Here’s a picture of a 2-tiered Vanilla Pound Cake (recipe by Dede Wilson), filled and frosted with Vanilla Buttercream (recipe by Sylvia Weinstock).
Cake - Dede’s book The Wedding Cake Book gave recipes for each size tier… one recipe for 2 6x2” layers, and a recipe for 2 10x2” layers. Unless there are misprints in my copy, these recipes make too much batter for the pans suggested; enough to fill each pan up to the brim. The batter rose up over the top of each pan, tops becoming overly brown and dry. I cut off the brown tops and the layers underneath were fine. I used baking strips.
Buttercream - Silvia’s book Sweet Celebrations said the recipe could be made in a 5qt KitchenAid. I made it in my 6qt and it nearly overflowed, meringue was higher than the top of the bowl. The recipe also called for clear vanilla (aka imitation), but I used pure vanilla which made the color a tad darker, but it the flavor was fabulous. Next time I may steep a vanilla bean in some vodka and see if I can retain that nice white color while maintaining that pure vanilla flavor I love.
Overall, I wasn’t crazy about the pound cake recipe. The buttercream I’m on the fence about - will try it again and see how I like it compared to Rose’s Mousseline.
Hi Cate - funny story about the flowers… I wanted to make gumpaste flowers, but it’s been raining here for days and the air was just too humid. So I stopped at a little farm stand and found a great hanging basket of what looks like cute little mini-petunias. The lady working at the stand had no idea what they were called, but I thought they were precious. Another funny thing… this photo is actually the back of the cake (there was a little mishap on the front). Also, the wind blew several of the little flowers away when I was carrying the cake through the parking lot. Thankfully the party was full of friends .
Ah-ha… I thought they looked a little like petunias but so tiny and delicate… then I wondered if they were ‘geraldton wax’ flowers (which I thought were only native here so I was intrigued!)...
Wow Patrincia. It’s beautiful! Your piping is wonderful. I also love the way the grooves in the plate matches the grooves on the side of the cake. Awesome job!
Thanks guys. I used a size 1M open star tip by Wilton (the middle one in the photo). The border is an adaptation of one that I think is called a reverse shell.
Unless there are misprints in my copy, these recipes make too much batter for the pans suggested; enough to fill each pan up to the brim. The batter rose up over the top of each pan, tops becoming overly brown and dry. I cut off the brown tops and the layers underneath were fine.
Pretty cake Patricia. Isn’t is so frustrating when a recipe is not what it is supposed to be? I ran into the same problem once when I made a chocolate cake from the Martha Stewart website.
Nice cake Patrincia. 12” plus 9”? Satura stacks them at the bakery, and I transport them stacked. But when pillar are involved or when more than 3 tiers, the wedding cakes are transported in separate tiers.
Hi Hector - the tiers were 10” and 6”. I used straws for the internat supports, which worked perfectly (and are so much easier to cut than dowels). I used a bamboo skewer down the center of the cake to keep the layers from shifting during transport (worked like a charm).
Hi Patrincia, thanks for sharing. The chocolate cake I’ve just posted Love or Hate Relationship, was baked on 9” and 6” x2 pans. With frosting they were near 10” and 7” and 5” tall each. I used Mc Donalds straws, one in the center plus 4 around (my friends volunteered some after noticing that I bought some very flimsy straws at a grocery store). I glued the top tier onto its cake board with a dab of buttercream, also when stacking this on the bottom tier. The cake was well refrigerated prior to delivery (by car about 30 minutes), and I felt it would be plenty secure and did not shift in spite of not staking.
Beautiful, Patricia! The piping work is really nice. Great job!
I have both Sylvia W and DeDe’s books and am glad to hear about the tips regarding their recipes. It makes me appreciate Rose’s appreciation for detail. I did try Sylvia’s chocolate buttercream once but liked MBC much better.
Thanks for sharing! When you described the problems with the recipies, my expectations for your pics were low… but they are absolutely gorgeous! You inspire me to pick up some parchment and finally learn how to pipe!
That’s great Julie. I must confess… because I have “hot hands”, my buttercreams melts very quickly when I pipe using a bag - which frustrated me for a long time. Rose suggests chilling your hands in ice water, but I find that uncomfortable and inconvenient. Parchment cones do seem to insulate better than plastic pastry bags, but you they don’t hold very much. So lately I find myself reaching for the decorator gun quite a bit. The one that I have is made by Wilton and can be used with standard pastry tips (small and large) as well as the plastic ones that come with the set. I find it especially helpful when piping ganache.
Patrincia, thanks for the photo! Somehow, I was picturing something almost water-gun shaped… Maybe the next few cakes I make I should just practice some piping on a silpat, then use the practice stuff to spread on the cake. Usually, by the time I’ve made the cake I’ve already put in so much work I just want to get it frosted and eat it! But all these beautiful photos make me realize I should try to move to the next level.
I have the “hot hands” problem too. I usually fill two bags and alternate, with one in the fridge. I have also found that if I wear gloves, like those small cotton ones that are cheap in drug stores, that helps too—the idea being that it keeps the heat in from your hands. But this is a neat idea too—I may have to try it. Do you find you have as much control over the pressure as with a bag?
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