Category Archives: Cakes

Cakes of all kind

Beer Mug Cake

July 2, 2017 Chelsweets Leave a comment

Originally I wanted to share a beer cake for Father’s Day, but I wasn’t able to edit the footage in time! Luckily, beer never goes out of style, and this cake is also perfect for summertime bbqs / cook outs! I replaced some of the buttermilk with beer in my go-to vanilla layer cake recipe, and frosted the cake with a vanilla buttercream. The full recipe and instructions can be found below:

Beer Cake Batter:

2 1/8 cup flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1.5 sticks), room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup egg whites, room temperature
1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 cup beer, room temperature (I used Budweiser)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

American Buttercream Ingredients:

6 sticks (3 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
12 cups powdered sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp. heavy cream
3 tsp vanilla

Additional Decorations:

white gum paste or fondant with tylose powder
toothpicks

Instructions:

Prepare the beer handle the night before using white gum paste or fondant with tylose powder. Mold handle to be roughly 6 inches tall, and insert toothpicks into the tips of the handle. Set onto parchment paper to fully firm overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line six 6” round pans.

Begin by preparing the cake batter. Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined.

Mix chunks of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture becomes crumbly.

Pour in egg whites, and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in the buttermilk on a low speed, and then the beer. Add in oil and vanilla, and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium high for about 30 seconds.

Divide evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around perimeter of the pan to separate the cake from the pan. Place cake layers on a rack to finish cooling.

While the cakes bake and cool, prepare the buttercream frosting (click here for tutorial). Whip the butter until it is light and creamy, then slowly add the powdered sugar. Alternate installments of powdered sugar with heavy cream, and continue mixing until the frosting has reached desired consistency. Add salt, and vanilla extract, and continue mixing on medium-low until fully incorporated. Color 2/3 of the frosting the shade of your favorite beer, and leave the remaining 1/3 uncolored. Place the white buttercream in a piping bag.

Stack and frost the cake layers using the beer colored frosting. Once stacked, apply a thin crumb coat. Chill cake in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Once the crumb coat is firm to the touch, apply a thick, second layer of frosting. Pipe a line of white frosting around the base of the cake, the cover the rest of the cake with the beer colored frosting. Smooth with a bench scraper. Clean the bench scraper, then make vertical lines around the sides of the cake, roughly 1 inch apart.

Gently insert handle into the side of the cake. Use the remaining white frosting to pipe foam around the top of the cake, and a bit down the sides of the cake.

Oreo Waffle Cake

July 2, 2017 Chelsweets 2 Comments

As part of Oreo’s flavor creation campaign, I made an Oreo waffle Cake! I used my go-to vanilla layer cake recipe, and added crushed oreos and a touch of maple extract! I frosted the cake with a maple buttercream, and drizzled some maple caramel between the layers. It’s any waffle enthusiast’s dream, plus oreos!! The full recipe can be found below:

Maple Oreo Cake Batter:

3 1/4 cup flour
3 cups granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
1 tsp maple extract
1 cup eggs white, room temperature (I use egg whites from the carton to avoid wasting egg yolks)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped oreos

Maple Buttercream:

5 sticks butter
10 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. maple extract
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. salt

Maple Caramel Recipe:

1 cup granulated sugar
6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp maple extract

Additional Decorations:

Miniature waffles
milka oreo chocolate bars
1 cup crushed oreos (to place between layers and for decoration)
1 sleeve regular oreos

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line four 8” round pans.

Begin by preparing the cake batter. Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined.

Mix chunks of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture becomes crumbly.

Pour in egg whites, and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in the buttermilk in two installments, on a low speed. Add in maple extract and oil, and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium high for about 30 seconds. Fold in crushed oreos using a spatula.

Divide evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around perimeter of the pan to separate the cake from the pan. Place cake layers on a rack to finish cooling.

While the cakes bake and cool, prepare the maple buttercream frosting (click here for tutorial). Whip the butter until it is light and creamy, then slowly add the powdered sugar. Alternate installments of powdered sugar with heavy cream, and continue mixing until the frosting has reached desired consistency. Add salt, and maple extract, and vanilla, and continue mixing on medium-low until fully incorporated.

Next, prepare the maple caramel (click here for a tutorial)! Turn stove onto medium heat, and place a pot over element. Pour in sugar. Using a heat proof stirring utensil (I use an old-fashioned wooden spoon), stir until sugar begins to melt into a clear liquid. Continue to stir, until clumps of sugar begin to form. Slowly the color of the sugar clump will deepen from white to amber. Keep stirring until all the clump of sugar have dissolved, and then turn off the heat. Mix in butter slowly, then stir in cream, maple extract, and salt. Place in fridge to cool for 20 minutes, then pour into desired container. I put mine in a squirt bottle (for drizzling)!

