Rosette Cake

Okay, Here we go.. Remember the Elmo Cake I made for my best friend's son couple months ago? This time I made the birthday cake for her mother in law, who turned 60 this year. The first time I saw rosette cake was from the talented I am Baker and Sweetapolita and they look very daunting and beautiful at the same time. I was waiting for the perfect time to try this rosette challenge and yay I got it.. Thanks to my besties.

The cake is Chocolate Orange Cake cover with Chocolate Orange Ganache, using the recipe book from Bake (Essential Companion) by Alison Thompson. Chocolate and Orange are perfect combination and you can't go wrong with the flavour. As for the tip, I used 1M Wilton Tip to create the Rosette. After all, it was a beautiful day at the party!

Chocolate Orange Cake

Ingredients

150g Unsalted Butter

600g Soft Brown Sugar

Finely Grated zest of 3 Oranges

6 Eggs

150g Dark Chocolate, melted

375g Plain Flour

2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

300g Sour Cream

110ml Boiling Water

Method

1. Preheat ove to 160º. Line the cake tin with baking paper.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and orange zest on high speed for 3 minutes until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the melted chocolate and mix well, then sift in the four and bicarbonate of soda and add the sour cream. Mix on low speed until well combined. Slowly add the boiling water and mix well

3. Pour the batter into prepared tin. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Chocolate- Orange Ganache

Ingredients

250ml Pouring Cream

250g Dark Chocolate, chopped

Finely Grated zest of 1 Orange

Method

1. Bring the cream to the boil, then pour it over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Add the orange zest and mix well.

2. Once the cake is cooled, Spread the chocolate- orange ganache over the top of the cake. 

Orange Buttercream 

(I used 2 batches of this recipes)

Ingredients

375g Unsalted butter (at room temperature)

300g Pure Icing Sugar

Finely grated zes of 3 oranges

Method

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter, icing sugar and orange zest on high speed for 5 minutes until pale and creamy.

Assemble the Cake

1. Split cooled cake into two layers. 

2. Spread the cake with orange buttercream and put the top cake layer on top and press gently to ensure it is level. Chill the cake for 1 hour. 

3. Have the chocolate orange ganache ready, then pour it over the cake using the palette knife to spread it over the top and sides of the cake.

4. Fill the pastry bag with decorative tip (Wilton #1M) and orange buttercream. Pipe the rosette on the top of the cake. (I used the Wilton tip #3 to decorate the sides of the cake)

Tatty Teddy Cupcakes

Remember Horse Themed Cupcakes that I made a month ago?  The ones with Horse Butt and Horse faces. Well, this time is Tatty Teddy Cupcakes for baby shower."The mother to be" kept the gender surprise, so the theme colour for baby shower is blue and pink. To be honest, I don't really know much about tatty teddy when I was younger (shame on me) but making them for an order was so much fun. I made different character to those 6 of tatty teddy, they are cute, aren't they?

The base flavor of these cupcakes are vanilla cupcakes with dollop of strawberry jam filling and chocolate cupcakes with dollop of nutella filling. I made the vanilla frosting for both chocolate and vanilla cupcakes.I used the vanilla cupcake recipe from Macaron on Cupcake and vanilla frosting recipe from Horse Themed Cupcakes

I also made another dozen plain vanilla and chocolate cupcakes for an order without tatty teddy character on the top. I am so in love with those bright color.

For anyone in Melbourne area interested in custom cake and dessert orders, please feel free to contact me on flamingpot10@gmail.com

Tatty Teddy Cupcakes

Please click here for Vanilla Cupcake recipe (add the strawberry jam for the ingredient for the filling)

Chocolate Cupcakes

(makes 12)

Ingredients

100g Plain Flour

20g Cocoa Powder

140g Caster Sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

a pinch of Salt

40g Unsalted Butter, at room temperature

120ml Whole Milk

1 Egg

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Hazelnut Spread (Nutella) for filling

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170º.  Put the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and butter in freestanding electric mixer with paddle attachment and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined

2. Whisk the milk, egg and vanilla extract together in a jug, then slowly pour in the remaining milk mixture (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Do not overmix.

3. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Once both chocolate and vanilla cupcakes are cool, core the the cupcake and fill with strawberry jam filling (for the vanilla cupcake) and hazelnut spread/nutella (for the chocolate cupcake). Then frost both cupcakes with vanilla frosting (please click here for the recipe) 

Top each cupcakes with tatty teddy figurine using fondant. 

Here is my favorite ones

Geelong Cats Footy Cake

If you are in Australia and a big fan of Geelong Cats, you must be very thrilled with the result of the grand final yesterday. For me, I'm very honoured to make this cake order for my customer. You may notice that I made similar cake few months ago for Hawks Footy Cake. This Geelong Cats cake is actually half size smaller and using the same buttercream frosting and sugar cookie recipe from Hawks Cake.

The base flavour of this cake is Chocolate Orange cake and finishing with the chocolate orange ganache. I used the recipe from Bake by Alison Thompson. I think the balance sweetness from the chocolate and the citrus essence from the orange are perfect. I can not be anymore happier than received a great feedback from my customer this morning, she mentioned that people in the party thought that the cake was bought from the shop. That just really made my day!

Please feel free to drop me an email, flamingpot10@gmail.com for anyone in Melbourne area interested in custom desert for special occasion. Looking forward for more orders in the future.

Geelong Cats Footy Cake

Chocolate Orange Cake

Ingredients

150g Unsalted Butter

600g Soft Brown Sugar

Finely Grated zest of 3 Oranges

6 Eggs

150g Dark Chocolate, melted

375g Plain Flour

2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

300g Sour Cream

110ml Boiling Water

Method

1. Preheat ove to 160º. Line the cake tin with baking paper.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and orange zest on high speed for 3 minutes until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the melted chocolate and mix well, then sift in the four and bicarbonate of soda and add the sour cream. Mix on low speed until well combined. Slowly add the boiling water and mix well.

3. Pour the batter into prepared tin. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Chocolate- Orange Ganache

Ingredients

250ml Pouring Cream

250g Dark Chocolate, chopped

Finely Grated zest of 1 Orange

Method

1. Bring the cream to the boil, then pour it over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Add the orange zest and mix well.

2. Once the cake is cooled, Spread the chocolate- orange ganache over the top of the cake. 

How to assemble:

I used the same buttercream and same technique as the Hawks Footy Cake.