Small Cakes

Small cakes have a personality of their own: no American regards a brownie simply as chocolate batter with a few nuts, or cupcakes as mere sponge cake baked in a paper case. One secret of success is a distinctive shape. Consider the charm of an English butterfly cake, the top hollowed out for frosting and the lid split to form wings, or a Spanish bizcochos borrachos—a small sponge cake soaked in wine and sprinkled with cinnamon. Often the shape of the cake is its own decoration, as with British rock cakes, or French shell-shaped madeleines; both are served plain.