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Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Maple Praline Glaze

November 12, 2020 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Halloween may be over but pumpkin season is still in full swing and I am here for it. While many of us are already beginning to pull out Christmas decorations, we can still enjoy the best of pumpkin season with this cake. Now, I may be late to the pumpkin party this year, but I’m bringing you a recipe that is a total fall comfort bake. My pumpkin bundt cake with maple praline glaze is absolutely delicious. It’s perfect for a snack cake, as well as making a beautiful addition to your Thanksgiving spread.

Perfectly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves, my pumpkin bundt cake is soft and tender from pumpkin purée and sour cream. The maple praline glaze tastes like pralines in glaze form, flavored with butter, real maple syrup and vanilla. Of course it wouldn’t be like a real praline without crunchy toasted pecans sprinkled on top. This cake is easy to prepare and will stay moist and amazing for a few days on the counter. I think it’s better the day after it’s baked. Eaten warm from the oven or a couple days later, this cake is super delicious.

Bundt Cakes and Preparing the Pan

To avoid a major sticking bundt cake disaster, you want to make sure you have a good quality non-stick bundt pan. I use this one by Nordic Ware. Cakes come perfectly out of it every time. Another necessary way to keep cakes from sticking to the pan is to make sure the pan is greased and floured, or to use a baking spray with flour in it. I prepare my pan by brushing the pan with softened butter, making sure to get all of the nooks and crannies as well as the center baking core. Then, liberally sprinkle with flour, hold it up and tap and rotate it so that the flour coats all surfaces. Get rid of the excess flour by tapping out the excess over the sink or garbage can.

How to make the pumpkin bundt cake

Flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices get whisked together in a large bowl. Butter gets beaten with granulated and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Eggs are added one at a time until incorporated, followed by the pumpkin purée and vanilla extract. At this time, the mixture could look a bit curdled. There’s a lot of liquid in there. But no worries, it will come together. The flour mixture is added, alternated with the sour cream and ending with the flour mixture, stopping to scrape the bowl a few times to ensure everything is being properly mixed. When all the flour has been added, give the batter one final stir to ensure everything is fully incorporated. The batter is spread evenly into the cake pan and baked.

Bake the cake until a skewer come out with a few dry crumbs. If the cake still looks wet on top, bake until the batter looks set, otherwise you could end up with a gooey layer on the bottom of your cake when it’s turned out of the pan.

How to make the glaze

This glaze is prepared a bit differently than most glazes. Maple syrup and butter are melted together in a saucepan on the stove. Sifted confectioners sugar is whisked in, followed by the extracts. Whisk until the glaze is smooth. The glaze is immediately poured onto the just warm or room temperature cake. The glaze does harden quickly and is similar in texture to a praline. So, so yummy. This stuff is addictive on its own. Sprinkle with toasted pecans while the glaze is still wet.

If you make my pumpkin bundt cake with maple praline glaze, let me know! Tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations!

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more delicious fall bakes, check out these recipes:

Caramel Apple Coffee Cake

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Chai Spiced Apple Cranberry Pie

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Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Maple Praline Glaze

Perfectly spiced pumpkin bundt cake with a maple praline glaze topped with toasted pecans.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time50 mins

Servings: servings

Ingredients

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

3 cups (370g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200g) brown sugar
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
1 can (425g) pumpkin purée
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup (170g) sour cream, room temperature

Maple Praline Glaze

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup (78g) real maple syrup
1 cup (114g) confectioners sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon maple extract, optional
1/3 cup (50g) pecans, chopped and toasted

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Set aside
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed, beat together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition, stopping to scrape the bowl after each addition.
Add in the pumpkin purée and the vanilla extract.
Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, stopping to scrape the bowl halfway through.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, and give the batter one final stir to make sure all the ingredients are well incorporated.
Spoon the batter into the pan and spread the batter out evenly.
Bake for 50-60 minutes until a skewer comes out with a few dry crumbs.
Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
In a medium saucepan combine the butter and maple syrup. Whisk until melted.
Whisk in the sifted confectioners sugar, followed by the vanilla extract and maple extract, if using. Whisk until smooth and thickened slightly.
Drizzle the cake with the glaze. Sprinkle the cake with the pecans while the glaze is still wet.

Halloween Rice Paper Ghosts Tutorial

October 20, 2020 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Rice paper sails are super popular on cakes these days. Understandably so, as they really add a lot of movement and an ethereal feel to a cake design. If you haven’t used rice paper for cake decorating, you may have still heard of rice paper elsewhere – perhaps in the form spring rolls. That’s right, for this tutorial, the same rice paper used to make spring rolls will be used to make these translucent Halloween ghosts. Luckily, rice paper can be found in most grocery stores and is fairly inexpensive. These Halloween rice paper ghosts are really easy to make, are a super cute addition on Halloween cakes and cupcakes, and and require very few supplies.

Supplies

-rice paper

-a small spray bottle filled with cold water

-non-stick mats/silicone mats

-black edible marker

-styrofoam cake dummy

How to make rice paper ghosts

Usually, when making rice paper sails, the rice paper is submerged into water for a bit to thoroughly saturate it before shaping it. I find that method makes the paper too wet and more prone to ripping. With my method, the paper is moistened little by little until it’s pliable, and easy to shape. Lay a piece of rice paper onto the mat. Spray the paper with water, using your hand to rub the water into the paper to soften it and help the paper absorb the water. Flip the paper over and repeat. Keep flipping the paper and spraying with water until it is a bit elastic, softened and you can no longer see any texture.

Carefully lift the rice paper from the mat. Shape the paper into a ghost-like shape, tapering off the top and bottom but leaving the center billowy. You can also shape some so that just the bottom tapers, leaving the rest of the ghost billowy. Leave the ghosts to dry until it holds its shape but is still a bit pliable, about 4-6 hours.

I wanted some of the ghosts to have some movement and curve slightly, sort of like they’re flying, so while they’re still pliable, the ghosts can be shaped. Curve the ghost around a foam cake dummy in the desired shape. Stabilize the shape by securing the ghost with pins. Let the ghost dry completely, overnight.

