I'm beginning to become a bit of a cake lady. I've always been the first to offer to bake a cake for a friend's birthday and have, for years. But, the last couple of cakes I've made have been more ambitious than anything I've made before now--they've involved homemade fondant, hand cut shapes, colors, designs, and so much more. (See the Coconut Cake recipe for Lydia's birthday to see what I mean!).
This weekend I made the ultimate black & white hipster cake for my friend Sam's birthday--a dark, dark chocolate cake covered with black chocolate fondant and a top layer of vanilla cake with vanilla bean icing and vanilla fondant. I served the cake at a fabulous birthday party for my friend Sam last night, and by and large, rumor had that it was clearly delicious!
Chocolate Cake
This cake comes from Elise Bauer's friend Suzanne over at Simply Recipes and can be found here. This cake is fantastic: an intense amount of chocolate mixed with an intense amount of chocolate makes for a moist, decadent cake.
Ingredients
* 3 cups cake flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 2/3 cups sugar
* 1 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa
* 1 cup + 2 tablespoons water
* 1 cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil
* 5 large, or 4 extra large eggs
* 3/4 cup water, additional
* 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Frosting
*1 pound (16 oz) powdered sugar
* 1 cup dark cocoa
* a flavoring liquid--almond extract, vanilla extract, rum, or water
* 1 1/4 cup - 1 1/2 cup butter
1.)Preheat oven to 350F. Begin by mixing the dry ingredients in a separate bowl--flour, salt, baking soda, cocoa, baking powder. Use a whisk or sifter.
2.) In a separate container, preferably your Kitchenaid mixer, mix 1 cup and 2 tablespoons water and 1 cup and 2 tablespoons canola oil. Mix on low-medium for one minute.
3.) Add eggs, 3/4 cup water, sugar, vanilla and almond extract. Mix for 3-4 minutes with your Kitchenaid Mixer (a couple of minutes longer with your hand and whisk).
4.) Grease 4 regular size cake pans (either 8 in. or 10 in.). Pour cake batter evenly into each pan and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool.
Prepare Frosting
1.) First, whisk cocoa and powdered sugar, or pulse several times in a food processor.
2.) Drizzle in--until the consistency of firm butter--several tablespoons of flavoring liquid (I used an amalgam of almond extract and vanilla, but you can use rum, or even water).
3.) Add 1 1/4-1 1/2 cups butter (firm, but not too soft or hard) to powdered sugar + flavoring liquid mixture. I used my Kitchenaid and its paddle to properly integrate the two ingredients. Mix on low speed for several minutes, or until dark chocolate in color. Scrape down sides of the bowl and taste. The consistency should be smooth enough to spread, but also firm enough to hold the cake together.
4.) Ice cake--between the layers, the top, and all around the sides.
FONDANT
This recipe comes from a chef named Peggy Weaver whose food and cooking website--Peggy's Baking Corner--is certainly worth checking out for all of its useful tips on cake baking, fondant, and the like. You can find this basic fondant recipe here.
Ingredients
* 16 oz. white mini marshmallows
* 2 to 5 tablespoons water
* 2 pounds powdered sugar
* 1/2 cup Crisco
OTHER INGREDIENTS
* 1 small bottle of McCormick's black food coloring (if you're preparing the black layer, then use the below recipe and the entire small bottle of black food icing. It will be very black and you will be very pleased!).
1.) Begin by melting the marshmallows. Peggy suggests you use the microwave, but the quantity of fondant this recipe yields is better suited for a large deep skillet on your stove top. Using a big deep skillet, add all of the marshmallows, 2 tablespoons water, and the bottle of food dye if you're making the black layer of fondant (it's water based, so the food coloring will easy substitute as the water necessary for this recipe). However, if you're not dying this layer of fondant, add 2 more tablespoons of water.
2.) Stir constantly until mixture is smooth. Add 3/4 of the powdered sugar (just short of 2 lbs of powdered sugar) and mix in until fully integrated.
3.) Grease clean surface or counter and add the remaining 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Empty pan onto surface and thoroughly grease your hands.
4.) Begin kneading the fondant like dough. Add the powdered sugar thoroughly and continue to knead until a stiff, but sticky dough forms. If your dough tears too easily, add a tablespoon of water until the texture feels stiff and stretchy. If the dough is too wet, add more powdered sugar, or a teaspoon of corn starch at a time.
5.) Wrap fondant in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Fondant will keep in the freezer for a couple months, but I prefer to use it within 24 hours.
6.) When ready to roll out the fondant, thoroughly flour your surface with corn starch and the dough ball. The fondant will be stiff and will need a lot of kneading until it begins to yield to your pressure. Roll with a standard rolling pin to the desired layer of thickness (but not too thin). Lay over iced cake and trim excess fondant off with a pizza cutter.
7.) Serve final cake to hungry hipsters and ENJOY!
Say hello to Sam and his fellow birthday friend:
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