving a bit of room around the sides for the frosting (I used a 7cm/2.8inch cutter). Cut them close together so that you can make as many rounds out of your cake as possible (you should be able to get 20 rounds of cake).
Step 5 ASSEMBLE - Place one round in an ice cream cup and brush or drizzle with syrup. Pipe buttercream around the edge and in the centre. Place another cake round and add syrup. Pipe buttercream around the edge and over the top of the cake. Level off with an angled spatula.
Step 6 DECORATE - Carefully place the sprinkles in a wide bowl with a lip. Dip the top of the cup into the sprinkles and serve.
STORAGE & FREEZING TIPS - These can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. These can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
Personal Note
I was making this dot cake one afternoon last week. It was going well and I was all on track to go to finish these, shoot them and then go to an afternoon tea at 4 o'clock in the city.
I was about to fill these cakes with buttercream, but then I got a message. It was from the high tea organiser asking what my ETA was. My eyes widened and quickly flicked back to the email and then I saw that the arrival time was 2pm not 4pm. Mr. NQN was in the shower and I opened the door and exclaimed in a panic "Our ETA was an hour ago!".
I wondered how I could've gotten this wrong. It's never happened before except once when I turned up on the wrong day for a midnight screening of the Blair Witch Project because I got the midnight date wrong and ever since then I've checked and double checked things.
I was hurriedly getting ready when I realised what happened. They had invited me when I was in Singapore and I had put the time into my calendar, but it was added under the local Singapore time which is two hours behind. Which is why it said that it was 4 o'clock and not 2 o'clock. We made it late – very late but not impossibly so we still had time to enjoy the afternoon tea. One good thing about this was that I know that this cake keeps well because it kept until the next day! And having the soak helped as well so that was an additional tip to keep the cake moist.
So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever gotten the time totally wrong? And have you tried dot cakes?