LITTLE BITTY CAKES

½ cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Faux Fondant

Buttercream Frosting

Candied Flowers

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla. Spoon into lightly greased miniature muffin pans, filling three-fourths full.

Bake at 350º for 12 min. or until lightly golden. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks.

Insert a small fork into bottom of a cake, and dip in Faux Fondant, making sure to cover top and sides. Place upright on a wire rack until set. Repeat procedure with remaining cakes.

Spoon buttercream frosting into a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag and seal. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag. Pipe a dollop of frosting onto each cake, and decorate with candied flowers.

yield: 3 dozen.