With Mother’s Day coming up, here’s a super cute and fun treat to make for a brunch or lunch with your favorite lady. These were a twist on the mini neapolitan cakes we made in the Oh Joy book and a sweet treat for Mom! We made these recently for a little party that my friend Emily Henderson threw, and they were a fun addition to a summery backyard get-together.

Here’s how to make them…

Mini Citrus Cakes
(makes approx 10-12 mini cakes)

You’ll need:

-butter knife
-sheet cake (You can use a cake mix or use our recipe below)
-small circle cookie cutter (1- to 2-inch diameter)
-2 tablespoons of grated orange rind
-vanilla frosting
-kumquats and thyme for garnish

Here’s how:

1. Add 2 tablespoons of orange rind to a cake mix of your choice. OR, if you want to make the cake from scratch, use this recipe below:

1 cup milk
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of grated orange rind

a. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and set aside.
b. In a small bowl, whisk the milk and vinegar and set aside. The mixture will curdle.
c. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
d. In a large bowl, beat the milk mixture, oil, sugar, and vanilla extract. Add the dry mixture and whisk just until no lumps remain. Fold in orange rinds.
e. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Let cool.

2. After the cakes cool, use the cookie cutter to cut mini cake circles out of each cake sheet. Make mini layer cakes by stacking a layer, a bit of frosting, another layer, a bit more frosting, and a final top layer.

3. Continue stacking until you have 10-12 little layer cakes. Top each mini cake with a final layer of frosting and garnish with a slice of kumquat and a sprig of thyme. Serve within a few hours of assembly.

Enjoy!

{Photos by Tessa Neustadt. All tableware from Target. Recipe production by Julia Wester for Oh Joy}