Are you tired of the same old cakes for special occasions? Why not try something new and exciting with Bento Cakes? These mini cakes offer a unique twist on traditional cakes with their colorful designs and individual portions that can be enjoyed anywhere with a spoon or fork. Plus, they make the perfect gift for someone you love!

Originating from a Japanese tradition, Bento Cakes have become a global sensation, with South Korea being a particular hotspot for these delicious treats. They are now one of the most searched items online! So if you’re looking to impress at your next special event or just want to indulge in something sweet and unique, give it a try.

This article will provide step-by-step instructions on how to make Bento Cakes, along with helpful tips and tricks to ensure that your cakes turn out perfectly every time.

Table of Contents

What is Bento Cakes?

Bento Cakes are a unique twist on traditional cakes. They are typically smaller in size and often feature colorful designs and patterns. Bento Cakes are perfect for special occasions like birthdays, weddings, and baby showers.

The idea is that they are individuals that can be eaten and consumed at any time and place and place, which is why they often with a spoon or fork. And they are given as a gift for someone loved.

The cake gets its name from a Japanese tradition. There in Japan, the lunch boxes are called “bento” or “obento”, hence the name “bento cake” which means “lunch box cake”.

This idea became popular in South Korea, where the Bento Cake became a success and spread throughout the world.

With a little research on the Internet, and searching for “Bento Cake” it is already possible to find several models that are conquering the world and becoming one of the most searched of all time.

How to Make Bento Cakes

Making Bento Cakes may seem intimidating at first, but with the right tools and techniques, anyone can make them. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make Bento Cakes:

Ideal cake batter

As with larger cakes, the choice of batter is very important and directly influences the final result.

Here we must consider that a firmer dough (direct method or buttery) is easier to work with, especially if you choose to make a large cake and then cut the cakes into the desired size. For Bento Cakes we have 2 options for preparing the cake batter.

We can use small baking pans already in the size we want to make our bentô cake;
Or we can bake the entire batter in a larger baking pan and then cut the cakes with a cutter to the size you choose. The most popular sizes are 8, 10, and 11cm in diameter (mini round cakes are more popular than the square ones, but this is up to you).

Topping off the cake

It may seem simple at first, but this part can ruin all your work, so this choice is extremely important.

The main topping options are

Chantilly;
Buttercream;
Chantininho (Chantinine)
And ganache.

Chantilly

Although it is the most common topping, for the Bento Cake it is not the easiest choice. This is because the cakes require a lot of stability due to the decorations and so your chantilly needs to be perfect or it will give you much more work than necessary.

Buttercream

has been the choice of most confectioners who are producing the Bento Cakes, because it is much easier to work with, especially with the decorations. Besides being extremely stable and reliable.

Chantininho (Chantinine)

This is a topping that I highly recommend. It is a topping that is very successful in Brazil. It is stable, easy to work with, has a low cost, and is very well accepted by the customers, which makes it my favorite for this type of cake.

Ganache

I, particularly, love to work with ganache, but if you don´t have experience with this kind of topping, it can be a little more difficult to deal with. But it is a favorite when it comes to flavor, and if done right it can take your Bento Cakes to another level.

The decorations

Now we come to the part that scares the most those who make and delight those who order them: the decorations.

It’s no secret that these cakes became popular because of the beautiful, charming, and even funny decorations they came up with. If you are already used to making decorated and designed cakes, you will certainly do well in this part.

In any brief search on Google, Tiktok, Instagram, or Pinterest, you’ll come up with several ideas of templates to reproduce. But if you are a beginner at this part, the best option is to practice writing and drawing a lot.

Do this several times until you achieve the result you would like to reproduce on your cakes. This improves your resourcefulness and confidence.

Let´s cook!

My Bento Cake Secret Recipe

Recipe by JessCourse: CakesCuisine: CakesDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hour

Calories

350

kcal

Total time

hour

minutes

To make Bento Cakes, you will need the following ingredients:

Ingredients

For the cake mixture:
3 cups wheat flour
1 cup of sugar refined
3 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups of milk
2 tbsp vinegar white
1 tbsp of vanilla essence
1 tbsp baking powder
For the cake filling:
395g condensed milk
200g heavy cream
1 Tbsp butter
100ml milk
For the cake topping:
1 liter whipping cream
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 carton of condensed milk (or less)

Directions

Mixture:
Mix the egg, oil, sugar, milk, vinegar, and essence.
Add the wheat and the yeast and stir until smooth.
Transfer the dough to a greased and floured pan and bake in a preheated oven at 180° for 25 to 30 minutes or until is completely baked.
Filling:
Mix all the ingredients in a pan.
Cook over medium/low heat stirring with a stiff bread and scraping the sides of the pan to avoid sticking and burning.
Cook the filling until it starts to thicken and become creamy.
Turn off the heat and put the filling on a plate or tray, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it cool completely out of the refrigerator.
Topping:
In the mixer put the whipping cream until it doubles in volume, but stop before it reaches a firm (the whipping cream still needs to be soft).
Add all the milk powder and whip again until the whipping cream reaches a firm until the whipping cream is firm enough not to fall off the spoon (it needs to be very firm).
Finally, add the condensed milk little by little and now stir the Chantinine with a spatula until it is smooth and creamy (it may not be necessary to add the whole box of condensed milk).

Notes

Yield: 1 20x30cm rectangular pan or 6 10 cm balls
If the filling is too firm when it is time to use, add cream little by little and cream little by little and mix until creamy.

Equipment

In addition to the ingredients listed above, you will also need the following equipment:

A mixing bowl
A whisk or an electric mixer
A muffin tin or Bento Cake mold
Butter paper

Packaging Options

Choosing the ideal packaging for your Bento Cake will depend on your brand personality and what you want to convey as a message. So the best person to choose this is YOU.

It is very easy to find the packaging for Bento Cakes. Here are some examples:

Styrofoam H3
GA12 transparent plastic
Paper with display Box Baking
Biodegradable

Accessories

Ribbons, Cutlery, and Candles

Because it’s a small cake with a lot of aesthetics involved, every detail counts. So choose disposable cutlery that matches the Bento Cake.

Wooden forks or spoons are a great option. It is common for Bento Cakes to come with an accessory such as cutlery or candles. In the case of candles, choose a small and simple candle that can add charm and value to your product.

Drawings and Writings

Confectionery and Sprinkles

A great option to complement your decorations is to use sprinkles and sugar candies in different colors and shapes.

Invisible Drawing

If you don’t feel confident doing the freehand drawing and writing on the cake, try first drawing with a toothpick, making the markings on the icing, and only then drawing over the lines.

Not to Stain

Writing and drawing with whipped cream on the whipped cream frosting can stain your cupcake, so try using ganache to add details. It’s much easier to work with and will make your bento even more delicious.

See you next time! s2