For the cake assembly, I also made miniature waffles to decorate the cake. I used pre-made waffle mix, as this cake already has enough components from scratch!! I also added 1/2 cup of crushed oreos. You could also cut out premade waffles using a circle cutter to make miniature waffles!

Stack and frost the cake layers, adding a few spoonfuls of crushed Oreos and a drizzle of maple caramel between each layer.

Once stacked, apply a thin crumb coat. Chill cake in the freezer for 5 minutes. Once the crumb coat is firm to the touch, apply a thick, second layer of frosting. Smooth with a bench scraper. Alternate adding full Oreo cookies and waffles to the base of the cake. Chill cake again for 5 minutes in the freezer. Add warm drizzle of maple caramel around the sides of cake using a squirt bottle or spoon, then pipe swirls around the top of the cake using a Wilton 4B tip.

I topped my swirls with bits of Milka oreo chocolate bar and tiny circle waffle cutouts, but it’s optional!!

Cakes, Uncategorized

Arnold Palmer Cake

July 1, 2017 Chelsweets 2 Comments

In homage to one of my favorite summer drinks, I made an Arnold Palmer cake! It’s made with tea flavored cake layers, and a fresh lemon buttercream. I used my go-to vanilla layer cake recipe, and incorporated some iced tea powder into the cake base. For the frosting, I added some fresh lemon zest and juice to my favorite american buttercream. The full recipe can be found below:

Iced Tea Cake:

3 1/4 cup flour
3 cups granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
3 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup egg whites (about 7 large egg whites)
2 Tbsp Lipton lemon iced tea powder
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
1/8 cup vegetable oil

Fresh Lemon Buttercream:

6 sticks (3 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
12 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
zest of 1 large lemon
juice of 1 large lemon

Sugar Ice Cubes:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
dash of cream of tartar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line four 7” round pans.

Begin by making the cake batter. Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined.

Mix chunks of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture becomes crumbly.

Pour in egg whites, and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix iced tea powder into the buttermilk, and add in two installments, on a low speed. Add in vanilla and oil, and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium high for about 30 seconds.

Divide evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around perimeter of the pan to separate the cake from the pan. Place cake layers on a rack to finish cooling.

While the cake layers bake and cool, make the sugar ice cubes! Mix water, corn syrup, white sugar, and cream of tartar in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Use a candy thermometer and boil until temperature reaches 300 degrees (hard ball), being sure to stir constantly. The mixture will thicken as water evaporates. When sugar reaches 300 degrees, quickly pour into silicone ice cube trays. Cool until completely hardened.

Next, prepare the frosting! Beat the butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment, until smooth. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Alternate with small splashes of cream. Once fully mixed, add in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt, and beat on medium low until the ingredients are fully incorporated, and the desired consistency is reached. If the frosting is too thick, add in cream (1 teaspoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (quarter of a cup at a time).

NOTE: When are making frosting for a cake, it is important to mix the buttercream on low at the end of the process for a couple minutes, to get out any extra air that might have be incorporated during the mixing process. This will make it easier to get super smooth sides on your cake!

Divide the frosting evenly between three bowls coloring once bright yellow, one pale yellow, and leaving one uncolored. Place frosting into piping bags.

Once layers are fully cooled, begin to assemble the cake. Pipe rings of frosting in a repeating color pattern. Stack layers and continue to pipe until all 4 layers are stacked. Place cake in the freezer for about 10 minutes, until the layers and buttercream are firm.

Using a serrated knife, trim the layers in a tapered shape, to resemble a cup.

Once trimmed, color remaining white buttercream with some brown food coloring. Cover the bottom third of the cake with this brown buttercream. Pipe pale yellow buttercream into the middle third of the cake, and bright yellow buttercream onto the top third of the cake. Blend together the different color gradients using an offset spatula in a zigzag motion.

Once partially combined, smooth using a bench scraper. Place an additional cake round onto the top of the cake, and gently flip the cake over, so that the smaller side of the cake is the base of the cake. Gently removed the original cake round, and smooth additional buttercream onto the top of the cake.

Add the hardened sugar ice cubes to the top of the cake, and add a straw if desired. I added some blue fondant around a dowel, and gently inserted it into the cake.

