So I signed up for the second class in the Wilton cake decorating class series, but I missed the first day for Back to School Night last week. I had major catching up to do.
Tag: cake
Other posts from this class: My Cake Decorating Class Has Begun!, Cake Decorating Class Pt. 2.
This is a super-sized post because I’ve got 2 recipes to share as well as photos of icing this cake.
This week in cake decorating class we learned to make hearts and dots, but most of the class was spent on making scary clowns out of frosting. I tuned out almost this entire lesson, as I have a FEAR of CLOWNS.
But I was rewarded when we learned how to transfer designs on to our cakes. I’m going to a lobster bake this weekend, and I’m bringing a dessert. So I found a clip art picture of a lobster in MS Word and used that as an outline for this crustacean on my cake. I’m kind of in love with it, I’m this close to naming the lobster. I just have to add the lettering and it’s set for Saturday.
As for the cake itself, I used the All-Purpose Buttery Yellow Cake and Dark Chocolate Frosting recipes from America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. Before I share the recipe, here are some photos of me finally frosting a cake nicely.
A dollop of frosting to stick it to the plate. I actually took this photo then decided to use the base of my cake caddy instead, so it looks different in the rest of the photos. Also, I forgot to put pieces of parchment paper under the cake to keep the plate it’s on from getting dirty. So now my cake caddy looks very chocolatey.
First layer down with probably 1-2 cups of frosting in the middle by the time I was done.
Nice and even.
I bough this great tool for cutting the “dome” off layer cakes so they’re level and easy to frost evenly.
Layer two is now on. I arranged the layers so the top of the 2 cakes actually face each other in the middle. That’s the bottom of the 2nd layer you see on the very top. This is probably perfectly logical, but I never thought to do these kinds of things before.
I got kind of swept up in the fun of frosting a cake without all the fuss I’m used to, and I forgot to take photos as I went. But here it is, all frosted.
All-Purpose Buttery Yellow Cake
Makes: 2 8- or 9-inch layers or one 9×13 sheet cake
Serves: 8-12
I am always on the hunt for the ultimate chocolate cake recipe. The 5 year anniversary of our first date was on the 16th, and we’re making a lazy celebration weekend out of it (this week was long and not so great for both of us). So yesterday I made this cake, and we both agreed that it’s the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made. The vanilla frosting is exceptionally rich and buttery, and I’m not always a fan of that. It was delicious, but there is a lot of it. So next time I make this I’ll probably use one of the other frosting recipes I love, and it’ll probably be a chocolate frosting. But I don’t make layer cakes that often, so it’s still a treat we’ll be munching on all weekend. Especially after the Sunday dinner I’ve got planned for today–grilled steaks and the mac ‘n cheese recipe I have finally perfected (more on that later this week).
Both recipes are from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, which I use to death. The recipes in it are phenomenal, and many of our favorite dinners are from this book: Skillet Penne with Chicken and Broccoli, for example. Here’s the cake recipe.
Devil’s Food Cake