Summer Cakes in Pretty Pastels, Dots and Ruffles

Summer Cakes in Pretty Pastels, Dots and Ruffles...

“Pearls and Ruffles”

Chocolate Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs (room temperature)
1 cup milk (room temperature)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla

Almond Buttercream:

· 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

· 4 cups powdered sugar

· 2 tablespoons meringue powder

· 1 ½ teaspoons almond extract

· 4 tablespoons milk

Almond Filling:

· 1 cup almond buttercream (above)

· 8 ounces almond paste

Bake the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray the bottoms only of three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray, line with parchment paper, and spray the paper also. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and beat for 2-3 minutes, until well combined. Divide batter between the pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks, covered loosely with a clean kitchen towel.

Make the Buttercream and Filling:

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for one minute. Combine the powdered sugar and meringue powder, and with the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar a spoonful at a time. Add the almond extract and milk, and beat on medium high for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add food coloring, if desired.

Beat one cup of the buttercream with the almond paste until smooth. Set aside.

Assemble and Decorate:

Remove the cakes from the pans and level the tops, if needed. Place one of the cakes on a pedestal or cake board and top with half the filling. Add another cake and top with the rest of the filling. Add the last cake. Frost all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream, and chill for 15 minutes in the refrigerator before frosting with a final layer of buttercream.

For the pearls and ruffles, I used a small round tip to pipe white buttercream in rows of small dots, then a medium rose tip to pipe the ruffles in tinted buttercream, from the bottom edge, up to the top center, alongside the dots. Hold the piping bag with the wide side of the rose tip against the cake, and the narrow side facing out, to create the ruffles. It’s a good idea to practice on a plate to get a feel for the design, before piping onto the cake.

“Sweet Daisies”

Lemon Cake:

· ½ box white cake mix

· 2 eggs

· 1/3 cup buttermilk

· ¼ cup lemon juice

· ¼ cup oil

· Zest of 2 lemons

Lemon Buttercream:

· 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

· 3 cups powdered sugar

· 2 tablespoon meringue powder

· Zest and juice of 1 lemon

· Milk, if needed

Lemon Filling:

· ½ cup lemon curd

Bake the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray the bottoms only of three 6-inch cake pans with non-stick spray, line with parchment paper, and spray the paper also. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat all of the cake ingredients for 2-3 minutes, until well combined. Divide batter between the pans and bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks, covered loosely with a clean kitchen towel.

Make the Buttercream:

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for one minute. Combine the powdered sugar and meringue powder, and with the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar a spoonful at a time. Add the lemon zest, juice and milk, and beat on medium high for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add food coloring, if desired.

Assemble and Decorate:

Remove the cakes from the pans and level the tops, if needed. Place one of the cakes on a pedestal or cake board and top with half the lemon curd. Add another cake and top with the rest of the lemon curd. Add the last cake. Frost all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream, and chill for 15 minutes in the refrigerator before frosting with a final layer of buttercream.

I used a small round tip to pipe all the dots around the sides of the cake, for the centers and petals of the daisies. Then I piped the large daisy on top with the same round tip.

“Pretty in Pink”

White Cake:

· ½ box white cake mix

· 2 eggs

· ½ cup whole milk/cream

· ¼ cup oil

· 1 teaspoon vanilla

Raspberry Buttercream:

· 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

· 3 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam

· 3 cups powdered sugar

· 1 tablespoon meringue powder

· 1 teaspoon vanilla

· 2-3 tablespoons milk

Raspberry Filling:

· ½ cup raspberry buttercream, above

· 6 ounces fresh raspberries

Bake the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray the bottoms only of three 6-inch cake pans with non-stick spray, line with parchment paper, and spray the paper also. Set aside.

Make the Buttercream and Filling:

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and raspberry jam for one minute. Combine the powdered sugar and meringue powder, and with the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar a spoonful at a time. Add the vanilla and milk, and beat on medium high for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add food coloring, if desired.

Mix ½ cup of the buttercream with fresh raspberries, for the filling.

Assemble and Decorate:

For ruffles, I used a small rose tip to pipe the ruffles around the sides of the cake. Hold the piping bag with the wide side of the rose tip against the cake, and the narrow side facing out, to create the ruffles. It’s a good idea to practice on a plate to get a feel for the design, before piping onto the cake. Then I piped the ruffles on top of the cake, starting at the center and moving to the edge. I then used a small round tip to pipe white buttercream dots between the rows of ruffles.

Recipes and Designs from Curly Girl Kitchen