CAKE DECORATING - Fresh Flower Cake

For this class, you will need the following equipment:

For Chocolate and Vanilla Cake

• A rubber spatula
• A digital kitchen scale or measuring cups and teaspoons
• 2 medium size mixing bowls
• A KitchenAid stand mixer (optional, can be mixed by hand)
• A whisk
• 3 x 6inch cake pans, or 2 x 6inch tall pans (4’’ tall)
• Parchment 

For Swiss Meringue buttercream 

• A rubber spatula
• A digital kitchen scale or measuring cups and teaspoons
• A KitchenAid stand mixer or hand held blender (this meringue CAN NOT be mixed by hand)
• A medium size metal bowl (for double boiler)
• A medium size pot

For Decorating 

• An offset spatula or flat metal spatula/ medium to large size
• A cake turntable or lazy Susan (optional but strongly recommend)
• A cake board 8-inch
• A bench scraper or flat cake scraper
• Different Colour Gel Dies of your Choosing 
• 1 piping bag
• Small- medium size bowls for mixing buttercream colour
• A Rubber spatula
• 2-3 utensil spoons  

Chocolate Cake Recipe

yields one 6″ cake or three 6" round cake layers

- 252g Sugar

- 57g Oil

- 1 Egg

- 165g All Purpose Flour

- 46g Cocoa Powder

- 5g Baking Powder

- 5g Baking Soda

- 1g Kosher Salt

- 143g Buttermilk

- 50g Boiling water

- 1tsp Vanilla extract (clear)

Method

• Mix oil and sugar together in a mixer
• Add eggs, one at a time.
• Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
• Mix vanilla with buttermilk.
• Mix in dry ingredients and milk mixture alternating - start and finish with flour - into mixer.
• Add boiling water.
• Fill into a greased 6″ cake pan.
• Bake at 325°F for 17 minutes

Vanilla Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 320g or 2 ½  cups of all-purpose flour
•  4 tsp of baking powder
•  ½ tsp of salt
• 4 Eggs room temperature
• 240ml or 1 cup of oil
• 300g or 1 ½  cup of granulated sugar
• 3 tsp of vanilla extract
• 300ml or 1 ⅓  cup of milk at room temperature

Instructions:

1. Using the cake pan, trace the bottom onto parchment. Cut 2 parchment circles. Place circles in the pan so that it lines the bottom. Using 1 teaspoon of butter, grease the sides of the pan.
2. Move the rack into the middle position of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt, mix together with a whisk and set aside.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the oil and sugar until it is well combined.
5. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
6. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk, folding together with a spatula between each addition. Mix the batter until combined. Be careful not to over mix, which will lead to a tough dense cake.
7. Bake the cake for approximately 20-25 minutes.  Each oven at home is different. Use your oven light to check in on the cake, instead of opening and closing your over door.  
8. Cakes are done when you test your cake with a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean. Let the cakes cool on the counter in their pans. Once fully cool, you can remove them from the cake pans, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the freezer. Do not stack soft cakes.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 300g Sugar
• 225g Egg whites (pasteurized)
• 340g Butter (room temperature)
• t.t vanilla - To taste 

Method

• In a large bowl over a ban-Marie combine egg whites and sugar and cook occasionally whisking to allow for even cooking.
• Mixture is ready when its warm to touch and sugar is dissolved completely (rub the mixture between your fingers, continue to cook if you feel the texture to be gritty.)
• Transfer to an electric mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk until it is cool to touch, usually around 25 minutes.
• Add softened butter gradually and whip until incorporated, then add vanilla or the flavours of your choice.
• Flavour the buttercream however you like, whip in extract, melted chocolate, fruit purees or even Oreo crumbs, let your creativity shine!!!

Buttercream Troubleshooting 

The number one problem with buttercream is splitting, if this happens try one of the following solutions.

With heat – Warm Buttercream slightly, this can be done by microwaving it of 10 second blasts whisking each time until it comes together.  If you like, remove a tablespoon of the mixture melt it completely in the microwave and add it back to the mixture.

With friction – Continue to whip buttercream in a stand mixer, sometimes it can take approximately ten minutes to come back together.

With butter – Add more room temperature butter, do this one tablespoon at a time until the mixture comes back together.

AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM

YIELDS: yields enough buttercream to stack and mask a 6” round cake

INGREDIENTS:

• 900g butter (room temperature)
  • 480g icing sugar (sifted)
  • upto 250g whole milk(room temperature)

METHOD:

1. Mix the room temperature butter using an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth and fluffy
2. Add sifted icing sugar in 2-3 parts. Mix each time starting on low speed and mix until the mixture is homogeneous, light and fluffy.
3. Add milk a little at a time on low speed, thoroughly incorporating any liquid before the addition of more milk and scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time. You can add more milk for a looser texture or less milk for a firmer texture.
4. Use buttercream to decorate on the same day or transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to one week or the freezer for up to three months.  LET’S BAKE!

TIPS AND TRICKS:

• you can heat up your milk to room temperature in the microwave or in a saucepan
• icing sugar is also called “powdered” or “confectioner’s sugar” in some countries
• granulated sugar can be used in place of icing sugar, but the frosting will be a little bit granular in texture from the sugar crystals
• pair bold flavours which go well with butter for an ‘American’ buttercream