Attaching the ghosts to the cake

When the ghosts have dried, they can be decorated. I kept my ghosts super simple by drawing on eyes and an open mouth with a black edible marker. You can definitely get as detailed as you like. For more depth and more realism, you can use a gray colored petal dust to dust in the crevices of the ghost.

To attach the ghosts to the cake, I used clear isomalt attached to lollipop sticks adhered to the back of the ghosts. This makes the ghosts more stable and secure and also allows them to have more of a 3D look, sort of popping off the cake a bit. After heating the isomalt according to packaged instructions, dip the end of a lollipop stick to coat. Adhere the isomalt stick to the back of the ghost, preferably where the paper bunches, to make the stick less visible from the front of the ghost. Hold the stick in place to dry a bit, then leave the isomalt to cool completely.

When the isomalt has cooled, attach the ghosts to the cake by inserting the lollipop sticks into the cake. I recommend inserting them into a cold cake because they will be much more secure, and less prone to falling out or sinking. I overlapped my ghosts and have them facing alternating directions, but the options are endless.

I hope you find loads of creative ways to use these super cute, super easy Halloween rice paper ghosts. If you make these ghosts, tag me on Instagram. I’d love to see them!

Ash xx

For more Halloween tutorials, check out these posts:

Halloween Mummy Cake Tutorial

Black Cocoa Sugar Cookies + Decorated Pumpkins Tutorial

Halloween Mummy Cake Tutorial

October 16, 2020 By Ashley Leave a Comment

I’ve really been loving working with wafer paper lately, wafer flowers in particular, and while I was working on some flowers and planning out some tutorials, the idea for this mummy cake popped in my head. I sketched it out and couldn’t wait to get started. And now, I’m super excited to share it with you. I’ve got a few Halloween tutorials lined up to share in the coming weeks and this Halloween mummy cake tutorial is definitely one of my favorites. Not only is it super cute, and perfect for any Halloween gathering, but it’s super easy to make, you only need a few supplies and it is not at all time consuming as it may look.

Supplies:

3 tier cake (I used 6×5, 8×5 and 10×5 tiers), stacked and covered in white/off-white fondant

Fondant: bright green, white and black (alternatively, modeling chocolate will work here too) – I used Satin Ice

Circle cutters: 1 1/2″ (38mm), 1″ (25mm), 5/8″ (16mm)

Piping tip #3 OR piping tip #4

Wafer paper

Piping gel

Plastic Wrap/clingfilm

Light brown petal dust ( I used Spanish Moss)

Dusting brush

Small brush for piping gel

Making mummy eyes

I opted to go with more of a cartoonish look for my mummy eyes. Super creepy eyes would also be fun here. To make the eyes, you need a few different size round cutters, as well as black, white and green fondant. Plastic wrap is also needed. This helps to make the eyes have more rounded edges and more of a puffed look.

1. Roll the white fondant out to 1/4″ thick. Lay the plastic wrap over the fondant. Cut out two rounds with the largest, 1 1/2″ cutter over the plastic wrap. Set aside.

2. Roll the green fondant out to 1/4″ thick. Lay the plastic wrap over the fondant. Cut out two rounds with the medium sized, 1″ cutter over the plastic wrap.

3. Brush the back of the green circles with a small amount of piping gel. Place the green circles onto the white rounds. I placed mine on randomly.

4. Roll the black fondant out to 1/4″ thick. Lay the plastic wrap over the fondant. Cut out two rounds with the smallest, 5/8″ cutter over the plastic wrap.

5. Brush the back of the black circles with a small amount of piping gel. Place circles onto the green rounds. Again, I placed mine sort of randomly.

6. Thinly roll out some white paste. Use a piping tip size 3 or 4 to cut out 2-3 small circles for each eye. One of the circles goes on the black round, or pupil, and the others are placed the randomly on the green part. Use just a tiny amount of piping gel to attach.

7. With a dusting brush, lightly dust brown petal dust over the white parts of the eye. Add very little at a time. You want just a little bit of color.

Now, the black background for the eyes needs to be placed on the cake before attaching the eyes. To do this, cut out a section of fondant in the center of the middle tier, that is just a little bit bigger than the size of the eyes. Roll out some black fondant the same thickness as the fondant on your cake, and place into the hole. Cut off any overhanging black fondant. The idea here is to make the black fondant flush with the cake, rather than adding an additional layer of fondant on top. Adding an additional layer makes it look a bit too bulky and the black will show more through the wafer paper more once they’re attached.

Brush the back of the eyes with piping gel and place them onto the black fondant.

Wafer Paper Strips

I’ll admit, I thought this part of the cake was going to take me a while. But once the strips are cut and dusted, it takes no time to put them on the cake. Cut the strips on the long side of the wafer paper with a pair of scissors, cutting them from 1/2″ to 1″. I didn’t measure my strips at all so no need to be exact, nor do they need to be perfectly straight. No worries if the wafer rips, or is damaged in any way – use it! I used 15-20 wafer sheets for my strips, but this amount will vary from person to person.

Assembling the mummy cake

With a dusting brush, on the rough side of the wafer paper, lightly dust random areas of the strips with the light brown petal dust. Make sure to keep a variety from strip to strip. You don’t want them to all look the same. I kept my dusting pretty light, but if you’re wanting more of an aged, deeper, darker and dirty mummy, use a darker shade of brown petal dust (or 2) to dust on the strips as well.

I tried to hide most of the ends of the wafer strips, so it has more of a wrapped look, and doesn’t look so segmented. Tuck the ends of the strips as you place them onto the cake. You can definitely keep some of the ends revealed as I did in some areas. Also note that you do not have to cover every inch of the fondant. A few areas peeking through is no big deal. It still blends in and looks cohesive.

Once all the strips are on the cake, go back with your dusting brush and add some more color to the strips if you would like. Also, dust over the exposed fondant so that it blends in more with the wafer paper.

Some notes on serving

Wafer paper is edible, but people don’t generally want to eat it. It’s also a bit of a pain to try to cut through. Before serving this cake, I recommend removing the wafer as you slice and serve it. Also, because wafer paper is easily effected by humidity and water, I would not refrigerate this cake once it’s done. Add the wafer just before delivering the cake if it is for a client or friend.

