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.
Your cake is beautiful! I’d hate to be the one to cut into it…
We are having your basic ham for Easter dinner. Doesn’t that sound boring!
Always like Babka Bread at Easter. And I just cant wait to have some strawberries. And the snow finally melted today, so I can certainly relate.
Beautiful cake. I love to look at your beautiful creations.
Morels in butter and roasted asparagus.
Those gum paste flowers are WONDERFUL! What a lucky neighbor you have. 🙂 I am making Lemon Sour Cream Rolls. They are so good that some members of my family would be satisfied if they only had the rolls for Easter dinner.
I am making many things for Easter this year. For starters, I took four loaves of the master recipe bread and two loaves of the deli rye bread to our church potluck last night. Today I am making the recipe you gave us for hot cross buns.
This afternoon, I am going to start making my lamb cakes. I make them using a pound cake recipe and decorate with a buttercream frosting. I also make the butter lambs, and homemade polish sausage.Can’t forget the coloring of the Easter eggs.
Hi Zoe! I found your blog the other day through a link to your Artisan Bread book. Your cake is absolutely stunning! I would love to attempt it sometime. For Easter, I am making a roasted chicken with fingerling potatoes and green beans. For dessert – tres leches coconut cupcakes with dulce de leche buttercream 🙂
Beautiful cake, what a gift to receive on your birthday!
For Easter or actually on Good Friday, I’ll be trying Hot Cross Buns for my English Mum.
For Easter, I’ll use the last of my home grown potatoes for scalloped potatoes to take to the Ranch for family gathering.
Hi Zoe, I just made your granola yesterday: WOW and it came out delicious, thanks so much for inspiring me.
For easter we’ll make little cakes baked in eggshells, it’s not only a tasty, but also a very cute giveaway.
Enjoy eastertime. Z.
I just finished making lemon currant hot cross buns for my mom, her special Easter request!
We are barbecuing this year, chicken and beef.
I’m making a bunny cake for easter =] thx for the contest!
I know it’s only the beginning of spring, but I’m craving juicy red watermelons.
I saw your cake on foodgawkers and thought right….I wouldn’t have the patience for that! It is so beautiful. I am going to make your hot cross buns recipe adapted for your book, using the brioche recipe. Should be good! oh and fun….
I love the cake. I’m making home-made bread for Easter. Thanks for the contest!
For Easter, we always have traditional polish fare – pierogies, kielbasa and galumpkis.
I will be making something new I found, it’s Paska. It’s a Mennonite Easter Bread. I’m trying to make more bread items
What an adorable spring-y cake! Hopefully the flowers outside will soon match the flowers in your kitchen. 🙂
What a stunning cake! My birthday is next month ;D
I’ll be making a Lamb Cake for our Easter dinner.
For Easter… rosca de Pascuas!!! with lots of pastry cream…
I’m making Beef Wellington for Easter. I don’t know if I’ll have time to do your homemade puff pastry so I do have some in the fridge. I have a 6 pound beef tenderloin wrapped in cheesecloth dry aging in the back of my fridge. Your cake looks fabulous! I need a pastry class to attempt it.
Happy Easter,
Marvyl
Love the cake. I’m headed to my friend’s house for Easter and bring the Mac & Cheese.
http://www.scsr.nevada.edu/~scb/recipes/index.php?action=display_BIG&id=56
for passover we had lemon mousse and for easter we are having hot cross buns and chocolate bunnies, of course.
thanks for the photos, it is a gorgeous cake.
Looks too good to eat
I have to say, this spring’s craving is morels. I’ve lucked into them at a restaurant just acquired a few – can’t get enough, though!
That is a gorgeous cake.
I am making an ice water fudge cake. My family
loves it.