Friday, July 29, 2011

How to assemble and ganache a cake

When it comes to making cakes, there are a few key steps that you  don't want to miss if you want your final results to be neat and tasty.

For more pictures and details on basic cake decorating, be sure to check out Planet Cake's latest book :D

Make sure that you give yourself at least two days to make the cake, three if you have extensive decorations to make. Make the cake and the ganache the first day, let them sit in the fridge overnight, and then do the ganache and decorations the second day. 

Once your cake has cooled overnight, begin by letting it come back to about room temperature, as it will be easier to cut if it is cool , but not solid like it will be when you first take it out of the fridge.


  • Begin by trimming the top of the cake so it is nice and flat on top.

  • Place the cake on a flat surface (the book recommends a turntable, but I just set it on my kitchen counter) and score the side of the cake twice so that when you cut you will come up with 3 equal sized pieces. Using a long serrated knife cut through the side of the cake, making sure to keep the knife as level as possible all the way across, AND be sure to keep your other hand on top of the cake to keep it from moving too much (NEVER on the side of the cake, we don't want any accidents, here) . Repeat to get the third layer. 


  •  Use a knife (preferably a palette knife if you have one) to spread some ganache or buttercream (whichever you are using to cover the cake with, although ganache does give a much cleaner finish) onto a cake board the same size as the cake your'e using. Apply the ganche or buttercream to each layer of the cake and sandwich them together. 
Cake board covered with ganache

Sandwiching the layers together
  •  Apply your ganache/buttercream to the sides of the cake. Try to get the edges as sharp as you can.

  • Once you have a smooth finish, let the ganache set. I just put my cake in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Then apply ganache to the top of the cake and let it set for about another hour in the fridge. Remove all excess and try to keep everything even and the edges sharp.
That's about as smooth as I could get it with a butter knife...but it worked!
 Now you can cover with fondant or just begin decorating as you please!

As I make more cakes I will do more tutorials on how to cover round cakes, shaped cakes, and cupcakes.

Oh, and here is the recipe for the ganache that I used. It made enough to cover a 9x9 square cake as seen here with plenty left over.


Dark Chocolate Ganache

2 lb 10 oz dark chocolate
2 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon whipping cream

  1. Place chocolate in a large bowl.
  2. Put the cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and mix with a hand whisk until smooth. Allow to cool and then refrigerate.

Monday, July 25, 2011

My Sushi Obsession in the form of Birthday Cake

It's my birthday!

Okay, not today it's not, but it was two weeks ago when I made this cake!

I have a tendency to be just a tad indecisive when it comes to actually carrying out a task. From choosing what type of confection to make, to which recipe specifically to use; and to most things besides baking (which is why most people refuse to go shopping with me,and I do not blame them). So originally when thinking about what I wanted to make for my birthday, I was thinking of cupcakes, a cake, some candies; should I try something challenging and new or should I stick with a tried and true favorite? Ultimately I decided to go traditional with a cake, but then I was hung up on what I should make the theme. Something elegant and simple or something creative and whimsical?
A little sneak peak for what's to come...

 My inspiration came to me in the form of one of my favorite foods. What better than making something delicious look like something else delicious? So I decided on a sushi themed cake. I am always trying to get people to go out and try it because there is the misconception that all sushi is just raw fish and that is usually off-putting to most people and a leading reason why they won't try it.

With this cake I really pulled out all the stops. I had my new Planet Cake decorating book on hand and I took two days off so I wouldn't skip a single step to finish it. I started with a white chocolate mud cake, layered it with dark chocolate ganache, and then used fondant for the decorations. I actually used store bought fondant for the first time with this cake. In the past I have always made marshmallow fondant from scratch, and in my opinion the most noticeable difference between the two is that 1.) store bought fondant is more expensive,and 2.)store bought fondant is ready to use so you save quite a bit of preparation time when using it. As far as taste and reliability go, there isn't too major of a difference. I will be soon posting a tutorial on how to make marshmallow fondant from scratch,though, so keep an eye out!

Are you ready to see the cake?


Sushi!


Look, I made "paper screens",too!

Makizushi

Gotta have some wasabi and ginger!


Soy sauce and chopsticks

Makizushi with a little nigiri



It's all about the layers

What your hands look like with your color fondant without gloves on


The only thing that bothered me about this cake is that I couldn't find any white sprinkles in such short notice to use on the rolls for "rice" :( Alas, I am still fairly satisfied with the outcome. My next post will be a small guide on how to make and assemble the cake that I have used here; just the basic square cake, layered with ganache and covered properly with fondant.