I hope you guys love this super cute mummy tutorial like I do! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below or on social. If you make this cake, tag me on Instagram – I would LOVE to see it!

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more autumn themed tutorials, check out these posts:

Black Cocoa Sugar Cookies + Decorated Pumpkins Tutorial

Floral Piped Royal Icing Cake Tutorial

Earl Grey Cake with Honey Buttercream and Blackberry Caramel

September 11, 2020 By Ashley 4 Comments

There’s a little tea shop towards downtown St. Louis that has the best Earl Grey tea. Even better, the tea and the scones there remind me of my travels in England. I’m more into coffee than tea, but I do enjoy chai regularly and in the colder months Earl Grey is one of my favorites. My Earl Grey cake with honey buttercream and blackberry caramel is perfect for tea lovers (and even non tea lovers!) in your life. Flavored with orange zest and Earl Grey tea, this cake is tender and moist. It’s filled and topped with light and silky honey Swiss meringue buttercream, and topped with blackberry caramel sauce, fresh figs, blackberries and sugar blossoms.

What is Earl Grey tea?

Earl Grey is most commonly a black tea flavored with bergamot, orange and other citrus depending on the blend. Sometimes there’s also lavender, rose petals or cornflowers found in some blends. But the bergamot is what makes Earl Grey distinctively Earl Grey. Earl Grey is used in baking often for it’s unique, delicious flavor and as it pairs well many different flavors.

Blackberry Caramel

Recently, I discovered the amazingness of fruit caramel. Essentially it is fruit purée mixed into caramel. Nearly any fruit can be used (blackberry, orange, strawberry are my personal favorites) and like traditional caramel sauce, it’s made fairly quickly and can be stored in the fridge to use on ice cream, pancakes, cocktails and more. It’s an absolutely fabulous way to add color and flavor to a drip cake, or filling, and really amp up a caramel sauce.

You don’t have to remove the seeds or pulp from the blackberries, but strained blackberry purée will give you a smooth caramel that is easiest and prettiest to use on a drip cake. Purée the blackberries in a blender. You can add a tablespoon or two of water if the berries are having a tough time fully blending. Strain the blackberries through a fine mesh sieve, getting out as much purée as possible. There should be about one-ish tablespoon of seeds and pulp left after straining. Combine the sugar and caramel in a saucepan on the stove and let it cook until amber in color. Remove the caramel from the heat and whisk in the strained purée. If the caramel clumps up a bit, place the saucepan back on the stove on low heat and whisk until smooth and melted. Cool the caramel at room temperature.

How to make Earl Grey cake

This cake. It was so good, that after doing the first recipe test for the cake, my whole family ate it warm out of the oven. Even my littles, who don’t like tea at all. It’s soft and delicate with a tender, tight crumb and fragrant of Earl Grey and orange.

To get ample Earl Grey flavor, the tea is steeped in milk. This is way to get concentrated Earl Grey flavor without having to load the cake with tea leaves. Finely ground tea is also added to the batter as well as orange zest for ample flavor.

Butter is mixed into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Mixing the butter into the dry ingredients coats the flour, preventing too much gluten formation. Then, a small amount of the milk mixture is added, just until the dry ingredients are *just* moistened and the mixture is beaten on medium-high for two full minutes until lightened in color, and thick like soft-serve ice cream. This mixing is crucial as it helps to form the structure of your cake. The remaining wet ingredients are added in three parts. The cake batter will be a bit on the thicker side.

You will also notice, a scale is also required for this recipe. Scratch cakes can be tricky to make sometimes, and the baking science is very important in the making and baking of scratch cake. We need cakes to be consistent in taste and texture, and bake up with no problems – no sinking, no overflowing, no rubbery layers, etc. A scale is key in getting consistent results. I use this one from Amazon. This recipe will not work if you convert it to volume (cups) measurements.

I also do not recommend using this recipe for cupcakes. This recipe is designed to bake up somewhat flat, and is also more compact, particularly for layer cakes. This recipe makes 3-8″ layers or 2-8″ taller layers that can be torted.

Honey Swiss meringue buttercream

Egg whites, honey, and granulated sugar are heated in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. This process is to cook the egg whites and melt the sugar all while whisking continuously to avoid any scrambling. Once the egg white mixture reaches 160F, it is strained through a sieve into a stand mixer mixing bowl and using the whisk attachment, beaten until stiff peaks form and the bowl is room temperature to touch. At this point, softened butter is popped in piece by piece and then, and you leave it to mix on low for a bit. It’s important to mix on low as to not incorporate air. Incorporating air into your buttercream can cause and contribute to cake disasters, such as blow-outs, air bubbles and sinking.

It’s quite possible your buttercream will look curdled, or super deflated. Keep mixing and it will come together into creamy, silky and smooth Swiss meringue buttercream. Mixing the buttercream on low for a while allows it to fully incorporate, and eliminates air pockets – which is super important if you’re making a fondant covered cake. It also helps creates that super silky, creamy texture. Add in the salt and vanilla and it’s ready to be used.

Reverse creaming cakes can be delicate, so they are easiest to layer, carve, stack, etc. when they are chilled. I always chill my cakes before layering and filling. Less likely chance they’ll split or fall apart, and they’re easier to handle. Refrigerating well-wrapped cakes WILL NOT dry them out. More on that in a future post.

Once you have filled and frosted your cake, pipe on the blackberry caramel around the edges of the cake. The caramel will also act as a glue for the berries and figs that will go on top. I used fresh figs and blackberries for this cake as they go well with Earl Grey, but you can totally use any combination of fruit you would like. I also added some sugar blossoms to fill in some areas and make it a bit more tea time ready.

I hope that you enjoy this cake as much as I do! If you make it, let me know and leave a comment or tag me on Instagram.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more layer cake recipes, check out these posts:

Strawberry Rose Buttermilk Cake

Chocolate Stout Cake with Coffee Irish Cream Buttercream

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Earl Grey Cake with Honey Buttercream and Blackberry Caramel

Orange flecked Earl Grey cake filled and frosted with honey Swiss meringue buttercream with a blackberry caramel drip. Topped with fresh fruit and sugar blossoms.

