While I would love to tell you that I baked this banana bread from scratch, I actually used my favorite go-to box of Chiquita Banana Bread Mix that is so yummy! I added chopped walnuts for added flavor and crunch. I did however, whip up this Nutella buttercream recipe from The Cake Blog and it was a delicious addition to the banana bread!
Rather than baking the banana bread in a traditional loaf pan, I baked it in a square baking pan so that I can cut circles by using this circular food ring. To add a pretty flair to these mini cakes, I used a fresh rose as a topper (find out why I chose this specific flower at the end of this post). Now we have seen plenty of wedding and special occasion cakes with loads of flowers on it and I’ve always wondered how do they do that and how is it safe (more on that at the end of this post). I don’t think it is sanitary to insert a flower stem directly into a cake so instead, I took a jumbo drinking straw, cut them in half and inserted the floral stem into the straw. I cut the stem of the flower short enough so that I know it will not touch the cake and I cut the jumbo straw just enough that it will sit about a 1/2″ or so on top of the cake. This was to ensure the flower petals did not touch directly on the frosting. You will have to play around with the measurements as it will depend on what size cake you make.
It would be a good idea to throughly wash and dry the bloomed rose and remove all leaves and foliage before applying to the cake. Jessie from Craftsy says… “Not all flowers are suitable for cake decoration. Generally, any flower that is sold as an edible garnish is a perfect choice to use on your cake”. You can find a few of what those types of flowers are, here.
Adding a single rose topper to your decorated mini cakes would make a sweet dessert treat for a birthday, a romantic Valentine’s for two dessert idea or make a few of these to share with your besties – if you’re hosting a “Galentine’s” party!
-Photos by Rose Angel Lopez
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