I rarely need an excuse to make a cake. I do however need people with a healthy appetite for sugar and butter. Surely, there is no point in making a cake and eating it all to yourself. Cake is meant to be shared with friends and family and is meant to bring people together. It is sweet, often colorful, and sometimes filled with coins wrapped in parchment paper, thanks to my grandmother.
This weekend I chose to share my cake with friends. Special friends who gathered together to share a joyous occasion. The celebration of two people committing to share their lives together. It was indeed a fine occasion for cake.
It was a very small and intimate wedding that took place in Victoria British Columbia. We all put on our best Sunday attire, bow ties and all, and gathered to witness the love shared by two people. On that day, the weather was fierce, strong and bold. Nothing could get in the way of these two people, not even mother nature.
To celebrate the fine occasion, we drank pink sparkly champagne and snacked on goldfish crackers and salt and vinegar chips. We shared stories and laughs. Our cheeks blushed pink as we all got a little tipsy.
We then headed down to the restaurant and dined on rich and creamy seafood risotto. Salmon cooked to perfection. Sweet buttery brioche. Dark chocolate creme brulee. Fancy cocktails with gin and cucumbers. I was stuffed to the brim. It was a perfect weekend.
TURQUOISE ROSE CAKE RECIPE
makes 3 - 9 inch cake rounds
recipe adapted from
INGREDIENTS
10 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 cups whole milk, room temperature
4 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
5 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
3 1/2 cups sugar
3 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature cut into cubes
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
In a bowl, add the egg whites, 1/2 cup of milk, and vanilla. Stir with a wire whisk and set to the side.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt for 30 seconds.
Add the butter and remaining 1 cup of milk, and mix on low speed until ingredients have been moistened and combined. Increase to medium speed and continue to mix until the the batter begins to clump and form to the paddle.
On low speed, slowly add the egg mixture in 5 - 6 separate batches, beating for 20 seconds in between.
Separate the batter into 4 bowls. Leave the first bowl the original batter color. Add two drops of turquoise food coloring to the second bowl. Add 4 to the third and 8 to the fourth. Stir each bowl of batter. Each bowl should be a different color of blue, each getting progressively darker.
Pour the batter into 4 greased and parchment paper lined, 9 inch round cake pans.
Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Do not open the oven before 20 minutes to check the cake or it will fall. After 20 minutes, if the cake is not done, continue to check every 2 minutes. Do not over bake or the cake will become too dry.
Remove the pans from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove the cake from the pans with a knife or cake lifter, and then transfer to a wire wrack to let cool completely before being iced.
With a serrated knife or a cake leveler, remove the tops of each cake to create a clean flat edge. This will allow the cake to look more esthetically appealing and sit evenly on top. Place the first cake round onto a cake stand, cut side facing down. Apply a layer of plain vanilla icing on top. Place the next cake round on top, cut side facing down, and continue icing in the same manner. Once you have layered all 4 cake rounds, place a thin layer of the plain vanilla icing on the top and sides of the cake. This will hide the colored cake and allow for easier decoration with.
11. Pipe the flowers around the cake, starting with the darker turquoise at the bottom and finishing with white on the top. Follow this
for a great tutorial from
I am Baker
on how to create beautiful icing flowers.
WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTER CREAM RECIPE
makes 5 cups
recipe from
INGREDIENTS
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
5 cups powder sugar, sifted
pinch of salt
12 oz good quality white chocolate
(do not use chips or candy melts)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
In a microwave safe bowl, heat the white chocolate for 30 second increments, stirring in between until the chocolate has melted. Set the bowl to the side and let the chocolate cool.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar, and salt. Cream it together on medium speed for 3 minutes.
Add the whipping cream and vanilla and combine, approximately 60 seconds.
Fold in the cooled melted chocolate, stirring until just incorporated. Increase the speed to high and whip the frosting until fluffy.
Separate the icing into two bowls. Use the first bowl to ice in between the cake layers, and the top and sides.
Take the second bowl of icing and divide into three batches. Leave the first bowl plain, add 2 drops of turquoise food coloring to the second, and 6 to the third. Stir. You should now have one bowl of plain white icing, one bowl of light blue, and one bowl of turquoise icing.