Course: Dessert

Servings: - 8" cakes

Ingredients

Earl Grey Cake

16 oz (490ml) whole milk
6 tea bags Earl Grey tea or 4 tablespoons of looseleaf tea
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 oz (57g) canola oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
14 oz (397g) cake flour
14 oz (397g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons Earl Grey tea, finely ground
Zest of one large orange
8 ounces (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature

Blackberry Caramel

1 cup (170g) fresh blackberries
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water

Honey Swiss Meringue Buttercream

9-10 (300 grams) egg whites
1 ¼ cups (250g) honey
1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
3 ½ cups (793g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Fresh blackberries and figs
Candied oranges, optional

Instructions

Make the Earl Grey Cake

Heat the oven to 350F. Prepare your cake pans. Brush the bottoms and sides of your cake pans with melted butter. Line the bottoms and sides with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to simmer until bubbles just start to form around the outside. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
Place the 6 tea bags into the hot milk and push them down with a spatula to submerge them.
Let the tea bags steep in the milk for 30 minutes.
Remove the tea bags, wrapping each around the end of a wooden spoon to get as much milk out as possible.
Measure out 12 oz/355ml of the tea milk into a measuring cup. If you don't have exactly 12oz, use regular milk to top it off.
To the tea milk mixture, add the eggs, oil and vanilla and whisk to combine.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, tea and orange zest. On low speed, mix for 1 minute.
With the mixer still running, add in the softened butter pieces, a few pieces at a time. Mix until the mixture resembles cornmeal. You should be able to gather a bit in your hand, squeeze and you have a solid piece. This means the butter is evenly distributed.
With the mixer still on low, slowly pour some of the milk/egg mixture into the bowl JUST to moisten the ingredients, about 4 oz or 1/2 cup of liquid.
Turn the mixer speed to medium (4 or 6) and whip for *two full* minutes. The mixture should be whipped up, thick, and lighter in color. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is properly mixed.
With the mixer speed on low, add the remaining wet ingredients in three parts, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
Once all the wet ingredients have been added, give the bowl a final scrape and mix with a spatula. Evenly divide the batter among the prepared pans.
Bake the layers for 35-45 minutes. Check the cake at 30-35 minutes to test for doneness. If a toothpick comes out clean, and the top of the cake feels springy and set when touched, take the cakes out.
Tap the cake once, firmly against the counter to remove excess steam. If your cakes dome at all, use a clean kitchen towel to gently push the domes down. Cool the cakes for 15 minutes in the pans.
Run a palette or butter knife around the cakes in their pans before turning them out to cool completely on cooling racks.
Wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator a couple hours to firm up.

Make the blackberry caramel

Place blackberries in the bowl of a food processor and process until pureed. Strain through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl, getting as much from the pulp as you can. Discard the solids.
In a medium sized saucepan, combine the sugar and the water. Stir just until combined.
Place the saucepan over medium heat. Let the sugar mixture cook, without stirring, until the sugar mixture turns a rich amber color. Take the mixture off the heat to stop the cooking process.
Whisk in the blackberry purée. If the caramel seizes, put in back on the stove on low heat, and whisk until smooth.
Let the caramel cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a glass jar to cool completely.

Make the honey Swiss meringue buttercream

Weigh out egg whites, honey, and granulated sugar together in a non-reactive bowl, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the bowl and place over a pot of simmering (not boiling) water, whisking constantly and gently until temperature reaches 160F.
Using a sieve, strain the egg white/sugar mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer.
Mix on medium speed with the whisk attachment until the mixture is glossy, reaches stiff peaks and the outside of the bowl is no longer warm. You cannot add butter to the bowl if it is warm or the butter will just melt when added.
Once the mixture reaches stiff peaks, switch out the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment and begin mixing on low speed.
Add the softened butter cubes, a couple at a time, until incorporated. Now, just let it mix. It might curdle or look lumpy but that’s ok. Keep mixing. This could take some time.
The buttercream is ready when it is smooth, satiny and creamy. Keep mixing on low and add the salt and flavorings. Mix until everything is fully incorporated.

Strawberry Rose Buttermilk Cake

June 10, 2020 By Ashley 3 Comments

Whenever I ask you guys what kind of recipes you want to see on the blog, more often than not, the request is for my cake recipes. As many of you know, I ran a wedding cake business up until the end of 2019. It was a lot of fun (and a lot of hard work) and I built a super successful business, but decided it was time to take a break to be able to spend more time with my family as well as blog and teach cake decorating full-time. The cake recipes I share here are mostly ones that I used for my business, tried and true client favorites that I have made for years. This strawberry rose buttermilk cake is a recipe I have made many, many, many times and is always a favorite.

My strawberry rose buttermilk cake is one of those cakes that combines flavors in such a way that they’re balanced, and light but straightforward in flavor. This cake is super fruity from the strawberries, and slightly floral from the rosewater, with a deep flavor and a bit of a tang from the super moist, and tender vanilla buttermilk cake.

About the mixing method

Let me tell you – this buttermilk cake is a KEEPER. It’s the perfect foundation for most fillings and frostings, and it makes for beautiful layer cakes. This buttermilk cake is mixed using the reverse creaming, or two stage method. Reverse creaming cakes have a tighter, more delicate and soft crumb. They tend to be more compact, with less of a rise compared to creamed cakes, and have a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Reverse creaming cakes can be delicate, so they are easiest to layer, carve, stack, etc. when they are chilled. The reverse creaming method gives me exactly what I’m looking for in a white/yellow cake base. This method of creaming and my recipe is partly adapted by Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Cake Bible. In recent years, I’ve used a recipe I adapted from my dear friend, Liz over at Sugar Geek Show, from her book Artisan Cake Company’s Visual Guide to Cake Decorating, which is also an adapted recipe from The Cake Bible.

Check out Sugar Geek Show’s Cake Decorating Basics tutorials for beginners.

How to make the buttermilk cake

If you haven’t made a cake using this method, don’t be afraid of it. It’s super easy if you follow the notes on the stages of batter texture along the way in the recipe. And, while we’ve been conditioned to “mix until just combined” or “don’t over mix” so that we don’t over develop the gluten which would result in a tough cake, those rules don’t apply the same in this cake. In the instructions, butter is mixed into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Mixing the butter into the dry ingredients coats the flour, preventing too much gluten formation.