Friday, July 22, 2011

Turtle Cupcakes

Rich, decadent, and deliciously moist, these cupcakes are the perfect treat for a sophisticated sweet tooth.


I found this recipe for turtle cupcakes on Bakers Royale  and saw quickly that these would more than suffice for my friends preferences. 

Not to mention they have homemade caramel in the center, and I am always looking for new techniques to learn :)

A bit of a warning: these cupcakes are SWEET! Less for the light-hearted of you who prefer tame desserts, and more for those of you who eat pancakes and Oreos for breakfast like myself. 
The cupcake itself is dense and rich and the caramel soaks into the cake to give it a moist, melt in your mouth texture, and the caramel buttercream is exceptionally sweet. I couldn't purchase the rum that the original recipe calls for, and Meijer was out of rum extract and my car near out of gas, so I had to settle for the almond extract I already had at home. I could have just used all vanilla extract, but why not experiment, right? 

Chocolate Cupcakes(makes about 24)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
6 ounces chocolate, melted
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat.
  5. Bake for 20–25 minutes.Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before filling with caramel.


 Caramel Sauce

5 tablespoons  water
3/4 cup  sugar
2/3 cup whipping cream

  1. Place the sugar and the water in a small saucepan over high heat. Now and then, using the handle give the pot a swirl to keep the mixture moving. Do not stir the mixture directly. The mixture will start to bubble after a minute.
  2. After approximately 3 minutes you will see a light shade of amber.
  3. Another 30-90 seconds and the mixture will turn a dark shade of amber.
  4. Once the mixture is a dark amber, turn off the heat and add the cream. Whisk to combine, do not worry about the bubbles as they will subside upon cooling. Set aside.
 *PLEASE watch the mixture while you are cooking it! It is very easy to burn, mine started to and luckily I saved it, but it only takes a second of distraction!


Caramel Buttercream

½ cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
2 tbsp water
½ tsp salt
¼ cup whipping cream
¼  cup whole milk
4 egg yolks
2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp dark rum
  1. Add water and sugar into a saucepan over low heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Use a wet brush to remove any crystals that form on the side.
  2. Increase heat to high. Now and then, using the handle give the pot a swirl to keep the mixture moving. Do not stir the mixture directly. The mixture will start to bubble after a minute.
  3. After approximately 3 minutes you will see a light shade of amber and after another 30-90 seconds the mixture will turn a dark shade of amber.
  4. Once the mixture is a dark amber, turn off the heat and add the cream and milk. Whisk to combine, do not worry about the bubbles as they will subside upon. Set aside and let cool .
  5. Whisk egg yolks, two remaining tablespoons of sugar, and salt. Slowly add hot caramel while whisking mixture.
  6. Pour combined mixture back into saucepan over medium low heat, stirring continuously until mixture coats the back of the spoon. 
  7. Remove from heat. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into the stand-mixer bowl. Beat the mixture with the wire whip at medium speed until it is light and cool. Make sure the mixture at this point is completely cool before adding the butter.Gradually add 2 tablespoons at a time, beat in the softened butter at medium speed. When all of the butter has been incorporated, beat the buttercream on high until mixture is light and fluffy (approximately 1 minute). Reduce the speed and beat in the vanilla and rum. Increase the speed once again and beat the buttercream for another minute, until it’s light and creamy.
 Perhaps I faulted somewhere in this process, but I did not have near enough frosting for all of my cupcakes with this recipe...
 But I did have plenty of these delicious little sprinkles for the topping, so it worked out fine: 


Brown Sugar Pecans (makes plenty)
1 cup pecans
6 tablespoons butter
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

  1. Line bake sheet with foil.Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat, add brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Stir for one minute and remove from heat.
  2. Continue stirring until brown sugar dissolves.
  3. Toss pecans in mixture and spread over baking sheet, making sure to break up any clumps that may have formed.  
  4. Bake at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes, stirring half way through.
*These make your house smell SO good while they're cooking!

Okay, now all the components are made and all your cupcakes are cooled. 
To assemble:
Cut a hole in the top of each cupcake (I just used a small paring knife) and set the portion you cut off aside. Fill all the cupcake holes with the caramel sauce and trim the hole you cut out so that it is just a small flat disk of cake and place it on top of the caramel.
Kind of rugged looking,huh?

Frost cupcakes as you desire (I made this occasion an excuse to finally go out and buy a closed star tip) and then sprinkle with the brown sugar pecans. 






I just drizzled some melted chocolate on top.




















Surprise! Caramel!