Cakes, Sweets, Tutorials, Uncategorized

Margarita Trifle

June 13, 2017 Chelsweets 3 Comments

This month for Cosmopolitan I made a Margarita Trifle!! To make this trifle even more festive, I assembled the trifle in a giant cocktail glass. I used my favorite vanilla cake layer recipe, a triple sec and tequila simple syrup, and a lime buttercream. The full video can be seen here. I will also have the full tutorial up on my Youtube channel soon! The recipes used can be found below:

Lime Cake Layers:

3 1/4 cup flour
3 cups granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
1 cup egg whites (about 7 large egg whites)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
1/8 cup vegetable oil
zest of 1 lime
1 tsp lime extract
lime green gel food coloring (I used Americolor Gel Food Coloring in the Electric green shade)

Lime American Buttercream Ingredients:

4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp. heavy cream
zest of 2 limes
juice of 1/2 a lime

Tequila Triple Sec Simple Syrup

2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp tequila
2 Tbsp Triple Sec

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line four 8” round pans.

Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined.

Mix chunks of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture becomes crumbly.

Pour in egg whites, and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in the buttermilk in two installments, on a low speed. Add in vanilla and oil, and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium high for about 30 seconds.

While the cake layers bake and cool, prepare the simple syrup. Place the sugar and water in a heat proof pan, and heat on a medium high heat until boiling. Reduce the heat to allow the mixture to simmer until all the sugar is dissolved (2-3 minutes). Add in the tequila and triple sec, and remove from heat. Allow the mixture to cool.

Next, make the lime buttercream. Beat the butter on high for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment, until smooth. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Alternate with small splashes of cream. Once fully mixed, add in the lime zest, lime juice, and salt, and beat on medium low until the ingredients are fully incorporated, and the desired consistency is reached. If the frosting is too thick, add in cream (1 teaspoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (quarter of a cup at a time).

To assemble to cake, begin by adding a sugar rim to your container. Run a lime slice around the perimeter of the container, then dip into sugar.

Crumb the cake layers into a bowl using a fork.

Place some cake bits at the base of the container, and gently press down into a flat layer using your palms.

Drizzle the simple syrup over the cake pieces. Pipe on an even layer of buttercream, and repeat until container is full.

Top with green sprinkles, a straw and a lime! Then it’s time to dive in. Happy hour just got a whole lot sweeter 😛 It could also be fun to make miniature version of these in individual sized containers for a party!

Cakes, Uncategorized

Galaxy Ganache Cake

June 9, 2017 Chelsweets 8 Comments

I was tasked to make another galaxy themed cake, but had already made a galaxy mirror glaze cake! After a bit of thought, I decided to make some galaxy colored cake layers, cover the cake in a gothic black ganache. I also added some of my favorite sprinkles from Neon Yolk Shop and Fancy Sprinkles. The recipes used can be found below:

My Favorite Vanilla Layer Cake Recipe

Chocolate Ganache Filling

I made four, seven inch cake layers, which I colored two shades of blue, and two shades of purple.

I then covered the cake with room temperature dark chocolate ganache, which I colored black with gel food coloring. I’ve found that dark chocolate ganache is MUCH easier to color a true black than frosting. You can use the same techniques to smooth ganache that are used to smooth buttercream!

I added a sprinkles around the base, and piped on some ganache drops using a piping bag.

And that’s it! No fancy tips, no additional components, just a lot of ganache, and some colorful cake layers 🙂

Cakes, Sweets, Tutorials, Uncategorized

Giant Ice Cream Cone Cake

June 2, 2017 Chelsweets 2 Comments

This month, Cosmopolitan asked me to make a giant ice cream cone cake. I could not have been more excited, especially since ice cream is actually my favorite dessert!! This cake ended up being quite a bit larger than planned, but you could easily half the recipe and make a smaller version of this cake. Another fun idea would be to hollow out the center of the cake, and fill it with softened ice cream. I used my favorite vanilla layer cake (bakes perfectly flat, no need to level the layers!), and a strawberry and chocolate peanut butter buttercream to decorate. I also topped the cake with some chocolate ganache, and sprinkles. The recipes I used can be found below:

Vanilla Cake layers:

4 3/4 cups flour
4 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), room temperature
3 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup egg whites (about 11 large egg whites – I use carton egg whites to avoid wasting yolks)
2 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature
1/8 cup vegetable oil
pink gel food coloring

Frosting Recipe:

8 sticks (4 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
16 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 tsp vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup strawberry puree reduction
pink gel food coloring

Additional Decorations:

chocolate ganache
sprinkles
a cherry

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 8” round pans, and one 7″ round pan. Also grease and line one 8″ dome pan.

Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined.

Mix chunks of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture becomes crumbly.

Place 1/3 of batter into a separate bowl, and color a light shade of pink with gel food coloring. Pour pink batter into dome shaped pan. Divide remaining, uncolored batter evenly between the prepared round cake pans. Bake round pans for 35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Bake the domed pan for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around perimeter of the pan to separate the cake from the pan. Place cake layers on a rack to finish cooling.

While the layers bake and cool, prepare the buttercream.

Beat the butter on high for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment, until smooth. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Alternate with small splashes of cream. Once fully mixed, add in the vanilla and salt, and beat on medium low until the ingredients are fully incorporated, and the desired consistency is reached. If the frosting is too thick, add in cream (1 teaspoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (quarter of a cup at a time).

Place 1/3 of the frosting into a separate bowl. Mix in the strawberry puree, and a drop of pink gel food coloring. Set aside. Mix peanut butter and cocoa powder into remaining frosting, to create a light brown shade of frosting.

NOTE: When making frosting for a cake, it is important to mix the buttercream on low at the end of the process for a couple minutes, to get out any extra air that might have be incorporated during the mixing process. This will make it easier to get super smooth sides on your cake!

To assemble the cake, stack and frost the round cake layers with the chocolate peanut butter buttercream. Placing the 7 inch cake layer on top. Using a serrated knife, trim at angle from the top of the cake down to the base, to taper the sides.x

Once trimmed, apply a thin crumb coat and chill the cake for the fridge or freezer until firm. Apply a second layer of the chocolate peanut butter frosting, and smooth with a bench scraper. Clean bench scraper, and warm blade with dipping it in extremely warm water. Use the warmed edge to score the frosting with diagonal lines, 1 cm apart, in the pattern of a cone.

Chill cake in fridge until firm, then flip the cake over using an additional cake round. Cover and smooth the new top of the cake with buttercream.

Trim the browned edges from the pink cake dome, then apply a crumb coat with the strawberry buttercream.

Chill, then apply a second, thicker layer of frosting. Smooth with a piece of acetate sheet or a flexible bowl scraper. Chill again, until frosting is firm. Once the frosting is fully chilled, spread some chocolate ganache on top of the dome, add sprinkles, and top with a cherry.

Once both cake layers are chilled, gently place the pink dome on top of the cone.

Place additional pink frosting into a piping bag, and pipe a boarder around the the based on the pink dome.

And that’s it! This cake is very large, and can feed 25-30 people. It would be perfect for a summertime party, or a large birthday party 🙂

Cakes, Uncategorized

Nutella Oreo Birthday Cake

May 31, 2017 Chelsweets 3 Comments

Few people in the world love Nutella as much as my friend Taryn (@missladyfinger), so I went a little overboard on her birthday cake this year!! This cake contains two full jars of Nutella, and is decorated with Nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookies. A full tutorial can be seen here, and the recipes and baking instructions are included below:

Vanilla Cake Layers (1 batch, baked in 4, 8 inch pans)
1 batch Nutella buttercream (classic American buttercream + 1 cup Nutella)
1 batch Oreo buttercream (classic American buttercream + 1 cup crushed Oreos)
1 jar Nutella (warmed, for drizzle between cake layers and on sides of frosted cake)
1.5 cups crushed Oreos
1 batch Nutella-stuffed cookies
1 batch edible cookie dough balls(garnish)

Once all components are prepared, assemble the cake. Stack and frost cake layers with the nutella buttercream. Cover with crushed Oreos, and drizzle with warm nutella. Repeat with remaining cake layers.

Apply a thin crumb coat. Chill cake in the freezer for 5 minutes. Once the crumb coat is firm to the touch, apply a thick, second layer of frosting with the Oreo buttercream. Smooth with a bench scraper. Add cookies and Oreos to the base of the cake, then chill cake again for 5 minutes in the freezer. Add warm drizzle of Nutella to sides of cake, then cover the top with a ring of edible cookie dough.

Top cake with circles of Oreos, Nutella stuffed cookies, and cookie dough. In the center, I made a giant cookie sandwich with large cookies, Nutella, and Oreo buttercream. I also added some sprinkles, since this is a birthday cake!!!

The most amazing part of this whole cake? Taryn was able get this cake to Chicago! Can you believe she made it through security with this behemoth cake!?

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A little bit Chelsey, a whole lot of sweet!