Then, a small amount of liquid is added, just until the dry ingredients are *just* moistened and the mixture is beaten on medium-high for two full minutes until lightened in color, and thick like soft-serve ice cream. This mixing is crucial as it helps to form the structure of your cake. The remaining wet ingredients are added in three parts. The cake batter will be a bit on the thicker side.

You will also notice that this recipe doesn’t have baking soda, but uses all baking powder instead. A bit unusual considering there is an acidic ingredient – buttermilk. Baking soda neutralizes the acid in the buttermilk, and also contributes to the rise of the cake. Too much acid can prevent the cake from developing the proper structure, but also can prevent it from browning. So, why did I skip on the baking soda then? Neutralizing the buttermilk also tames the flavor. I wanted full buttermilk flavor. This cake is not too acidic without the baking soda so it browns well and rises properly.

For this recipe, a scale is also required. Scratch cakes can be tricky to make sometimes, and the baking science is very important in the making and baking of scratch cake. We need cakes to be consistent in taste and texture, and bake up with no problems – no sinking, no overflowing, no rubbery layers, etc. A scale is key in getting consistent results. I use this one from Amazon. This recipe will not work if you convert it to volume (cups) measurements.

I also do not recommend using this recipe for cupcakes. This recipe is designed to bake up somewhat flat, and is also more compact. I use a different, slightly less delicate recipe for cupcakes (it’s ah-mazing) that can accompany all sorts of fillings and frostings that I’ll share soon.

About the Italian meringue buttercream

For this cake, I opted to use velvety smooth Italian meringue buttercream. My how-to post for Italian meringue buttercream can be found here. The strawberry buttercream is super fruity, silky and smooth, with just a hint of rose water. To really get a super concentrated strawberry flavor, I recommend using a jam (homemade or store bought) over a puree. Purees aren’t as concentrated in flavor and can be a bit watery. I’ve provided my strawberry reduction jam in the recipe. Really, strawberries and rose go together like peanut butter and jelly. They compliment each other really well and are amazing when paired with the buttermilk cake. However, you can omit the rosewater if you wish- this cake will still be amazing.

I decorated my strawberry rose buttermilk cake with fresh strawberries and edible dried rose petals. I love the delicate, romantic look of it.

In the pictures of the cake in this post, the cake was sliced while it was slightly chilled. Cutting a chilled cake allows for the cake to not fall apart when cutting it, but also it makes for neat and tidy slices. Serve the cake at room temperature.

For more cake and cupcake recipes, check out these recipes:

Black Forest Cupcakes

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Stout Cake

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5 from 2 votes

Strawberry Rose Buttermilk Cake

This strawberry rose buttermilk is super fruity from the strawberries, and slightly floral from the rosewater, with a deep flavor and a bit of a tang from the super moist, and tender vanilla buttermilk cake.

This recipe yields 2-8" cakes, both just under 2" tall. For a loftier 3-layer cake, make a batch and a half.

Prep Time1 hr 30 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Stacking and Decorating30 mins

Total Time2 hrs 10 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 1x2x5 slices

Equipment

Kitchen Scale
Stand Mixer
Bake Even Strips (optional)

Ingredients

Quick Strawberry Jam

3 cups (680g) fresh or frozen strawberries
1/3 cup (66g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Buttermilk Cake

14 oz (397g) unbleached cake flour
14 oz (397g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
8 oz (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 large eggs
2 oz (57g) canola oil
10 oz (284g) buttermilk, room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Strawberry Italian Meringue Buttercream

12 oz (339g) strawberry jam
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon rose water, to taste
1 batch of Italian meringue buttercream

Instructions

Make the quick strawberry jam:

Combine the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a large saucepan.
Place the pan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the strawberries are softened.
Using a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon, smash the strawberries to release their juices and break them up.
Simmer the mixture for 30- 45 minutes, or until the mixture is reduced and has thickened.
Push the hot strawberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Discard the leftover pulp.
Let the mixture cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Strawberry Buttercream:

Mix the cooled strawberry jam into the prepared Italian meringue buttercream. Add 1/2 cup/4oz at a time, to ensure the jam gets thoroughly mixed into the buttercream.

Make the buttermilk cake:

Heat the oven to 350F. Prepare your cake pans. Brush the bottoms and sides of your cake pans with melted butter. Line the bottoms and sides with parchment paper.
Combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla in medium bowl. Whisk to thoroughly combine. Pour 40z/113g of the wet ingredients into a separate mixing cup.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. On low speed, mix for 1 minute.
With the mixer still running, add in the softened butter chunks, one or two pieces at a time. Mix until the mixture resembles cornmeal. You should be able to gather a bit in your hand, squeeze and you have a solid piece. This means the butter is evenly distributed.
With the mixer still on low, pour in the 4oz of liquid and mix until the flour mixture is moistened.
Turn the mixer speed to medium (4 or 6) and whip for *two full* minutes. The mixture should be whipped up, thick, and lighter in color.
Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is properly mixed.
With the mixer speed on low, add the remaining wet ingredients in three parts, scraping down the bowl after each addition has been mixed in.
Once all the wet ingredients have been added, give the bowl a final scrape and mix with a spatula. Evenly divide the batter among the prepared pans.
Bake the layers for 35-45 minutes. Check the cake at 30-35 minutes to test for doneness. If a toothpick comes out clean, and the top of the cake feels springy and set when touched, take the cakes out.
Tap the cake once, firmly against the counter to remove excess steam. If your cakes dome at all, use a clean kitchen towel to gently push the domes down. Cool the cakes for 15 minutes in the pans.
Run a palette or butter knife around the cakes in their pans before turning them out to cool completely on cooling racks.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator a couple hours.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the strawberry jam at little at a time, rosewater and Italian buttercream.
Be sure to mix on low and mix in a little bit of the jam at a time so that the buttercream doesn't separate.
Torte the cake for 4 layers. Fill and frost the cake. Finish with fresh cut strawberries and edible/food safe rose bud petals.

