I was a bit out of sorts with this one and was so excited to package the finished cake that I didn't get a happy snap. It was a Square cake too! :(
I don't do very many Baptism cakes either so this was the best I could do.
Silly ol' me use to think a stick of butter was 250 grams. For clarity, it is not, 1 stick = 125 grams. Needless to say, some things didn't turn out so well. I made a simple vanilla buttercream once (way back at the beginning of my culinary adventures) with what I thought were the right ratios. Essentially it was 250 grams of butter to about 250 grams of icing sugar. I even put it on my cupcakes and gave it to my friends who then proceeded to eat the cupcakes. I'm not sure if anyone realised what I'd done and why the icing was well so.. buttery. Anyway, they probably gained a pound of two because of me that day. hehehe... ^-^
I now have in my head that it is 1 cup of icing sugar to roughly 60 grams of butter for buttercream plus vanilla, a dash of milk, etc.
Sometimes, you just need a recipe to guide you and this is one of the best Chocolate Buttercream recipes I have come across. Light, fluffy, buttery, chocolately and absolutely not sickening sweet. I used it to pipe words, I used it to pipe borders and to fill my cake.
Chocolate Buttercream (adapted from addapinch.com)
Makes about 8 Cups
Ingredients:
375 g butter, softened
5 C (650 g) icing sugar mixture
1 C cocoa (I used Hershey's)
1/3 C milk (or less, depending on consistency required)
1 t vanilla essence (mine was organic)
pinch salt
Method:
1. Beat all ingredients together until well combined, fluffy and pale in colour. You may choose to add milk last and as required until the right consistency is achieved.
I now have in my head that it is 1 cup of icing sugar to roughly 60 grams of butter for buttercream plus vanilla, a dash of milk, etc.
Sometimes, you just need a recipe to guide you and this is one of the best Chocolate Buttercream recipes I have come across. Light, fluffy, buttery, chocolately and absolutely not sickening sweet. I used it to pipe words, I used it to pipe borders and to fill my cake.
Chocolate Buttercream (adapted from addapinch.com)
Makes about 8 Cups
Ingredients:
375 g butter, softened
5 C (650 g) icing sugar mixture
1 C cocoa (I used Hershey's)
1/3 C milk (or less, depending on consistency required)
1 t vanilla essence (mine was organic)
pinch salt
Method:
1. Beat all ingredients together until well combined, fluffy and pale in colour. You may choose to add milk last and as required until the right consistency is achieved.
I use to get away with not having to temper chocolate before melting and making cool shapes. But in the current humid and warmer weather, it's not a great idea.
It melts and it doesn't re-set. I think its my cue to learn how to actually temper chocolate.
In the meantime though, I can make loads of chocolate ganache, chocolate dipped goodies, shaved chocolate, piped chocolate, chocolate borders, etc etc. And yes, it is a pretty messy job. If it's too warm, it's too runny and if it's too cold, it sets before you can pipe and shape it. Many nights, chocolate is not my friend.
But its everywhere. And if it's not, then cocoa is.
It is just that popular in cake form! Almost as popular as my Chocolate Caramel Ombre Cake. Another variation below.
It's always exciting to remake a cake. From a purely 'numbers and time' point of view, it is very economical because you already know mentally what needs more time, where you can save time and how you can achieve everything in less time.
It also gave me more experience in portioning. Because a taller tier cake means you don't need the cake to be as large is diameter as the additional height makes up for it. This is still something relatively new to me (yet it is so logical). I guess coming from a hostess' point of view, I always want to ensure that there is slightly more than enough rather than "just enough". This translates to cake sizes. And I also want to be fair from a pricing perspective. So these days, when I have customers asking for a quote, I always ask how many serves required. If they ask for 30, then I try to cater for 35. If they are for 35, then I try to cater for 40. Of course, sometimes it is not so simple with the tiered and larger cakes.
It's always very interesting to do your own research on this. It depends on the person cutting the cake, the sharpness of the knife. The general consensus is that a coffee (finger) slice is 1" x 1" x 4" and a dessert (party) slice is 1" x 2" x 4". Great to keep in mind for your next occasion.
And if you're a bit like me and aspire to be something along the lines of Hostess with the Mostess (Yes, I think she actually exists), then Pintrest is a great place and guide to how many portions of different types of foods and drinks you should have. I've learnt over the years that... Less really is more. Unless you want to try making all these things because otherwise you won't have the chance to or time to or just want to show off your amazing kitchen skills. Then it's a good idea to ask your guests to bring tupperware ;)
Hi Everyone!
We had a bit of a "shut down" period between Australia Day and Valentine's day but don't worry, we're back refreshed and excited to cater for all your baking requirements for the rest of the year. We've got some pretty amazing cakes lined up so come back soon!
