My son’s preschool had a silent auction fundraiser and I donated the Deep Chocolate Passion Cake (9” round) baked and made as directed (syrup, ganache, etc.). The wedding cake 9” cakes have slightly more batter than the German Chocolate version in the oil cake section of RHC, so I usually go with the 6” and 9” recipe in the wedding cake section—it makes 2—9” rounds and 12 cupcakes that get slightly domed when left to sit for the duration it takes to bake the cakes.
Since I have a fairly cool home in winter/spring/fall—I find that some of Rose’s guidelines for temperature to be a bit on the cool side when your ambient temperature is already cool—for instance, applying ganache was a nightmare— I stopped to deal with my daughter and it hardened on the cake and was a royal pain to smooth—I had trouble lights and warm spatulas on the go to try and up the temperature (the actual ganache I was using was spreadable, but the stuff on the cake was stiff). Also, the lacquer glaze goes on a bit better for me when applied at around 90F because my home is <70F. I also found out the hard way that giving the cake a little tap when the glaze is going on is a bad idea. The excess on the top started to cascade on the almost smooth sides and left drips. I did a second coat (luckily I made the the full batch of glaze—was planning to freeze any excess—and made the 6/9” batch of ganache) of the glaze because I had to resmooth the sides with a spatula. A kitchen torch also works to help “remelt” trouble spots so they smooth out. I accidentally touched the side of the cake and the warming with the torch worked well to flatten the spot.
I made the chocolate plastic roses using Dede Wilson’s recipe—I think it uses less corn syrup and it sets up a bit faster.
I used the cupcakes for the concession at the auction—just topped with white chocolate mouselline.
I also donated 1 dozen lemon chiffon cupcakes with a hidden layer of lemon curd and frosted with the lemon white chocolate custard buttercream from the Golden Dream Wedding Cake—omg, this stuff is awesome!! First time making it!! It’s incredibly easy to do, btw—it’s been on my list of to-make things for awhile. I topped with hand made chocolate plastic blossoms—only problem is, my pics were deleted by mistake. But…I’m hoping the lucky winner of the auction (my mom) can send me a few pics!! I piled the icing on high for the auction, but I made a few extra cupcakes and did a single circle of buttercream (sort of like a dam or nest) on the top of the cupcake and filled with lemon curd and I think I would make them this way for future cupcakes. That way the curd is visible.