Italian Meringue Buttercream

June 8, 2020 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Italian meringue buttercream is the lighter, fluffier, more stable cousin to the ever popular Swiss meringue buttercream. Both Italian and Swiss buttercreams are similar as they are light, silky smooth, and melt in your mouth. They both create a smooth cake surface and chill firmly for sturdy stacking and transportation. The main difference between Swiss and Italian is in the preparation of the meringue.

The Italian method of boiling sugar and water to a high temperature to create a sugar syrup and then adding it to soft peak egg whites, allows for a more stable meringue, or a meringue that will not deflate or breakdown easily over time. This is especially beneficial when using this buttercream for a cake for an outdoor event or on a warm day. With caution of course. If you frost a cake with any butter based buttercream and leave it outside in the sun in mid-July in the Midwest, it’s destined to be a buttery messy puddle quickly. But, for moderately warmer temps, it is the best butter based buttercream to use.

Egg whites and cream of tartar whipped to soft peaks.

Both Swiss and Italian meringue buttercream contain mostly the same ingredients – egg whites, sugar, butter, salt and flavoring. The exception is that Italian meringue buttercream usually uses some sort of stabilizer (cream of tartar, salt) which stabilizes the egg whites during beating, before the sugar syrup is added.

How to make Italian meringue buttercream

Italian meringue buttercream is made by combining sugar and water into a saucepan and boiling until softball stage, or about 240-245F. As with caramel, mix together the sugar and water. Then stop stirring. You don’t want to create sugar crystals – which would give you crunchy bits in your otherwise silky smooth buttercream. While the sugar is boiling, whip up the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment until soft peaks form. When the sugar mixture reaches temperature, remove from the heat and turn your mixer up to medium-high speed. Drizzle the *very* hot sugar mixture into the bowl, between the side of the bowl and the whisk attachment.

Sugar syrup has been added, and the meringue has been cooled and beaten to stiff peaks.

Continue to mix on medium-high until the outside of the bowl is just lukewarm to the touch, or the mixture is at 80F. Really though, don’t stress about having exactly 80F meringue here -I’m really just giving you a temperature as a guide. Just feeling that the bowl is lukewarm means it’s ready for the butter. You can wrap the bowl with ice packs or cold towels to help cool the meringue down faster if you wish.

Right after all the butter was added. A bit deflated, lumpy and thin. Keep mixing!

Same as with Swiss buttercream, softened butter is added to the bowl piece by piece until all the butter is added. The buttercream will deflate a bit, and it is quite possible the buttercream will curdle or look thin, like cake batter, but keep going. Oftentimes, meringue buttercreams go through an ugly, sloppy mess before coming together and looking more like buttercream. Once the buttercream has come back together, let it mix on low speed for a while – 5-10 minutes or so, to get rid any air bubbles. Air bubbles in buttercream under a fondant cake can result in blow-outs and bubbling fondant. The end result will be perfectly smooth, beautiful, fluffy, light and silky buttercream.

The buttercream is fluffy, light and smooth. Those little holes and divots are air bubbles. Mix on low for 10 more minutes to smooth them out.

Troubleshooting Italian meringue buttercream

*The buttercream can be refrigerated and also freezes well. Bring to room temperature before rewhipping, otherwise the buttercream will separate. If this happens, heat the metal mixing bowl with a kitchen torch while continuing to whip. Stop applying heat when the buttercream comes together.

*Color meringue buttercream with gel color, or ideally chocolate colors (which are oil based). Do not use liquid color as it can dilute the buttercream.

*If at the end of mixing, your buttercream is a liquidy, soupy mess, pop in the refrigerator for 15-25 minutes to cool it down. Look for the edges of the buttercream to start to harden, then it should be ready to whip again. Repeat this process again if necessary.

*Keep going! If you have whipped up your egg whites and heated your syrup to the correct temperature, the rest of the process is pretty foolproof. If it is curdled, separated, lumpy, the butter was too cold, etc. Keep mixing. It might take a bit longer but keep mixing and it will come together.

*Italian meringue buttercream can hold quite a bit of flavorings. When adding liquids, such as fruit purees and other liquids, mix in a little at a time. The liquid needs to be able to emulsify into the buttercream. Another reason you want to add a little bit of liquid at a time, is that adding too much liquid can cause the buttercream to become unstable. I recommend reducing your fruit purees into concentrates before adding to the buttercream. You can also use pulverized freeze dried berries for fruity variations as well.

The recipe below is for vanilla bean Italian meringue buttercream. But the flavor options are endless. Here are a few popular flavors to experiment with. Adjust the quantities to suit your taste. I like my buttercream flavors as concentrated as possible.

*Chocolate – Add 3 cups (600g) bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature, to a batch of buttercream

*Fruit flavors – Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups reduced fruit puree, preserves or curd per batch

*Nut Butters, Cookie Butters, Caramel- Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups per batch

*Boozy – Add 1/4 – 1/3 cup flavored liqueur such as Bailey’s, Champagne, Amaretto, etc. per batch

For more information on meringue based buttercream, check out my post on Swiss meringue buttercream here.

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5 from 1 vote

Italian Meringue Buttercream

A fluffy, silky and smooth not-so-sweet meringue based buttercream, that is more stable than Swiss meringue buttercream but lighter in taste and texture. Perfect for all types of flavors and add ins.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Course: Dessert

Ingredients

9-10 (300g) large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 ½ cups (500g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120g) water
3 ½ cups (793g) unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

Instructions

Place the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and the water over medium-high heat. Stir to moisten the sugar.
Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan. Boil the sugar and water mixture. Do not stir.
Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Add the cream of tartar.
On medium speed, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, about 1-2 minutes.
When the sugar syrup reaches 240F, remove the saucepan from the heat. Turn the speed of the mixer to high, and very carefully and slowly pour the hot syrup in a thin and steady stream into the bowl, pouring between the bowl and the whisk attachment so that the sugar syrup doesn't splatter. Don't rush.
Once the sugar syrup is added, continue to whip until stiff peaks form and the bowl is lukewarm to the touch, about 10-15 minutes. You can wrap the bowl with ice packs to speed up this process, if you wish.
Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the softened butter, a few pieces at a time, mixing until the butter disappears into the meringue.
After all the butter has been added, increase the speed to medium and whip until thick, and fluffy.
Reduce the speed to low. Add the vanilla and salt, and beat for an additional 5-10 minutes to minimize the air bubbles.

