This weekend was my neighbor’s birthday. Her husband asked me to bake her a decadent chocolate cake and decorate it with “Spring Flowers.” Here in MN it isn’t exactly bursting with flora yet. In fact, as I was working on this flower cake it started to snow. But Easter is right around the corner and the tulips and rhubarb are promising to come out of the ground soon. We hold our breath and hope for a greener time, soon. Her cake, like Kathy herself, had to be over the top and fantastic! I wanted it to be bright and full of life to compensate for the snow!
The chocolate layers were made up of Devil’s Food, Chocolate Pastry Cream, Bittersweet Ganache, White Chocolate Buttercream and the flowers were made from gum paste.
Happy Birthday Kathy!
Last week I was in such a rush to get my Daring Baker Challenge done in time that I forgot to give away another Le Creuset Stoneware Heart Ramekin with Cover, Red. This week I will give away 2 to make up for it. Just leave me a note below and tell me what you are making for Passover*, Easter** or whatever you are craving now that it is spring. I will pick 2 random winners next week.
Springtime Flower Cake
Follow along with the instructions and find the full recipe below. White Chocolate Buttercream by Rose Levy Beranbaum from the The Cake Bible
To make the buttercream:
In a small heavy sauce pan heat together the 3/4 cup sugar and water, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling. Turn the heat to low.
In your stand mixer beat the egg whites with the whip attachment, on low speed until they are foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat on med/high speed until they reach soft peaks. Reduce speed and gradually add the 1/4 cup of sugar and beat until stiff peaks. Reduce speed to low.
Attach a candy thermometer to your pot and bring the sugar syrup to a boil, remove when the thermometer reads 248 degrees. Slowly pour the sugar into the egg whites, along the bowl’s edge, being careful not to hit the whip or it will splatter.
Increase the speed and allow the whites to whip until glossy and room temperature, about 2 minutes. Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, until all incorporated. It may go through a stage when it looks soupy, but it will come together when the last bit of butter is added and it has whipped for a minute or so.
Slowly add the rum in small amounts, whip after each addition. Then add the cooled melted chocolate and whip gently until incorporated.
To assemble the flower cake:
I split the cake into 3 layers and spread each layer with a coating of the ganache. In order to keep the pastry cream from oozing out of the cake I created a dam around the edge of the cake with the buttercream, (you could also use stiff ganache to do this), using a large plain tip in a pastry bag.
Fill the center of the flower cake with the pastry cream.
I create a crumb coat with just a thin layer of the buttercream to lock in the crumbs.
Once you have a thin layer on, refrigerate the cake for about 30 minutes so that the butter hardens. When you do your final layer of buttercream you won’t have to worry about getting dark crumbs on the outside of your cake.
Start with a large blob of buttercream on the top.
Spread it out, so that it is flat and just slightly beyond the edge of the cake. This will insure that you get a perfectly square top to your cake.
Now your want to cover the sides. Don’t worry about getting it smooth until the whole thing is covered in a nice thick layer of the buttercream.
Now you want to smooth out the sides. This can only be done well with a Turntable
To create the ferns you will need to color your buttercream with food Color and fill several pastry bags witht eh different colors. I recommend using the Disposable Pastry Bags
Create your gum paste flowers
and roses
Assemble the flower cake!
Enjoy!!!
*If you need some inspiration you should check out what Ariela at Baking and Books has put together with my recipes for Passover worthy ladyfingers. Or my Chocolate Caramel Matzo, Coconut “Haystack” Macaroons, Marzipan Cherries or Fruit Jellies!
**Here is a post I just did about Hot Cross Buns, made with 5 minute dough from my book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.
Don’t forget to leave a note to win Le Creuset Stoneware Heart Ramekin with Cover, Red
Ingredients
- Gum paste or fondant flowers Gum paste or fondant flowers
- One recipe Devil’s Food. Devil's Food
- One recipe of Pastry Cream, plus 6 ounces milk chocolate, melted. Pastry Cream
- One recipe Bittersweet Ganache Bittersweet Ganache
- White Chocolate Buttercream
- 1 pound 4 sticks unsalted butter, softened but should still be able to pick up the stick without it losing its shape.
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 5 large egg whites
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup rum optional
- 6 ounces white chocolate melted and cool to room temperature.
Instructions
To make the buttercream:
- In a small heavy sauce pan heat together the 3/4 cup sugar and water, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling. Turn the heat to low.
- In your stand mixer beat the egg whites with the whip attachment on low speed until they are foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat on med/high speed until they reach soft peaks. Reduce speed and gradually add the 1/4 cup of sugar and beat until stiff peaks. Reduce speed to low.
- Attach a candy thermometer to your pot and bring the sugar syrup to a boil, remove when the thermometer reads 248 degrees. Slowly pour the sugar into the egg whites, along the bowl’s edge, being careful not to hit the whip or it will splatter.
- Increase the speed and allow the whites to whip until glossy and room temperature, about 2 minutes. Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, until all incorporated. It may go through a stage when it looks soupy, but it will come together when the last bit of butter is added and it has whipped for a minute or so.
