u/pink_dice33

🌟6 layers of Hazelnut and Chocolate Sponges
🌟Hazelnut Buttercream & Crushed Hazelnuts & Nutella filling
🌟Chocolate Ganache frosting
🌟Gold Luster Drip
🌟Decorations: Chopped Hazelnut Border, Chocolate Dipped Meringue Kisses rolled in Hazelnuts, Edible Gold Glitter

Client requested a patriotic cake for a municipal America 250 celebration. I almost exclusively make round cakes, but the request was specifically for a 9x13 cake.

Here are the things I improved:

1. Chantilly cream gets soft super quickly when piping. For the second cake, I chilled the Chantilly cream several times through decorating and got much prettier piping.

2. I added peekaboo fruit on the sides of the cake.

3. I more evenly distributed the star piping on the blueberries.

4. I gave the white stripes more height and ruffle-y.

Overall, super happy with the improvements!

Really pleased with how this turned out! It’s for a surprise Jimmy Buffet themed birthday party.

🎂 Red Velvet Sponge
🎂 Browned Butter Cream Cheese Filling
🎂 Cream Cheese Frosting
🎂 Graham Cracker Crumbles
🎂 Dried Pineapple Flowers

What I loved:
🎂Cutting into a wave shape added a little flair
🎂The overall design with the berries
🎂 Using Chantilly cream instead of buttercream.

What I will do differently for the real cake orders:
🎂I did a double layer of ruffles on the sides of the cake and the Chantilly cream fell under its own weight. Will need to do a different design on the sides.
🎂 I want the stars on the blueberries to be more evenly distributed.

A special Father’s Day Cake!
Sugared Raabit Hollow Heirloom Hollow Carrot Cake
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Candied Carrot Curls
Toasted Pecans

Of course I wish I had taken the time to level off the domes now, but they honestly looked pretty flat! I guess I learned that six layers exaggerated even the slightest doming! Also tested a new vanilla buttercream recipe (1.5 sticks of butter, 5.5 cups of powdered sugar, 1/3 c whole milk, 1.5 tsp vanilla and a pinch of salt). It was way too sweet for me and it was surprisingly loose. I much prefer the recipes that are closer to 3.5 cups of powdered sugar.

After not being happy with my test run, here’s how the cake I delivered to my customer ended up! This cake was for a 21st birthday, so I upgraded the cake to include a very delicate application of edible gold leaf. I adore how it turned out!

I’m testing new recipes for a raspberry almond cake and boy howdy did I learn some things (thankfully) before I baked for a client.

1. I have used my raspberry compote recipe countless times and NEVER has it turned grey before. This sponge recipe uses both buttermilk and apple cider vinegar plus baking powder, baking soda and whipped egg whites as leaveners. I am guessing the acid + leaveners reacted with the compote. Possible solutions for this cake could be more acid in the compote or just use raspberry curd instead?
2. I used the Kirkland grass fed butter in the buttercream. Even though I whipped the butter for 4 full minutes, it still ended up more yellow than I would like. I added super white food coloring, but it didn’t change the color much. I may change the frosting to a Marscapone based frosting because I really want a white frosting for this cake. Any other suggestions for a super white frosting?

Sponge Recipe:

200g AP flour

3 tbsp vanilla instant pudding mix

1.5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 c room temp buttermilk

1/4 c water

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp almond extract

1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar

200g granulated sugare

1/2 c room temp salted butter

1/4 c neutral oil

1/4 c light corn syrup

1 large room temp egg

2 egg whites

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 3 8-inch cake pans with parchment and grease.
2. Mix flour, pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Combine buttermilk, water, vanilla, almond extract and apple cider vinegar.
4. Cream butter and sugar for 2 minutes. With mixer on low, add oil until incorporated. Still on low, add corn syrup until incorporated.
5. On low speed, alternate adding dry (in thirds) and wet (halves), starting with dry until just combined. DO NOT OVERMIX.
6. In a new bowl with the whisk attachments, whisk together egg whites and cream of tartar to stiff peaks.
7. Fold egg whites into batter. GENTLY. DO NOT OVERMIX.
8. Spread batter evenly amongst 3 pans (roughly 360 g each). Bake at 325 for 20 minutes. Turn oven down to 300 and bake an additional 1-6 minutes, until cake pin comes out clean.

Frosting:

4 oz room temp cream cheese

1.5 sticks of room temp salted butter

1/4 c shortening

3.5 c powdered sugar

1 tbsp vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract

1. Beat butter until light and fluffy, about 4 mins.
2. Add cream cheese and beat 1 min.
3. Add shortening and beat 1 min.
4. Add powdered sugar. Beat on low 30 seconds, then med-high to high for 2 minutes.
5. Add vanilla and almond extracts and beat on high additional 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Raspberry Compote:

I throw raspberries, granulated sugar a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt into a pot and let it reduce down until it's the jammy consistency I want.

Pineapple Coconut Sponge
Pineapple Curd
Pineapple Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
Dehydrated Pineapple Slice Flowers

Red Velvet Sponge
Cream Cheese Frosting
Pomegranate Seeds
Thyme from my herb garden

I received a custom cake request for a checkered sponge interior (which I had never attempted before) with frosting in the colors of a specific Indianapolis 500 driver.

Three iterations later, I felt good! This is why practice cakes for beginning bakers are so important!

Version 1: Nailed the checks, cake was just too plain.

Version 2: Added a checkered square to the top of the cake. Did the black and white check piping with a snipped bag.

Version 3: Took the checks edge to edge and over the sides to the edge of the blue. Did the black and white check piping with a tip and used an offset spatula for a cleaner look. I delivered two of this version of the cakes to the client and she was thrilled!

New skills learned and improved upon! I took the first practice cake to the office, which resulted in three additional cake orders. What more could you ask for?

This race themed cake hides a sweet surprise inside…the iconic checkered pattern!

Vanilla and Black Cocoa Sponges
Cookies and Cream filling
Buttercream Frosting

My first checkerboard cake! I received a cake order for an Indianapolis 500 party for one of the drivers (I can’t say who, but avid fans might be able to guess based on the cake!) This was my practice cake today!

Vanilla Sponge
Black Cocoa Sponge
Cookies and Cream Buttercream filling
Buttercream Frosting

Lemon sponge with lemon cream cheese frosting, candied lemons decorations and lemon curd.

I am obsessed with the crumb I get using the reverse creaming method!

Practice cake tonight! Trying out a new brand of pink champagne. This recipe uses almost a whole bottle of champagne.

2/3 cup to flavor the vanilla sponge.

2.5 cups , reduced down to 6 tablespoons, to flavor the ABC.

1/4 cups to flavor the raspberry compote filling.

The leftover champagne becomes a Baker’s Treat while the sponge bakes!

I’ve been thinking about doing a cake like this for a couple of months now.

Sponge is a vanilla sponge flavored with pink champagne.

Filling is ABC and fresh raspberry compote.

ABC frosting flavored with a pink champagne reduction.

The champagne bottle is fondant.

All in, this recipe uses almost a whole bottle of champagne, with just enough left over for a little baker’s treat while the sponge is baking!