So for the Lasagna / Salad dinner party mentioned in another thread, the guest of honor specifically requests a white cake with chocolate frosting.  He finds chocolate cake with chocolate frosting “too chocolaty”.  He has also requested theme like decoration.  This will be interesting… I do not plan on writing on the cake, but will likely place a plaque made of fondant on the cake.  So, 

I am wondering which chocolate frosting I should make.  Is the milk chocolate ganache with the lacquer glaze too much chocolate for the White Velvet Cake and this person who does not want an all chocolate cake?  Should I just skip the lacquer glaze?  Should I fill the cake with a vanilla mousselline or vanilla pastry cream?  Or how about a raspberry mousseline for the filling? 

I plan to make two tiers to make it look more celebratory, accommodate 25 people, and allow room for the fondant or molded choc which will make the theme. 

The good part, I am asked to provide another cake (or dessert) of my choosing. So far, I am leaning toward Golden Dream in 9 inches only (since Chocolate is in other dessert).  I am willing to try something (not choc) that I have not done, but I need it have wide appeal.

The best news:  budget is not an object! 

Thoughts?

CRenee, it sounds like it will be an incredible evening! I personally don’t think milk chocolate ganache is too much for a white cake, especially if the guest of honor wants it! I even like dark chocolate and white, even though many people say it is overpowering. I love contrasting foods, and the color is just too striking to pass up for me! I’ve never eaten the glaze so I cannot comment on that. I will say it does look impressive and regal, and enjoyment is very much visual as much as it is gustatory! If it were me I would fill with the pastry cream for texture complexity, but both sound yummy! I personally think raspberry would be distracting, flavor wise, since the chocolate is already going to be prominent compared to the delicate flavor of cake. Again though, sometimes more is better! Who knows? It does sound incredible, I must admit.  I’m just not fussy in that regard, I love everything in excess LOL. My official vote is for the white cake, milk choc ganache and pastry cream. As far as the other dessert, I absolutely love the Golden Dream idea, but I also really like the look and gorgeous color of Woody’s Lemon Luxury Layer Cake from RHC. The color is so beautiful and striking, and I think it would really highlight the rich color of the chocolate cake, by playing into a jewel toned palette rather than an earth tone set. The look of the tiny vanilla beans in the vibrant yellow hue makes my heart beat just a little bit faster! :D Good luck deciding, you have some great options and I am sure no matter what you choose, it will be unbelievably amazing and elegant! Your guest of honor will be so pleased!

Thank you Jemoiselle.  I think I should probably stay away from the lacquer glaze just to ease the work.  I will try making the vanilla pastry cream to see what kind of consistency it has.  The lemon luxury cake is a thought.  I do have some white chocolate…. just do not like it.  I wonder if the color in the book are what you really get?

Another nice pairing is a buttermilk cake and milk chocolate frosting (ganache or Rose has an egg white buttercream)...it’s one of my favourites and has a bit of tang!

Sherrie - 28 October 2011 10:21 AM

Another nice pairing is a buttermilk cake and milk chocolate frosting (ganache or Rose has an egg white buttercream)...it’s one of my favourites and has a bit of tang!

Thank you Sherrie, I was just reading about the egg white buttercream in another thread.  I plan to do some test this weekend.  I will add the egg white buttercream to the list

I have gotten a lot of compliments with the basic white cake from TCB (not the white velvet).  I add a vanilla bean to the milk and bring it to a boil then cool it to room temperature and scrape the seeds in to the milk and proceed with the rest of the recipe. I then make a mocha mouselline buttercream and the dark chocolate ganache.  I initially thought the mocha would be too much but everyone loved it, even the kids and talked about it far after the date. 

For the other cake, I always choose something with lemon or coconut or both!  My two favourites and highly underrated!  Good luck!

If you’re thinking of the buttermilk cake, you can also make the sour cream ganache, which takes about 14 seconds to make (wisk melted chocolate into sour cream).  It’s delicious!

Also, the milk chocolate buttercream is fantabulous, as long as you don’t refrigerat it.  It’s heaven.  Wish cooled, melted chocolate into butter.  Mmmmmmmmmmm.

I don’t know if they’re allowing for anything else to be part of the white cake/chocolate frosting, but if you fill it with pastery cream, you could also mix in a whole lot of coconut and then put coconut all over the cake.

For the white cake, you can also consider the white chocolate whisper cake, which I love.  But then the golden luxury butter cake (the yellow version) is my fave yellow cake, so I’m obviously a white chocolate fan. I like the effect it has on the texture of the cake.

Lemon is a great choice for the 2nd cake.  But, then, there are so many great choices!!!!!!!!!

moderncake - 28 October 2011 10:56 AM

I have gotten a lot of compliments with the basic white cake from TCB (not the white velvet).  I add a vanilla bean to the milk and bring it to a boil then cool it to room temperature and scrape the seeds in to the milk and proceed with the rest of the recipe. I then make a mocha mouselline buttercream and the dark chocolate ganache.  I initially thought the mocha would be too much but everyone loved it, even the kids and talked about it far after the date. 

For the other cake, I always choose something with lemon or coconut or both!  My two favourites and highly underrated!  Good luck!

Moderncake, I have to compare both recipes….for some reason I thought the were pretty much the same cake. But come to think of it, it was the basic white cake that I have made before.  The vanilla bean is a good idea!  Mocha mousseline buttercream…. sound great.  Now, I had contemplated lemon and coconut together.  I really like the Southern Manhattan Coconut in RHC.

Anne in NC - 28 October 2011 12:18 PM

If you’re thinking of the buttermilk cake, you can also make the sour cream ganache, which takes about 14 seconds to make (wisk melted chocolate into sour cream).  It’s delicious!

Also, the milk chocolate buttercream is fantabulous, as long as you don’t refrigerat it.  It’s heaven.  Wish cooled, melted chocolate into butter.  Mmmmmmmmmmm.

I don’t know if they’re allowing for anything else to be part of the white cake/chocolate frosting, but if you fill it with pastery cream, you could also mix in a whole lot of coconut and then put coconut all over the cake.

For the white cake, you can also consider the white chocolate whisper cake, which I love.  But then the golden luxury butter cake (the yellow version) is my fave yellow cake, so I’m obviously a white chocolate fan. I like the effect it has on the texture of the cake.

Lemon is a great choice for the 2nd cake.  But, then, there are so many great choices!!!!!!!!!

Does the buttermilk cake come out white?  Milk chocolate buttercream… I like Fantabulous. Adding something else in the filling is tempting but I think I will avoid that and stick with either vanilla or chocolate.  You are right…..so many great choices….does not help me get over indecision.

Ok, I goofed.  I use the white velvet cake as my base cake.  I always get the names mixed up with the white whisper cake with the added white chocolate.  I always think that the white velvet cake is the one with the white chocolate.  Sorry!

Do you have TCB?  The buttermilk cake is in there and I believe a photo (with peaches and creme fraiche).  It’s not 100% white, but an ivoryish cake—not really strong yellow cake but in between white and yellow.

Yes, I have TCB and that is interesting.  I love that you all are so familiar with it contents.  Even though I have had TCB for a long while, I did not start using it much until I discovered this forum!