Wanna know how to make a wedding cake? Check out this great post by Eloise, my outsourced content creator from the Philippines.
The Wedding Cake Dilemma
A friend of friend was getting married and told me one time that they do not know where to buy a good wedding cake. Knowing that I was studying culinary, they asked me for help. I was mildly surprised about it as they are not really me friends and I just knew them by their names. We don’t hang out together and all. I gave them my chef’s contact details but after a few days, they called me saying they cannot afford my chef’s fees and asked if I can make their wedding cake instead. I was astounded, knowing for sure that making a wedding cake is not easy and if I accepted, it would be my first time to try.
They are both so kind though to let me have all the say on the flavour and design of the cake as long as I make it in the colour of their choice. So for many days I contemplated on just copying one of the many thousand recipes in the internet. However, I did not forgo on the plan because there are always at least one ingredient that I could not find in the stores from every recipe I chose. After sometime, I decided, why not make my own? And so I did. I have several references when I made this cake recipe and the techniques I used might already be known to others. After all, baking always follows the basics. I will share with you that recipe in the hopes that you can use it or help make it improve. Moreover, I still do not have a name for this cake and I am hoping you can name it for me. So here are the many things you will need.
For the cake first:
- 4 cups of sifted cake flour
- 1 ½ cups of bittersweet chocolate, preferably cut into tiny pieces
- 3 ½ cups of clean water at room temperature
- 2 tbsp baking powder
- 1 ½ cups butter, unsalted and softened at room temperature
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 cups of white sugar
- 6 egg whites from large eggs
Making the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F after positioning 2 racks in the oven. Prepare and line bottoms of a 12 inch, a 9 inch and 6 inch round cake pans with about 3 inch high parchment paper and spray with non-stick oil spray. Mix or sift flour, salt and baking powder into a clean large bowl. Beat unsalted butter in a very large mixing bowl with a mixer until smooth and creamy. Add sugar gradually up to 3 cups only while continually beating until it looks fluffy. Add in the flour and the water in the mixture making sure that the dry ingredients is added in 5 alternate additions with the 3 and ½ cups of water in 4 additions. Scrape bowl from time to time and do not overbeat.
In another clean and dry bowl, beat the egg whites using clean beaters until medium to firm peaks can be formed. Add the remaining 2 cups of sugar in a gradual manner until the egg whites are very thick and glossy, about 4-5 minutes. Fold in just 1/3 of egg white into the batter to make it light. Fold in the remaining egg whites in 2 additions and then fold in the chocolate pieces last. Get about 2 1/3 cups of the mixture and transfer to the 6 inch pan, about 4 and 2/3 cups of the batter to the 9 inch pan and transfer the remaining batter to the 12 inch diameter pan. Make sure to spread the batter evenly.
Place the two smaller pans in the top rack in the oven and the 12 inch pan on the bottom rack. Bake the cakes for about 55 minutes for the biggest pan and 50 minutes for the 9 and 6 inch pans or if cake tester or toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool the cakes for half an hour and then remove from pans to be completely cooled onto racks. Peel off parchment papers after removing from pans and transfer to individual cardboard rounds and wrap cakes with foil. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
For the cake frosting:
- 8 ½ cups of Philadelphia cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 tbsp almond extract
- 4 ¼ cups of butter, unsalted and softened at room temperature
- 7 teaspoons of clear vanilla extract
- 2-3 cans of blueberry preserves or canned blueberries
- 5 cups of good brand white chocolate
Melt chocolate by using a double boiler or putting the chocolate in a metal bowl and setting over a large pan of simmering water. Never let bowl touch the hot water. Stir chocolate until almost thoroughly melted. Remove from over the simmering water and stir until completely melted. Cool on room temperature and stir once in a while to not completely cool down again. Beat the cream cheese in a very large, clean bowl until it is smooth with a clean mixer. Gradually beat in unsalted butter and add chocolate in about 4 additions. Beat in almond extracts and vanilla. Mix until smooth and then add drops of colour until desired colour is achieved. I’ve had some minor mistakes when doing this but I got it right in the end.
Assembling the cake:
With the use of a serrated knife, cut the cakes horizontally into 3 equal layers. A cake turner is very helpful in this task. Working with the 12 inch cake first, transfer the top layers on a work surface by sliding the parts into flat cookie sheets or tart pans. Leave the bottom layer on the cardboard. Spread 2/3 cups of blueberries on the bottom layer of the cake, leaving about half an inch border. Spoon about 2 cups of frosting over the blueberries and using a spatula, spread frosting to evenly cover cake and the
berries. Slide the middle cake on top of the frosting and repeat previous steps. Cover with the topmost layer and cut the sides down to have even corners. Spread about 2 and 2/3 cups of frosting on the top and sides of the cake smoothly and refrigerate on cardboard base.
Repeat the previous steps on the 9 inch cake using only about 7 tablespoons of blueberries per layer and using about 1 and ¼ cups of frosting on top of berries. When all is done, spread about 2 and ¼ cups of frosting all over the cake and refrigerate.
For the 6 inch diameter cake, use about 1/3 cup of blueberries on each layer topped with 1/3 cup frosting dollops on each layer. Top with the topmost layer and cut sides down. Use about 1 cup of frosting to cover the whole cake and refrigerate. Chill cakes for about 2 hours and 30 minutes and cover with fondant if desired fondant, covering the 12 inch first and then the 9 inch cake and lastly the 6 inch.
Do you have a good name for Eloise’s cake? How about some suggestions for future subjects she could write about or photograph for me? If so, say hi and leave a friendly comment. Thanks.