Notes

Buttercream can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days, refrigerated for 1 week in an airtight container and frozen for up to 3 months.

Mini Tutorial: White on White Baroque Cake

May 7, 2020 By Ashley 2 Comments

[This post is written in partnership with Iron Orchid Designs. All text and opinions are 100% mine. Please note that I would never endorse a product or company that I don’t actually enjoy using. Thank you for supporting brands that help me and my business grow!]

Hi guys! I’m super excited to share my white on white Baroque cake mini tutorial with you. Since monochrome cakes are one solid color, it can be hard to emphasize detail and textures, since those elements can get lost in the overall look of the cake. So, I’m going to share some ways to make a single color cake really pop. One of the best ways is to add textural elements using moulds, stamps, or other 2D elements.

The moulds I used for this cake are by Iron Orchid Designs. They’re large, durable, made with high quality food-safe silicone and are super easy to use. The fondant doesn’t stick to the moulds, and is easy to remove. The moulds also have a micro rim to help get a super clean edge. The two that I chose to use are baroque style moulds (the Classic Elements and Acanthus moulds) with lots of scrolls and embellishments with some pearl detail.

For the cake, I used a natural white fondant (slightly ivory tinted) and used an Iron Orchid decor stamp, called Craquelure. I love this stamp. It’s perfect for creating a fishnet texture, a lacy texture and great for animal skins, like snakes and reptiles. I imprinted all of my cake tiers with this stamp to add additional texture under the moulded pieces.

The best way to plan out the mould design for your cake is, as you are making pieces, lay them out on a non-stick mat to form the big components of your design before putting them on your cake. To use these moulds, press the fondant firmly into the mould. You can use a solid piece of fondant, or you can place the fondant into the mould in pieces. Note that the finished mould piece will be a bit segmented since the fondant was placed in pieces. I tend to like that look because it reminds me of old stone pieces, so a lot of my moulded pieces have some random segmented lines.

Once the fondant is in the mould, use a modeling tool to scrape off the excess paste. To remove the fondant, place the mould face down. Gently peel back the mould and ease the fondant out. It should come out easily and all in one piece.

I formed the larger pieces of my design to get a basic design and layout, then placed them onto the cake with sugar glue. Then I filled in the design with smaller accent pieces, followed by the pearl details. The pearl detail on the bottom tier is my absolute fave. It’s probably my favorite tier.

I also added a few white dragees to accent the design and fill in some blank spaces. I made some white heirloom roses with lots of petals and added those to the cake for more of a romantic touch. I left the petals all white and dusted the edges with just a little bit of cream colored petal dust.

Moulds and stamps are a great way to add textural elements and additional detail to help this white on white cake really stand out. If you recreate this cake, let me know. Tag me on Instagram so I can see it and share it!

For more mini tutorials, check these out:

Mediterranean Tile and Flowers Cake

Romantic Roses Cake

Mini Tutorial: Romantic Roses Cake

January 29, 2020 By Ashley Leave a Comment

[This post is written in partnership with Satin Ice. All text and opinions are 100% mine. Thank you for supporting brands that help me and my business grow!]

Valentine’s Day is the inspiration behind this “mini” tutorial for my Romantic Roses cake. This cake is sponsored by my sweet friends over at Satin Ice. Their new buttercream icing mix was perfect for palette knife buttercream painting. While this is actually a fondant covered cake, mixed media elements like buttercream and royal icing techniques – such as palette knife painting, detailed piping, buttercream flowers, etc. look amazing together and allows you to incorporate several different techniques.

I’m calling this a “mini” tutorial because I’m sharing how I made this cake, but it’s not a step by step detailed tutorial. The idea is to share how I created this cake, and to share a technique and some information for you to be able to replicate it on your cakes. A reader wrote to me recently asking for me to keep in mind beginner cake tutorials when creating tutorials. I will most definitely be creating tutorials for ALL skill levels and ALL sorts of cakes – birthday cakes, wedding cakes, themed cakes, holiday cakes, etc. Keep in mind that many of the techniques featured in my full or mini tutorials can be applied to any size or style of cake, and many are perfect for all skill levels. Trust me, I’m going to do my best to not let any of you leave a post empty handed.

After determining that palette knife buttercream painting was definitely on the table for this cake, and Valentine’s Day was an underlying theme, my mind went to color next. I wanted to incorporate dark reds, pinks, and blush tones. And what screams Valentine’s Day more than ROSES? To keep with rose theme, I created hybrid tea roses, heirloom roses, David Austin garden roses, and little climbing roses and rose buds. I also added in some rose leaves and some twisty vines.

I used Satin Ice fondant for this cake, which I colored with Crystal Colors petal dust in Champagne and Blush, mostly equal parts. I wanted a blush color for the cake but I wanted it more of a cool, muted, vintage-y tone and not so harshly pink. I’ve been experimenting with using dusts for coloring fondant simply to get more of a targeted color. I find that it’s a bit more difficult to achieve the desired color if I’m using gel colors. Food safe dusts come in such a large variety of colors which allows me to achieve the color I’m aiming for much easier. However, if you don’t have these colors, you can use Americolor electric pink and Wilton brown to achieve a similar color. Avoid Americolor brown – there’s a bit too much orange in it. Incorporate very little color gradually since gels are more concentrated.

I used the same petal dusts to color my buttercream to match the fondant, which was fairly simple to do since the buttercream mix is pure white. Satin Ice buttercream mix comes as a soft dough. To the dough, you add butter or shortening and water to create an American style buttercream. The buttercream mix is very customizable to most projects. It’s stiff enough for piping flowers and ruffles, but you can also make it soft enough to mimic the same consistency as a meringue based buttercream, which happens to be my favorite buttercream to use. To get that consistency, I added water 1/2 teaspoon at a time until it was soft and smooth, like peanut butter.

