Hand-sized, colourful plus a loving message – these playful cakes are popular, selling like – well – hotcakes, partly thanks to social media. Even novice bakers can create beautiful, sweet surprises. Berlin (dpa) – They're creative, look impressive and come from the heart: Bento cakes. These South Korean mini cakes have long since spread beyond Asia thanks to social media. While only palm-sized, they offer everything a large cake does, including a base, filling, coating and decoration. They often feature a short message to the recipient. A buttery "Love yourself" or an apologetic "Oops" are words that come from the heart. "In South Korea, people love colourful, playful and cute things," says Man Ahn Büschges, master confectioner and operator of an online bakery. No wonder that the trend started there. The name "bento" is derived from the Japanese bento boxes, those lovingly assembled lunch boxes that enjoy cult status in large parts of Asia. Photos of bento cakes and videos of people surprised when opening a box are often shared on social media, but bento cakes don't need an online audience. "They are easy for anyone to make and are a great gift," says Marid Lubenow, author and food blogger. Instagram-worthy bento cakes are relatively easy to bake at home, with manageable effort and no need for professional equipment. One batter, two creams plus imagination "Patience is the most important ingredient," says Lubenow. "Allow more time than you think you'll need," says Büschges, because it's crucial for success that the cake is well chilled between each step. The typical bento cake is a layer cake. For beginners, sponge mixtures are suitable, which are given an interesting flavour by special ingredients. Lubenow bakes a chai cake with spices like vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom. She also likes to add a little olive oil to her Italian orange cake. If you don't have a mini baking tin with a diameter of 8-12 cm, you can use an existing baking tin and cut circles out of a larger base. Once the cake base has been baked and cooled, the filling and coating, also known as frosting, are prepared. "Mousse fillings are particularly popular. They are light and less sweet," says Büschges. She offers cakes with three sponge bases and two mousse fillings. "Sponge cake stacks well and a finger-width layer of mousse keeps the cake stable," says Büschges. If the layers are too thick, the cake could break when carried. For those trying their hand at frosting for the first time, Lubenow recommends American buttercream or icing. Cream cheese frosting, Swiss meringue or ganache are more elaborate. Small mistakes when applying the frosting can be corrected. If crumbs get into the cream or the frosting is uneven, chill the cake and frosting again. Later, add a second layer on top to create a clean and smooth coating. Helpful tools, but not essential, are a turntable and a palette knife for spreading the cream. Icing on the cake and kind words Once the cake is covered with frosting, put it back into the fridge, because the artistic piping decorations work best when it is well chilled. Lubenow advises first trying out the piping nozzle on a plate. Now put the test cream back into the nozzle and, once cooled again, use it to decorate the cake. "With a little patience, it will turn out fine and the cake will look homemade," says Lubenow. It takes some courage and skill to write a message on the tiny cake. Büschges advises, "Write with the base colour of the icing. If you make a mistake, just smooth it out again." When you are happy with the result, write over it with the coloured cream. Another tip from Lubenow: write on baking paper with liquid chocolate and place the lettering on the cake later. It doesn't always have to be a layer cake. "The cake should look good and taste good to the recipient," says Lubenow, who makes a New York cheesecake and a lemon tart in bento style. Even vegan versions are possible, such as a courgette bento cake. Now the packaging There is a trick to lifting the finished cake into the box without destroying the work of art. At the very beginning, the bottom layer is placed on a piece of baking paper cut to size. You can lift the cake by grabbing the protruding corners. "If brown baking paper doesn't work, I use white sandwich paper," says Büschges. You can order a wide selection of suitable boxes online. Or "just ask at your local snack bar if you can buy a burger box," says Lubenow. And what to do with the cake scraps left over from cutting out the shapes? If you haven't already nibbled them away while baking, you can use them to make cake pralines or layered desserts in a glass. You can find inspiration for bento cakes everywhere. Lubenow finds new flavour combinations or exciting ingredients while shopping. She also gets ideas from cafés or friends, which she incorporates into her creations. Büschges also uses social media as a source of inspiration. She gets ideas for the visual design of the cakes from interior design websites. "Interior photos provide trendy ideas," says Büschges. So, with a little creativity and a lot of patience, anyone can bake little works of art that make someone's heart beat a little bit faster. In the end, it's not the perfect photo that counts, but the smile on someone's face. The following information is not intended for publication dpa/tmn ode bzl cwg loe xxde arw coh
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