This mini strawberry Breakfast Cake is one of my favorite breakfasts for two. It’s simple, easy to throw together, and absolutely delicious!
Hey folks, do you ever have one of those moments that makes you feel profoundly old?
Last Sunday, when I went to go feed my horse, I found that some kids had hopped the pasture fence and were playing in among the (not particularly kid-safe) horses.
They took off running as soon as they heard me coming, and as I’m standing there at the fence shouting things like, “Do you know how dangerous that was?” and “I’m going to come talk to your parents!” at their retreating backs, I realized that I sounded exactly like the stodgy, boring adult villain in a children’s book.
And you know, that’s not a great look on anyone. So in order to combat my feelings of old and un-funness, let’s have some cake for breakfast.
Back in December, I shared my Mini Cranberry Breakfast Cake . It is one of my favorite recipes on the site, but since it’s very seasonal (can you even find fresh cranberries in May?) I can’t really recommend it most of the year. So I gave the recipe an update for spring and made a Mini Strawberry Breakfast Cake.
Guys, I love this cake so much. It’s everything good about the cranberry version, but with STRAWBERRIES, so dare I say, even better?
This cake is so soft and tangy from buttermilk in the batter, and it bakes up golden and beautiful and just a little crisp on top.
There’s just a bit of lemon zest in there, which gives it a hint of lemon but mostly boosts and brightens the strawberries so you get tons of fruity flavor in every bite.
This Mini Strawberry Breakfast Cake makes four fairly generous servings, but two very hungry people could definitely polish it off together. It’s one of those recipes that’s the perfect combination of delicious but not too rich, so if you aren’t careful you can really keep picking away at it until suddenly there is nothing left. (Which is the reason I’m sharing a MINI version so we don’t all accidentally eat a 9×13-inch cake 😉 .)
This creamy cheesy Potato Gratin for Two makes an easy meal or perfect side dish!
Hey! It’s May! And if you’ve been following along with Baking Mischief for a while, you’ll know that May means it’s Nerd Month here on the blog!!!
Nerd Month = my favorite month because it’s a month-long excuse for me to create recipes based on my favorite nerdy things and try to convince you to read/watch/listen along with me (you can see all of last year’s nerdy recipes here ).
It won’t be ALL nerdy recipes this month, but a big chunk of the posts will be, and I’m so excited to share them with you because spoiler, this year’s recipes (and the things they are based on) are GREAT!
To start, we are taking a little trip back in time and down under for Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries !
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries via Den of Geek
Miss Fisher , which is available on Netflix, might be the most charming murder-mystery show you’ve (n)ever seen (okay, maybe it’s tied with Pushing Daisies ). As much as I love dark and twisty television, sometimes you just want a bit of sunshine with your entertainment, and this show has that in spades.
The incomparable Essie Davis (HAVE YOU SEEN HER IN THE BABADOOK?) plays Phryne Fisher, a private detective in 1920’s Australia who, along with her trusty companion, Dot, a ragtag gaggle of staff, and reluctantly charmed Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, solves crimes, wears fabulous clothes, and generally has a grand old time.
It’s a very fun and breezy show that is also quite conscientious about its portrayal of women and social issues. If you’ve been feeling like you’re getting a little too much Man Pain in your TV diet lately, this is a pretty delightful counterbalance.
I’ve been rewatching episodes of this show quite a bit over the last few months, so I knew I wanted to include it in this year’s nerd month, and when it came to the recipe, there was one clear choice: Potato Gratin!
In the third episode of the series, Phryne uses some of Dot’s gratin to bribe Jack for information on their case, and since potato gratin is one of the best foods known to man, I had to make for the blog. Plus, how cute is this exchange? I really wanted an excuse to share it.
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries via Tumblr
This recipe makes Potato Gratin for Two, which means it makes just enough for you and the handsome Detective Inspector in your life. 😉
Not only is Potato Gratin great for bribing police, it’s also a tasty and versatile recipe to have in your back pocket. You can pair it with a salad for a simple vegetarian main or serve it as a carbolicious side dish with something meaty.
Full-size gratins are a little time consuming to put together since there’s a fair amount of chopping involved, but since this recipe is for two, it’s actually quite fast to prepare. You just slice a quarter of an onion and one or two potatoes, grate a little cheese and throw everything together in a casserole dish.
The only downside to this gratin is that it does require nearly an hour of baking time, BUT it’s a low-maintenance hour, so you can just pop it into the oven and let it hang out for the first forty minutes while you go about your life.
By the time the potatoes are finished, the cheese on top is all bubbly and a little crispy and the potatoes are creamy and perfect. Honestly, you will be so glad that this is a portion-controlled recipe for two because you will never want to stop eating it!
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ 7x5-inch baking dish
Potato Gratin
- ▢ 1 large russet potato (about 12oz ) thinly sliced and divided
- ▢ 1/4 onion halved root to tip and thinly sliced
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt divided
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon pepper divided
- ▢ 1 heaping teaspoon all-purpose flour
- ▢ 1 tablespoon cold butter diced and divided
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 2oz ) shredded Cheddar cheese divided
- ▢ 1/3 cup milk
- ▢ 1/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and lightly grease your casserole dish. Layer half of the potatoes in the dish and top with the onions. Sprinkle with half of the salt and pepper, all of the flour, and half of the butter and cheese.
- Add remaining potatoes and top with remaining salt, pepper, butter, and cheese. Pour milk and cream over the top.
- Place a sheet of foil or baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any milk or cheese that bubbles over. Bake gratin on the center rack for 40 to 60 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender.
- Cool for five minutes and enjoy!
