CAKEMAKERS!!! - Ruby Wedding Cake

[misshardbroom]

I need to make a celebration cake for my parents' Ruby Wedding.

Haven't decided yet whether it will be rich fruit cake or sponge, but the actual baking of either is fine.

I've done quite a bit of cake decorating for the children's birthdays with different shaped tins and coloured fondant icing. I'm not fazed by any of that side of it, but there my skill ends.

I don't know anything about modelling sugar paste or piping clever things and between now and the party don't really have the time to learn!

Does anyone have any simple but effective ideas for a cake? Or any clever decoration I could buy that I might not know about . I don't mind if it requires a certain amount of confidence or dexterity, but nothing requiring individual petals to be made out of sugar, for example!

I have a nice recipe for a white cake with raspberries and hazelnuts that is sort of a cross between a fruit and a sponge, I think. I'd be glad to post it if you have interest. Also, I think a basket weave of buttercream icing is easy and lovely!

That sounds lovely, would you mind posting it?

Would be glad to but wonder if you can measure in cups, etc. or you or someone else here feels confident in converting measurements? This is a great cake with very subtle flavors but I can't find any similar recipe on-line (I looked already).

Soaking Syrup

Ingredients:

10 oz water
8 oz sugar

Method:

1. Bring water and sugar to boil in saucepan
2. When the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
3. Syrup may be flavored with liqueur or extract of choice. Syrup could be flavored with tea by infusing 1 cup water with a tea bag and then making the syrup.
4. Store covered.

That's step one out of three steps-must run at the moment but will be back with step two-the cakes themselves within the hour. Our extract of choice, of course, will be liqueur-of the raspberry persuasion.

Fully equipped with a set of cup measures purchased in Nevada!

Hazelnut Genoise

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups eggs, room temp.
3/4 cup egg yolks, room temp.
9 oz. sugar
3 oz hazelnut flour
6 oz cake flour, sifted
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 tbsp cup vegetable oil*

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350/180.
2. Butter and flour two 9" cake pans
3. Whip eggs, yolks, and sugar for 5 minutes at high speed, or until quadrupled in volume.
4. While eggs and sugar are whipping, sift all dry ingredients together.
5. Turn mixer down to medium low and whip for one minute more. Add vanilla and almond extracts.
6. While mixer is running, slowly add oil.
7. Fold in dry ingredients by hand or spatula, very quickly with no lumps. Don't overmix.
8. Pour into prepared cake pans and bake approximately 25 minutes until cake is slightly springy when touched in center.

Variations:

Vanilla Genoise: Omit hazelnut flour and increase flour to 9 oz. Omit almond extract and increase vanilla extract to 1 tsp.

Chocolate Genoise: Add 1 1/2 oz cocoa and decrease flour to 7 1/2 oz.

*This is the easiest genoise recipe that I know of. I found a similar one here The problem with mine, now that I'm typing it up is that it calls for 3/8 cup oil and that's because somewhere along the line I've adjusted the oil for high altitude baking. So, I knocked it down to a tablespoon. Well, maybe you have a genoise recipe or know of/can find a good one or maybe I'll have to call my mother.

Excellent! Las Vegas, I hope.

Buttercream

Ingredients:

1 lb. sugar
1 cup egg whites
1 lb unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbs. vanilla extract or other flavoring to taste

Method:

1. Combine egg whites and sugar in a mixing bowl of a K5A (large stainless steel mixing bowl). Place over a double boiler and be sure the bowl isn't touching the water.

1. Stir constantly over medium heat. Stir until the temp reaches 140/60.

1. Remove from double boiler, wipe bottom of bowl and place on mixer. Whop mixer on high speed for five minutes or so. Reduce speed to medium and whip for another 3-4 minutes or until cool. Test by turning the mixer off and inserting a finger into the mixture.

1. Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. When all the butter has been added, continue to mix until the buttercream is smooth.

1. Add the vanilla or other flavoring. If the buttercream appears curdled, add more butter, one Tbs at a time until the mixture has a smooth consistency. Increasing teh speed of the mixer briefly may also help the buttercream to cohere.

1. Use immediately or store in fridge until readu to use. bring to room temp before mixing briefly to restore consistency.

Variations:

Mocha Buttercream: Add 1-2 Tbs. instant espresso dissolved in 1 tsp. hot water after the final addition of butter. Then add melted, cooled semi or bittersweet chocolate (6 oz) into coffee buttercream.

Raspberry Buttercream: Add 1/2 cup slightly sweetened, strained raspberry puree or seedless raspberry jam after the final addition of butter.

Hazelnut Buttercream: Add prepared hazelnut paste to taste after the final addition of butter.

I actually buy hazelnut paste but you can make it-there are several www.recipezaar.com/Hazelnut-Paste-96288recipes on-line for that. You'll need it to assemble the:

Raspberry Hazelnut Genoise

Ingredients:

2 9" Genoise layers, split
1 1/2 pints fresh raspberries
1/2 cup soaking syrup
1/4 cup Framboise liqueur
2 1/2 cups raspberry buttercream
3 cups hazelnut buttercream
1 1/2 cups toasted, finely ground hazelnuts
12 whole toated hazelnuts for garnish

Method:

1. Combine the syrup and liqeuer. Brush over the cut sides of the Genoise layers.

1. Reserve 12 perfect raspberries.

1. Reserve 1/2 cup of the raspberry buttercream for the final assembly.

1. Place the bottom layer of genoise on a prepared cardboard cake round and spread a thin layer of the raspberry buttercream over the cake. Scatter 1/3 the raspberries over the buttercream and top with a second layer of genoise. Repeat the layering of buttercream, raspberries, and cake until the last layer of genoise has been added.

1. Spread a crumb coating of hazelnut buttercream over the outside of the entire cake.

1. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until set.

7, Finish the cake with the remaining hazelnut buttercream and spread to a smooth finish.

1. Press the ground hazelnuts into the sides of the cake.

1. Pipe a decorative border of raspberry buttercream around the top of the cake and finish with the reserved raspberries and/or hazelnuts.

basketweaving