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.
Hi Zoë, I made your cake for my daughter’s 11th birthday over the weekend and it turned out amazing! I’m a tad picky, so it’s hard for me to find a chocolate cake that’s moist and has a great flavor – your cake has it ALL. Thank you for sharing your recipe! I posted a few pictures of a cake (slumber party cake) on my website 🙂 Thank you again!!
I tried the fondant recipe but instead of putting 1tblsn of gelatin I put 1tspn and 1tspn of gycerine and the fondant is just not pliable how can I fix that, please help. it is crumbling and not coming together, I don’t know how I made that mistake.
This is amazing! I’m so envious of your talent!
If your le creuset giveaway is still on, please enter me. Thanks!
Zoe,
My family begged me to bring Bread to our Easter Dinner… They love your books!
Wow, this is sooo pretty. Just found your blog (where have I been) amazing!
Such a STUNNING cake!!!!!!!
I am in total aww of your cake. I made a lemon cheese cake and flourless chocolate cake for Passover. I love the heart shaped Le Creuset ramekin. I would use it to make individual macaroni and cheeses after this holiday is over!
Your cake looks beautiful.
I made Greek style lamb with scalloped potatoes and Greek Salad on Sunday. I butterflied the lamb and made a stuffing of feta cheese, pine nuts and chopped black olives. Then tied it up and roasted it.
I want to make mini creme brulle.
Hi Zoe,
Now that it’s getting close to spring I’m really craving a strawberry shortcake. Yum!
I am making some little chocolate coconut bird’s nest with little mini chocolate eggs. An Easter tradition around here!
(BTW, Love your cake! Gorgeous.
And, I’m going to try the fondant recipe you posted a while ago for my son’s moo baa la la la birthday cake!)
homemade angel food cake! YUM!
I am making sweet potato pie dessert and butter mochi… beautiful cake
Your cake is gorgeous, Zoe! I have to take some time (and patience) and learn how to decorate a cake. I made a lemon-cream dessert cake this week that was decorated with fresh daffodils (not from my garden yet either) and a miserable attempt at piping the icing.
I made a strawberry cake in a beautiful rose shaped pan; a sprinkling of powdered sugar and a scattering of rose petals around the cake. And…..hot crossed buns from the brioche recipe in your book. Would love the le creuset to go with my 42 year old le creuset. Happy Spring!
Hot cross buns! In a le creuset.
Okay, not really. But it would probably work.
Your cake looks amazing!
I just finished making your Butterscotch Pudding Trifle to bring to my inlaws for Easter. I know they are going to like it!
Please put me in the drawing for the Le Crueset. Hope you enjoy your holiday.
For Easter brunch, we will be having an Asparagus and Prosciutto Strata, Fruit Salad, and the Blueberry Lemon Curd Ring from AB in 5. I can’t wait to try it.
great cake decorating! I hope to do something similar with butterflies for my daughter’s 2nd birthday. Hopefully by her 16th I’ll be a pro. 🙂
Thanks for the lovely Spring vision! Easter will find us dining on sweet potato soup, garlic roast pork with apple cherry conserve, braised mixed greens,and hot cross buns- all gluten free.
You MADE that cake??? It’s gorgeous. I’m glad you showed how you piped on the leafy parts and how to make the flowers as I really think I could do that if I tried. Probably not as pretty as yours, but I might be able to wing it. I’d love to experiment w/ cakes more.
We’re not having a big Easter celebration, but we’re having a luncheon w/ the family and an Easter Egg hunt. Since my MIL is cooking (Lord help us!), I volunteered to bring a salad: Fruit Salad with Basil Syrup.
I am not planning on making anything in particular for Easter; however, I do have some just-made, master brioche dough sitting in the refrigerator as I type. I plan to make sticky Pecan-less Caramel Cinnamon Rolls tomorrow! I also plan to make a larger batch of rolls for my students later this week. YUM!
That cake looks amazing!
Wow, that looks fantastic. I think I’m going to try a strata recipe.. or at the very least something with eggs!
We’re having brunch this year with dishes too numerous to mention. Homemade coffee cakes and rolls, stuffed cherry tomatoes, stuffed new potatoes, strata, ham, the works!