These little cakes are such a hit in our house – and one of my favourite recipes from my book How to Feed Your Toddler! The combination of chocolate and cherry is just so tasty, and they’re made with no added sugar apart from the cherry jam, which gives them plenty of flavour. If you don’t have cherries, you can always use other fruits and you can also use plain yoghurt instead of crème fraiche.
They’re perfect for toddler birthdays, festive family get-togethers or even just as a fun snack to batch bake and share. Easy to hold, fun to decorate and absolutely delicious for kids and grown-ups alike!
You can store the cakes in the fridge and enjoy for up to 2 days.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 18 mini cakes
Ingredients
- 200g frozen cherries, defrosted, plus a handful for decorating, finely chopped (reserve the cherry juice from the defrosted fruit for later)
- 2 tbsp cherry jam (or another fruit jam)
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp boiling water
- 80g unsalted butter, at room temperature, or dairy-free spread
- 1 large free-range egg, beaten, or 1 flaxseed egg (made by mixing 1 tbsp ground flaxseed with 2 tbsp boiling water, set aside to thicken)
- 50g ground almonds
- 100g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
To decorate
- 100g crème fraîche or dairy-free alternative
- A few chunks of dark chocolate, grated
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200˚C/180˚C fan. Line a mini cupcake or muffin tin with 18 cases.
- Add most of the cherries and jam to a food processor and blitz until blended to a purée.
- In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder with the boiling water and stir until it forms a paste.
- Add the butter or spread, egg and cocoa powder paste to the food processor and blitz until combined with the cherry purée. Then add the almonds, flour and baking powder and give it a pulse to mix together.
- Divide the mixture between the cases and bake for 10–15 minutes, or until cooked through and fluffy looking. Use a skewer to check the middle – it should come out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
- Top with a teaspoon of crème fraîche, the reserved finely chopped cherries, a drizzle of the reserved juice and a sprinkle of dark chocolate to finish.
I really hope these cakes become a favourite for you too! For more party food inspiration, take a look at my recipes here – Healthier Party Food Ideas for Kids.