Chocolate Vanilla Celebration Cake Food

CHOCOLATE CELEBRATION CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
• Grease a deep 23cm loose-bottomed cake tin and line the base and sides with a double layer of greaseproof paper.
• For the sponge, smash up the chocolate and melt in a large heatproof bowl with the butter, oil and sugar over a pan of gently simmering water until smooth and glossy.
• Remove the bowl from the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes, then, using an electric hand whisk at high speed, one-by-one beat in the eggs until combined.
• Sift in the flour and cocoa with a good pinch of sea salt and beat for a short while until just combined.
• Pour into the prepared tin and bake for around 50 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out ever so slightly gooey (the top of the cake will rise up and crack slightly, but don't worry, it'll end up covered by all your lovely toppings).
• Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Place on a cake stand, use a long knife to carefully slice the sponge into 3 equal rounds and remove the top two sponges to separate plates (scroll down to watch the how-to video below).
• For your mega-crispy chocolatey rice layer, smash up the chocolate and melt with the butter and cream in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water until smooth and glossy.
• Leave to cool for 5 minutes (to avoid soggy cereal!), then stir in the puffed rice until evenly coated. Divide the mixture onto the 3 cooled sponge layers and spread out evenly across the tops, going right to the edges.
• To make the nougat frosting, place the egg whites in a heatproof bowl with the honey, sugar, cream of tartar, a good pinch of salt and a splash of water.
• Place over a pan of gently simmering water, turn up the heat and, with an electric hand whisk, beat for 6 to 7 minutes or until it starts to form peaks.
• Remove the bowl from the heat, add the vanilla extract, orange blossom or rose water and a dot of food colouring (if using), then carry on beating the mixture until thick.
• Leave to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then evenly top each sponge and stack them up nicely.
• To finish the cake off, use a large knife to shave some extra chocolate, then sprinkle it over the top (scroll down for a video to show you how to do this). Add your candles or sparklers, get them lit and indulge in chocolate celebration cake heaven.

MEGA MAGICAL 7 LAYER CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch-round cake pans with butter and line with parchment paper.
• Place the sugar and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the eggs, one by one, until completely incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and buttermilk and continue mixing until combined.
• Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Mix together the coffee and warm water. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the coffee mixture into the bowl of the stand mixer, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until you don't see any lumps and a thin batter has formed.
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of each cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set on the wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• For the dark chocolate mousse: Place the dark chocolate in a large bowl and set aside. Pour 1 cup of the heavy cream into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let sit for 3 minutes.
• Remove the towel and slowly whisk the ganache until it's smooth and shiny. Set aside to cool to about room temperature.
• Meanwhile, whip the remaining cup of heavy cream to stiff peaks in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or by hand. Using a rubber spatula, fold one-fourth of the whipped cream into the cooled ganache to lighten the consistency, then fold that mixture into the remaining whipped cream until almost completely combined with just a few streaks. Add the vanilla and salt and gently fold until combined into a light, fluffy mousse.
• For the chocolate fudge buttercream frosting: Place the sugar, hot fudge, cocoa powder, butter, milk, vanilla extract and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed to combine. When the sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat until the buttercream is smooth and satiny, 8 to 10 minutes.
• For the chocolate royal icing: Place the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, meringue powder and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip until the icing holds stiff peaks, 5 to 8 minutes. If it seems too soft, add more confectioners' sugar in 1 tablespoon increments. If it is too stiff, add a bit more water, drop by drop. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip.
• For the white chocolate ganache: Place the white chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside. Pour the cream into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let sit for 3 minutes.
• Remove the towel and slowly whisk the ganache until it's smooth and shiny. Set aside to cool to about room temperature, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip.
• To assemble, level the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife or cake leveler. Spread half of the mousse over the top of one cake layer. Stack the second layer and repeat. Add the third cake layer and frost the top and sides with a thin coat of the buttercream. Refrigerate until the frosting is firm, 20 to 30 minutes.
• When the cake is ready, frost the top and sides with a thicker layer of the buttercream and refrigerate again until very firm, about 1 hour.
• When the cake is almost ready, lightly dust your work area with cornstarch and roll the fondant into a circle about 20-inches wide and 1/8-inch thick. Drape the rolled fondant over the cake and, using a fondant smoother or your hands, lightly press and smooth it onto the cake, working your way from the top down the sides. Pop any air bubbles with a cake tester or toothpick and continue to smooth the surface.
• Trim any excess fondant from the base of the cake with a pizza cutter. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the bottom half of the cake with the piping gel, then cover it with chocolate sprinkles.
• Pipe a scalloped border around the edge with the chocolate royal icing. Pipe little rosettes of the white chocolate ganache around the cake and press 1 hazelnut truffle onto each. Continue to pipe and decorate with the royal icing, white chocolate ganache and hazelnut truffles to your liking.

CELEBRATION SMASH CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Grease and flour 2 6-inch cake pans and 3 8-inch cake pans. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
• Beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in the egg whites until fluffy. Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Fold in the sprinkles.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pans. Bake the 6-inch pans for until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Bake the 8-inch pans until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Remove the cakes to wire racks to cool in the pans 5 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
• For the vanilla buttercream: Beat the butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until combined. Add the cream, vanilla and salt and beat to a spreadable consistency. Tint some of the frosting with blue food coloring, if desired.
• Build the cake: Stack the 8-inch cakes with frosting spread between the layers. Stack the 6-inch cakes on top of the 8-inch ones and spread frosting between the layers. Frost the top and side of the cake. Decorate with confetti and/or blue sprinkles, if desired.

MAGNOLIA BAKERY'S VANILLA BIRTHDAY CAKE AND FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Grease and lightly flour three 9 inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.
• In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth.
• Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Combine the flours and add in four parts, alternating with the milk and the vanilla extract, beating well after each addition.
• Divide batter among the cake pans.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean.
• Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes.
• Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.
• If you're making cupcakes, line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
• Spoon the batter into the cups about three-quarters full.
• Bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 20 to 22 minutes.
• Remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on a rack before icing.
• When cake has cooled, ice between the layers, then ice top and sides of cake.
• To make the icing - place the butter in a large mixing bowl.
• Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla.
• Beat until smooth and creamy.
• Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency (you may very well not need all of the sugar).
• If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly.
• Use and store icing at room temperature, as icing will set if chilled.
• Can store in an airtight container for up to three days.

EASY VANILLA CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease a round, deep 20cm tin, then line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper.
• Using electric beaters or a tabletop mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and ¼ tsp salt together until pale and fluffy, then pour in the eggs, one at a time, giving the mix a really good beating before adding the next.
• Add 1 tbsp of the plain flour if the mix starts to look slimy rather than fluffy. Beat in the yogurt. Mix the flours; then, using a large metal spoon, fold them into the batter, followed by the milk.
• Spoon the mix into the tin and bake for 1 hr 20 mins or until well risen and golden - a skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean.
• Meanwhile, make the syrup by gently heating 50ml water with the sugar and vanilla in a pan until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. Once the cake is out of the oven, leave to cool for 30 mins in the tin, then use a skewer to poke holes all over the cake, going right to the bottom. Pour the syrup over, letting it completely soak in after each addition.
• Leave to cool completely, then either wrap the cake well or fill and ice it. If you wrap it with baking parchment and cling film, the unfilled cake will keep well for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to a month.
• For ideas on how to decorate the cake and to try out some variations on this basic cake mixture, have a look at the 'Goes well with' recipes for Simple elegance wedding cake, Birthday bug cake and Summer celebration cake.