Butter Cake Tarts which are popularly known as “Vati Cake”in India was one of my childhood favorites. I particularly liked this shortcrust pastry lined cake which would be packed in my school short break tiffin and many a time enjoyed at tea time too. Simple plain vatis(bowls) made of aluminium were used to mould these cute little tea cakes into tarts. I am not fond of tutti frutti but loved to admire these colorful bits in the simple vanilla flavoured butter cake which looked pretty like gems.
Nostalgia got the better of me and I baked these a month ago with the signature tutti frutti which they are famous for. When Pune was a sparsely populated quiet town where mostly pensioner’s dwelled and the young and old could cross the road without worrying about traffic woes and hop to their favorite bakery with ease… when I could fearlessly go the bakeries lined up in a row across the Pune Railway Station and it was not a big concern about traffic safety but sadly not anymore! Faced with chaos and parking issues, I cannot take my time to admire the goodies nor can I select and buy my favorites at leisure.
Rarely does one see the men who would have a large aluminium trunk perched on their bicycles and rode each day in the lanes and by-lanes to sell baked products. Earlier it would be such a happy and welcoming sight to have them sell the freshly baked goodies at your doorstep. Having being exposed to exquisite bakery delights from all over the world, who cares about these sweet childhood joys anymore.
I wanted to re-live the days when I was a little kid who felt so good just clutching tightly the pretty little cake tart studded with colorful gems and daintily biting and savouring it irrespective of the dislike to the tutti frutti, I had to bake and recreate the magic I felt when I relished this Vati Cake. I have used fluted tart moulds to bake my childhood favorite in as I did not have the plain aluminium vatis (bowls).
Look at the photo aren’t they pretty? Does it warm your heart? I enjoyed baking these beauties and wanted to share my joy with you. Kids will surely love these and not to forget the adults. My family loved the aroma while baking and relished every bite.
Let not age be the barrier unless you have health issues which may hold you back. Gift them to the ones you love and keep them handy to serve unexpected guests. They taste better when fresh but can be refrigerated and served warm when ready to eat. If you wish to store, make sure you consume them within a week.
Just relish and savor the beautiful Vati Cake / Butter Cake Tarts with a glass of warm milk or a hot cup of tea, if you please. 🙂
Ingredients:
- 250 gm sifted; Maida / All-purpose Flour
- 150 gm Butter (cut into small pieces)
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 70 gm Caster Sugar
- 2 Eggs
For the Vati / Tart Pastry:
- Combine all the above mentioned dry ingredients in a sufficiently large bowl.
- Use your fingers or a food processor to rub pieces of butter into the flour until it resembles bread crumbs.
- Mix eggs into the flour mixture and bring together lightly to form a dough. Do not over work the dough.
- Cover the bowl of pastry dough with cling film and refrigerate for ½ hour.
Preparation of Vati / Tart Shells:
- Cut refrigerated pastry dough into desired pieces to fit into tart moulds.
- Either roll out the pastry and cut to fit into the tart moulds or use pieces to mould into the tart shape with your fingers.
- Refrigerate the prepared tart shells until baking time.
Ingredients for the Butter Cake Filling:
- 100 gm Butter
- 70 gm Caster Sugar
- 200 gm Self-raising Flour
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tbsp Milk @ room temperature
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract or Essence
For Topping:
Tutti Frutti or Dry Fruit / Nuts
Procedure:
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Mix in one egg at a time; add in vanilla and combine well.
- Fold in flour a little at a time and stir in milk. Dust some tutti frutti with dry flour and add to the mixture. Mix in gently.
- Fill the cake batter into prepared pastry tarts about ¾ full.
- Sprinkle nuts and dry fruit if using on top of each tart.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for about 20 minutes until baked and lightly golden or until a tooth pick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Cool and unmould them from the vatis / tarts.
- Serve them warm.
- Enjoy!
