Wedding Cake

I made a wedding cake! I know, it's crazy! Now, I have to clarify that the wedding was TINY and the reception was only for 15 people so the wedding cake was also TINY. I did a simple 3 layer lemon cake that was decorated white on white. As someone stated, it was a simple elegance. I took different designs that I had seen and used them to produce, what I thought, was a very pretty cake. I can't really explain how proud I was at the moment I showed it to my friend Patty, who ordered the cake.

This cake wasn't all flowers and rainbows, it was actually giving me nightmares in the days leading up to the baking/decorating. At first I was scared that I wouldn't be able to produce a good tasting cake. Then once I had achieved that (thank you Baking Bites!!) I was nervous that my decoration wouldn't look 'wedding' enough. I knew I was going to use the flowers I had practiced on my brothers cake, but I wasn't sure if that was going to be enough. So I did a few Internet searches and found a beautiful scroll pattern to go along the side of the cake.




I'm not going to lie, the decorating was a little painful at times. I was dealing with buttercream in a pretty humid house so that was an issue. And then my flowers started the sweat, I started to get a headache, and I was about to throw in the towel. That's when I put the cake in the fridge and took a 10 minute breather. I came bake, finished the cake, and went to bed. It was by no means a peaceful sleep, I dreamt of fallen, smudged, and awful tasting cake. Then, I woke up and everything was fine. I took the cake and was off.

I think cake decorating is kind of like child birth. You think you'll never forget the pain and then that baby is in your arms and all of the pain melts away and in it's place is love and pride. I can't wait to make another cake, to see the look on the person's face and to feel that joy!

Lemon Cake (adapted from Baking Bites)

1 cup milk, room temp
6 egg whites
1 tsp lemon extract
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line the bottom of 2 8" cake pans with parchment and spray the pans.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the milk and the egg whites. Beat with a fork until combined. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Add the softened butter to the flour mixture and beat until the mix resembles wet sand. Add the egg white mixture to the flour mixture in 2 additions, beating until just incorporated. Add the lemon extract and beat. Take a spatula and make sure everything is incorporated (the bottom of my bowl had a few lumps).

3. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top springs back when touched slightly. (I found that the toothpick insertion made the cake fall slightly in the middle, so you may want to opt against that) Let cool in the pan.

Vanilla Buttercream (adapted from The Cake Bible)

6 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 lb butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla bean paste

1. In a stand mixer (i know, I never use this, but I thought it would give me the best results) beat egg yolks with whisk attachment until light in color and thick, about 2-3 minutes.

2. In a saucepan, heat the sugar and corn syrup until it comes to a bowl. Immediately take it off the heat and begin pour the mixture, very slowly into the stand mixer, while still beating. Once the sugar mixture is completely incorporated keep the mixer on medium and beat until the bowl is no longer warm to the touch* (this took about 15 minutes for me).

3. Once the mixture is cool, begin adding the butter 1 tbsp at a time. Wait until the butter is incorporated before adding the next tbsp. Once all the butter is added beat in the vanilla. Refrigerate slightly before icing the cake.

*If you add the butter before the mixture is cool the butter will melt and your buttercream will be ruined!