Step-by-Step Mini Burger Brownie Cakes
MAKES 12
They might look like the real right-off-the-grill thing, but these little cake burgers stack up sweet all the way, from their sponge ‘buns’ to brownie ‘burgers’ and icing fillings – perfect for handing round your barbecues and garden parties after all the ‘real’ flame-grilled grub’s gone!
Ingredients
For the sponge burger ‘buns’
- 175g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 175g caster sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 175g self-raising flour
- Pinch of salt
For the brownie ‘burgers’
- 200g caster sugar
- 90g self-raising flour
- 50g cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 120ml vegetable oil
- 80ml whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, beaten
To decorate
- Renshaw Ready-to-Roll Yellow Icing
- 200g icing sugar
- Red food colouring
- 60g coconut flakes
- Green food colouring
- Yellow food colouring
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
Step 1 – gather your kit
To create our mini cake burgers, we used:
Lakeland 12 Hole Loose-Based Mini Sandwich Tin
Complete Cake Decorating Set (plain nozzle no. 10)
Wilton® Cake Decorating Brush Set
We followed our recipe for mini lemon curd sponge cakes to make the ‘buns’, but any standard 3-egg Victoria sandwich recipe will work – just divide your mixture between the holes of the mini sandwich tin, bake for 15-20 minutes until well-risen and golden, then leave to cool for 5 minutes in the tin before lifting out onto a cooling rack. Once the sponges are completely cool, cut them in half to make the top and bottom burger buns and set aside.
To make the little brownie ‘burgers’ to go inside the buns, grease and line the brownie tin with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 180˚C/Gas 4.
Stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; add the oil, milk, vanilla and egg, and whisk until well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin, then lift out using the paper, transfer to a board and cut out 12 ‘burgers’ using a 5cm round cutter.
To make the little squares of ‘cheese’ to put on top of your brownie burger patties, take a large chopping board (at least 25 x 20cm) and dust it with icing sugar or cornflour. Roll out enough Ready-to-Roll Yellow Icing to make a rectangle approx. 18 x 24cm and 3mm thick. Using a sharp knife, cut this into twelve 6cm squares. Setting the tops of the buns aside, lay out the bases and place a brownie burger on each one, then top with the yellow icing squares.
For the red ‘ketchup’, mix the 200g icing sugar with enough water to make a thick icing that is only just loose enough to pipe. Add drops of red food colouring and mix in until you have a deep red shade. Fit a piping bag with a plain number 10 nozzle (with a large round opening approx. 6mm across), spoon in the red icing and pipe onto the top of the icing squares in a flat spiral, starting in the middle and working your way outwards – the icing should only spread a little before it hardens, so it won’t run out of the centre.
Put the coconut flakes in a bowl, add 1-2 tsp water and a few drops of green and yellow food colouring.
Mix with a spoon until the coconut flakes have absorbed all the water and colouring.
Leave to dry, then place a few ‘leaves’ on top of each circle of red ‘ketchup’. Once all 12 burgers have been topped with lettuce, add the upper halves of the burger buns.
To give your cake burgers an authentic finishing touch, paint a little edible glue onto the top of each bun using a food-safe brush, then sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
If you’re looking for more sweet takes on classic barbecue food, check out our step-by-step recipe for Mini Barbecue Kebab Cakes.