Adapted From AllRecipes
This small batch of Maple Scones is perfect for a last-minute brunch. The cream scones are quick and easy to make, and you’ll want to eat this maple glaze with a spoon!
Have you watched The Good Place ? If you haven’t, you absolutely should. It’s sweet, incredibly funny, and very, very clever. If there’s been a bit of a hole in your heart since Parks and Rec left the air, this might be just the show you’re looking for.
NBC
If you don’t know the premise of the show, it’s that Eleanore, a pretty terrible person in life, accidentally ends of in “the good place” when she dies. It’s clear to her right from the beginning that she doesn’t belong there and that her presence seems to be destabilizing heaven, so the show is mostly a series of wacky, heavenly hi-jinks and misadventures as Eleanore and the lovable weirdos she meets along the way try to keep her from being found out while the afterlife is going crazy around them. And it’s a damn delight.
In the third episode, after the latest Eleanore-induced disaster, Eleanore and her bff/mortal enemy, the disgustingly perfect Tahani, go around their bit of heaven to deliver maple butter scones to all of their neighbors, and as soon as I heard the words “maple” “butter” and “scones,” I was intrigued.
<img loading=“lazy” src=“https://bakingmischief.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/maple-butter-scones-image-the-good-place.gif" onerror=“this.onerror=null;this.src=‘https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe7F7TRXHtjiKvHb5vS7DmnxvpHiDyoYyYvm1nHB3Qp2_w3BnM6A2eq4v7FYxCC9bfZt3a9vIMtAYEKUiaDQbHMg-ViyGmRIj39MLp0bGFfgfYw1Dc9q_H-T0wiTm3l0Uq42dETrN9eC8aGJ9_IORZsxST1AcLR7np1koOfcc7tnHa4S8Mwz_xD9d0=s16000';" alt=“Gif of Eleanore from The Good Place saying, “Fork that’s good.” - 25”>
NBC
I mean, how good do maple butter scones sound!?
Now, I’m not sure what combination of maple butter and/or maple and butter went into Tahani’s scones because when I went to go look up a maple butter scone recipe, I found none (seriously, go google them. I’ll wait.).
And then I realized that it made perfect sense, because of course Tahani’s go-to scone recipe would be one-of-a-kind. Of course.
And of course I then wanted to make her scones, so I did.
My take on Tahani’s maple butter scones is a simple cream scone finished off with a fabulous maple (and) butter glaze.
The end result?
They are heavenly.
(Okay, no more heaven puns. I promise.)
Cream scones are a bit different from classic scones like my Bacon Scones . They use cream in the dough rather than cold butter (some recipes use both) and the result is a scone that is on the moist side rather than crumbly with a slightly crispy exterior.
They are also insanely easy to make. You just throw all the dry ingredients into a bowl, stir in the wet, and the next thing you know, you have a batch of scones ready to go into the oven.
I cut my scones into wedges because I think they are cuter that way, but you can make them into rounds like Tahani if that’s more your style. Then once your scones come out of the oven and cool a bit, you drizzle on a simple and sweet maple butter glaze.
This small-batch scone recipe will make six regular-size scones or about four large round ones (extend the baking time just a bit if you’re going that route). You can eat them all yourself or follow Tahani’s lead, put on a flowing skirt and giant hat, and take a couple to share with some friends and neighbors. 😉
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
- Buttermilk Pancakes for Two
- Crispy Waffles
- Pancakes for One
- Banana Pancakes
- Small-batch Cinnamon Rolls
- The Best Cinnamon Toast
Ingredients
Cream Scones
- ▢ 1 1/2 cup (180g) all-purpose flour measured by weight or using the spoon and sweep method*
- ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 3 tablespoons ( 37g ) granulated sugar
- ▢ 3/4 cup heavy cream , plus more for brushing on scones*
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Maple Glaze
- ▢ 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar, sifted
- ▢ 1 tablespoon (14g) butter, melted
- ▢ 1 to 3 tablespoons milk
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon maple extract
- ▢ Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, stir together heavy cream and vanilla.
- Drizzle cream mixture over your dry ingredients and stir, using just enough cream so that a dry dough forms with no loose flour at the bottom of your bowl*. Use clean hands to finish mixing and shape dough into a ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Press dough out to a disk about 5 1/2-inches across or 3/4-inch thick.
- Use a dough scraper or knife to cut circle into 6 triangles. Transfer scones to your prepared baking sheet, arranging the wedges in a circle about 1-inch apart. Brush the scones with a little cream to help them brown.
- Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until scones are baked through and lightly golden brown.
- Cool before glazing.
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter, 1 tablespoon of the milk, maple extract, and salt. Add milk by the 1/4 teaspoon until glaze reaches a drizzling consistency and drizzle over scones. Allow glaze to set for 5 minutes and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Adapted From King Arthur Flour
Mini Strawberry Breakfast Cake
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- 7x5-inch baking dish
- Handheld electric mixer (optional but helpful)
Mini Strawberry Breakfast Cake
- 1 cup ( 120g ) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup ( 2oz ) unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup ( 100g ) granulated sugar plus 1 teaspoon for topping
- Zest from 1/2 lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 7x5-inch baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine butter and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Beat in lemon zest, egg, and vanilla until well-combined. Stir half of the flour mixture into your wet ingredients. Add all of the buttermilk and stir, followed by the remaining flour mixture, stirring until just combined.
- Fold in strawberries and transfer batter to your prepared baking dish, lightly smoothing out the top. Sprinkle remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar over the top.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few dry crumbs. Cool for 5 minutes before cutting, and enjoy!