- Slowly add the rum in small amounts, whip after each addition. Then add the cooled melted chocolate and whip gently until incorporated.
To assemble the flower cake:
- I split the cake into 3 layers and spread each layer with a coating of the ganache. In order to keep the pastry cream from oozing out of the cake I created a dam around the edge of the cake with the buttercream, (you could also use stiff ganache to do this), using a large plain tip in a pastry bag. Fill the center of the flower cake with the pastry cream.
- Once you have a thin layer on, refrigerate the cake for about 30 minutes so that the butter hardens. When you do your final layer of buttercream you won’t have to worry about getting dark crumbs on the outside of your cake.
- Start with a large blob of buttercream on the top.Spread it out, so that it is flat and just slightly beyond the edge of the cake. This will insure that you get a perfectly square top to your cake.
- Now your want to cover the sides. Don’t worry about getting it smooth until the whole thing is covered in a nice thick layer of the buttercream.
- Now you want to smooth out the sides. This can only be done well with a Turntable and a long Spatula. hold the spatula straight up and down at a 20 degree angle from the cake. Turn the cake turn table and slowly smooth out the cake. once the sides are smooth then you will do the top. Again at a 20 degree angle you will smooth the top, starting from the outside. be sure not to sweep all the way across the cake, just to the middle. Continue all the way around until it is nice and smooth.
- To create the ferns you will need to color your buttercream with food Color and fill several pastry bags witht eh different colors. I recommend using the Disposable Pastry Bags when using this many colors. It took me about as long to clean mine out as it did to build the cake! 😉 Use a pastry bag and a #2 Plain Pastry Tip to create the center lines. Then use a Leaf #67 Decorating Tip to create the leaves. Start larger at the bottom and get smaller as you go up.
- Create your gum paste flowers and roses and assemble.
What a beautiful birthday surprise. It is simply lovely!
Wow! What a beautiful cake!!!
I’m making Easter Pie, which is really a quiche. It’s a family tradition.
how beautiful!
and what am i making for easter? quiche and carrot cake. 🙂
Gorgeous cake..You must really love her:)
Easter would not be complete without panoramic sugar eggs!
Zoe, thanks for the tips. I am hooked on madeleines and will be making rose water madeleines dipped in dark chocolate to have at home and to give away to friends this weekend.
I have to mention again that this is such a lovely springtime cake! Beautiful colors!
Easter is not celebrated with a big way here, but it does get commercial as in every hotel in town has an Easter Promotion. And in such a lovely multi-racial city, we all celebrate Easter as if we are in the US or Europe! We love bunnies!
Wow! I’ve never read a cake recipe with such interest before. It’s stunning! You won’t be able to send anything to me as I’m in London, but I plan to have lots of toasted hot cross buns with butter.
Wow. So lovely! I think you are inspiring me to go to on cake making!
I will be making rosemary garlic new potatoes, an onion tart, and a frisee salad. And a berry crumble for dessert!
I will likely smoke salmon for Easter to bring to friend’s.
Beautiful cake. Actually we are in the middle of moving so not much will be done as far as cooking.
That is beautiful! My mom would love that…she loves flowers.
Gorgeous cake!
Zoe~ do tell Louise that the age 29 reference was totally toungue in frosted cheek, by about 31 years. Now husband and I are arguing about who ate that last slice that came home from the party with us. I have no recall, but if it was me, I also have no guilt! And, if it qualifies me for a prize, I am making a spring vegetable sauteed medley for first night passover — and then roasted asparagus w/sesame seeds for Easter sunday.
that cake is gorgeous! id love to get something like that for my birthday. for Easter ill be making breakfast, including french toast. mmm!
This cake is beautiful! What a very special birthday cake.
I think I’m making a carrot cake (how original :-)) and asparagus scones…mmm!
The cake is beautiful. I haven’t decided what to make for Easter Sunday, although we have decided to take a more thoughtful and traditional approach to the week, and will be celebrating a Passover meal on Maundy Thursday. I will be making my first lamb meal, and excited to try haroseth. We’ll see…
It is a lovely cake. I will be making an Indian inspired cake for my goddaughter as she will be turning 16 on Easter day. Even though her family is Hindu, they always celebrate Easter with my family. I will also be decorating a 4 tier cake in Indian fashion for her ‘real’ birthday party.
Vegan cupcakes! Not that I’m vegan, but the recipe I have is really, really good!
I’m VERY enbious of the photos…you make this look SO easy, and I know it’s NOT! For Easter I plan on bringing fresh baked bread to contribute to a dear friend’s brunch buffet!
Oh that’s gorgeous & VERY VERY SPRING! I think I’ll do iced shortbread cookies, or cupcakes.
This year for Easter I’ll be preparing Rick Bayless’ awesome chocoflan (impossible chocolate cake layered with flan and goat’s milk caramel) as well as an easy but delicious peach pie with almond coconut crumb topping. I can’t wait!
I observe Passover and my SO observes Easter, so we tend to combine traditions as much as possible…but this year we’ll be grilling steaks and veggies, and I’ll be making chocolates for dessert.
ooh la la!
Easter….something with Peeps.