Monday, April 5, 2010

Dry Run, Mom's unofficial birthday cake

Hello. Yes, I'm back for more.

(I even made a little rose)

This weekend I made a wedding cake in its entirety and figured I should transport it an hour away to my sister's. We left the cakes out next to a big sunny window for an whole day to test the frosting and construction. The moussline butter cream held up quite well; no crusting, no gummies etc. though it has gotten a bit soft in the process. The wedding will not take more than 4-5 hours, so we are safe.

It has been a while since I baked the test cakes and I've partially forgot the texture of the cake I
was going for- so there is more tweaking needed. The cakes were great, but I wish they are not as delicate and crumbly (personal preference, really), I might run the machine a little longer or introduce a bit of regular flour for protein/gluten in the mix to build more structure. Also forgot the brush the cake each cake layer with syrup (too sleepy).

Of course, I've procrastinated until the last few days to get the components together, so I was filling and frosting till 3AM on Friday night. Yep, we know how to have a good time, we party hard..

Nic's wedding will coincide with my mom's birthday, so we pretend, for the moment, that this is mom's birthday cake.


My tubby self eating a cake-filled boba straw that was used for support.


The cakes were nonetheless delicious. the moist issue will be solved with brushing syrup and the creme anglaise and chocolate sauce that will be pooled @ the bottom of the plate.

12 comments:

  1. Awesome job! I like the framing of your pictures; so much more artistic. Especially the shot of the cake from the top down. =)

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  2. Gorgeous! This really has been quite a process! I can't believe it!

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  3. I now believe that cake making is an art and I see your artist colors shining through with your dedication and creativity in this process....Signed a secret admirer

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  4. Jeni - You are AMAZING..Dani..

    The world is a better place when our tummies are happy!

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  5. Did you see Rob's kid picture he posted. He's in a sailor suit? Nicolette

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  6. holy crap! you guys actually posted comments! Thanks for making look like i'm not posting this just for my mom.

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  7. What frosting recipe did you use? I may or may not be making a wedding cake for a friend too...

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  8. For this one, I used the Mousseline Buttercream (swiss meringue buttercream) from The Cake Bible. This one involves boiling sugar syrup, whipping meringue and adding butter with an option to add flavored liquor. The actual wedding cake, however, I will not be adding liquor and will be using this (actually easier) buttercream. It is similar in texture and sweetness. I encourage you to try this; it turns out well for me every time.
    http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/07/project-wedding-cake-swiss-buttercream/

    (thanks for writing!)

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  9. my very large stomach is growling... - Janet

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  10. These pics and article are cool. I want to see more!!! I want to see more!!! Please, please, please!!!

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  11. BTW-it's me, Martha :) (How do I know what my URL is????)

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