in the matter of a few months, a few universes collided…i received this huge ‘cake bible’ from laura before she left the publisher, i found out i am responsible for making mom and dad’s ‘wedding cake’ for the montana trip, and most oddly of all, wil who all my life has disliked cake, keeps requesting me to make them.
he’s never liked cake, and all of the sudden, he’s gone nuts for them!
but a cake is a tricky matter…i have tried to use this cake bible, but it’s almost too complex for me…if you planned on making professional cakes, this would be your book…with intricate techniques, flavors and decoration instructions.
but either way, i (with the nudging of wil) have decided i need to keep making cakes to get this thing all figured out by this summer. he suggested one per week, but i think we would both gain a 100 pounds if we had to consume 1/2 of a 2 two tier cake each per week.
my first attempt was a yellow cake…without the proper cake flour, i thought it was too dense and got too hard to quickly after the first day. sunday, i tried for a lighter more delicate white cake…very wedding-esque in texture and flavor. my judge said it was too crumbly and light. and the frosting…well, don’t get me started on that. the book had way too complicated of a buttercream and i successfully wasted a TON of eggs, butter and sugar this last go around when i had to dump the entirety of the soup in my mixing bowl down the drain (i was not speaking to anyone at that point in frustration).
either way…it’s my new project of sorts. my goal is to have a simple white cake with an awesome filling/frosting perfected. i’m on my way to the cake body…does anyone have any requests for what to put with it, for me to try the next couple times?
thanks for reading, please share!
6 Responses to how to make a cake
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Looks DANG yummy to me!!!
Maybe do a flavored batter–like almond? I don’t like almond but I’m sure some people do!
one of my favorites that i started making last year is a dark chocolate (using a high cacao % cocoa like schaffer’s or ghiradelli) with amaretto. sometimes a bit of orange zest as well. i do it really dense, no frosting (just powdered sugar dusted on top), or with a chocolate ganache or chocolate shavings or candied orange curls sprinkled on top. it’s one of joey’s favorites. have fun! i’m not a huge cake fan either, but i’ve made so many over the last few years that it’s become a weirdly obsessive project.
Kris…that looks beautiful….and NO ALMOND….(for the wedding cake anyways)…but CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE and more CHOCOLATE for dad. I like like raspberry filling with white……fun fun!!! love, MOM
beautiful pictures of the process. I think everyone knows…. I LOVE CAKE! sadly I can not bake at all, which is okay because I am a decent cook and if I could bake well I’d eay way more sweets than i already do. not a good thing.
my favorite cupcake place is : http://lecakeryongalveston.com/cupcakes.html
I thought it may help you get some flavor ideas, theirs are simple but good. My favorite is the Chocolate w/ Orange Chiffon. tasty! i also do not like Almond (ick) I know I won’t be there and my opinion doesn’t rally count… I am just surprised at it’s unpopularity here.
x
this looks so good. if you have never visited smittenkitchen.com i highly recommend it. she has tons of layer cake ideas (even wedding cakes) and tips for how to make them without losing your mind.
This looks good. I read this post a while ago, and only now have time to respond. This is my most favorite frosting in the world. While it’s kinda too sweet to go with a white cake, it is fantastic with chocolate cake. So I don’t know how much it will help with wedding cake prep, but here is is anyway.
1/2 c. milk
2 1/2 T flour
1 lb. Powdered Sugar
1/2 lb. butter
1/4 t. salt
1 t. vanilla extract.
Cream together milk and flour and cook until very thick. Cool completely.
Cream butter and cooled paste together in a bowl of an electric mixer. Add sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat well until fluffy.
Though the flour paste seems a little sketchy it makes the most wonderful frosting I have ever had. Enjoy and good luck.
~Claire