Because I wanted my palette knife painting to be focused around the sugar flowers, I placed the sugar flowers first. Once the flowers were placed, I created buttercream “petals” around the flowers, by pressing the buttercream coated palette knife up against the cake and gently pulling down and away, to create a slightly grooved petal. Take care not to place your petals too symmetrical. The petals can be different sizes and don’t have to be perfectly neat. Consider creating your petals based on the shape you want your petals to have and direction you want your painting to go. Once I finished the painting, I added some white sugar dragees that I painted gold with a mix of clear alcohol and gold dust.

And really, that’s it. A super simple technique just to get acquainted with palette knife buttercream painting. I’m totally in love with the technique and can’t wait to do some palette knife buttercream flowers. Let me know if you try this out!

Check out these posts for more sugar art tutorials:

Gum Paste Blackberries, Leaves and Blossoms tutorial

Essential Tools for Making Sugar Flowers

Caramel Apple Coffee Cake

October 25, 2019 By Ashley 2 Comments

Well hello there. It’s officially apple season and I am loving it. To me, baking with apples is so quintessentially fall. Pairing apples with cinnamon and caramel – now that’s when the magic happens. My caramel apple coffee cake is perfect for those chilly fall mornings with a fresh cup of hot coffee, or for an after dinner treat (also with coffee, because, well, coffee). The cake is rustic and beautiful and while it’s perfect for a snack cake, it also makes for an impressive sweet treat for the holidays. This caramel apple coffee cake consists of a sour cream cake batter topped with cinnamon sugar tossed apples and a sweet and crunchy pecan streusel topping and drizzled with salted caramel. The cake is simple to make and absolutely delicious.

I found this recipe in a stack of old recipes passed down from my great grandmother. It definitely required quite a bit of tweaking but it’s so awesome to be able to rework one of my great grandmother’s recipes. I learned a lot of my baking from her just by watching her as a child, long before I showed any interest in baking at all. It always fascinated me that she would make pies without recipes and measuring and they came out the same, perfect every time. I can only assume that came from years and years of baking practice.

So, on to making this caramel apple coffee cake.

The key to making the cake batter light and tender is room temperature ingredients and also making sure to adequately beat together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. I know we see the “beat until light and fluffy” terminology often, but it really is an important step, and one that is absolutely necessary for helping create the texture of your cake. I used sour cream in this recipe for flavor and for added moisture. Note that the batter will be quite thick. Spoon it into a 9″ springform pan and use an offset spatula to make sure it’s evenly distributed in the pan.

About the apples

My preferred baking apple is Granny Smith, particularly when I’m using streusels, frostings, etc. that will be adding extra sweetness. For this recipe, I like the contrast of the tart apples to the sweet streusel and caramel toppings. But you can definitely use your favorite baking apple. Honeycrisp and Braeburns are also awesome to bake with. The apples are peeled and sliced, and tossed with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Slice your apples to about 1/4″ thick. You don’t want them too thick otherwise they won’t cook all the way through. The apples are then layered flat on top of the cake batter. I leave a really small space in the center without apples so that I can check if the cake is done without the apples skewing the result.

I use a food processor to make my streusel, as I do my tart and pie doughs, just because I find it to be easier and faster than doing it by hand. Pulse together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add in the butter chunks and pulse until small clumps start to form and the mixture no longer looks powdery. Mix in your pecans last so that they retain their crunchiness and don’t end up pulverized. Scatter the streusel evenly over the apples. The streusel can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

The caramel apple coffee cake takes quite a while to bake, about 60 minutes or so. However, it’s important to check on the cake starting at about 40-45 minutes because baking times can vary depending on the juiciness of the apples. The cake is done when a tester comes out with few crumbs.

How to make the salted caramel sauce

While the cake is baking, or even a few days in advance, make the salted caramel sauce. I start this caramel sauce with a wet mix – a mixture of sugar and water. After the the water and sugar is mixed, set down that whisk, and leave it be. Let the mixture boil until it turns a rich amber color. Then immediately remove from the heat to stop the cooking process. Be careful when adding the butter and the cream, as they cause the mixture to sputter and steam. So watch those fingers. Let the cake cool until just warm or room temperature before drizzling with caramel sauce. And because it’s always okay to be extra with caramel, go ahead and drizzle a bit more on each slice before serving.

This caramel apple coffee cake is a total winner and an absolute comforting fall bake. If you try my caramel apple coffee cake, let me know! Leave a comment in the comment area below and be sure to snap a photo and tag it #littlevintagebaking on Instagram so I can see your creation!

For another fall inspired recipe, try these pumpkin cream cheese muffins!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Caramel Apple Coffee Cake

This caramel apple coffee cake consists of a sour cream cake batter topped with cinnamon sugar tossed apples and a sweet and crunchy pecan streusel topping and drizzled with salted caramel.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 15 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Caramel Apple Coffee Cake

Ingredients

Apple Coffee Cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup sour cream, full fat, room temperature
2 cups apples, peeled and sliced (about 2-3 medium apples)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup pecans, chopped and toasted
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Salted Caramel Sauce:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature,
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

Make the salted caramel.

In a medium sized saucepan, combine the sugar and the water. Whisk just until combined.
Place the saucepan over medium heat. Let the sugar mixture cook, without stirring, until the sugar mixture turns a rich amber color. Take the mixture off the heat to stop the cooking process.
Add the butter to the saucepan and whisk to combine. Be very careful as the mixture is incredibly hot and will bubble up and steam when the butter is added.
Whisk in the heavy cream, followed by the vanilla and the salt until smooth.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a glass jar to cool completely.

Make the streusel.

In the bowl of a food processor, place the flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Pulse to mix.
Add the butter cubes and pulse until mixture begins to stick together and form small clumps.
Remove the bowl from the food processor and remove the center blade. Stir in the pecans. If not using right away, store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Make the apple coffee cake.

Heat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour a 9" springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine.
Place the butter and the sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed, stopping to scrape the bowl every so often, until the mixture is light, fluffy and creamy, about 3-5 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla extract.
Add the flour mixture to the batter in three batches, alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, and scrape down the the bowl and give it a stir to ensure the flour is fully incorporated.
Spoon the batter into the prepared spring form pan and smooth with an offset spatula.
Place the peeled and sliced apples into a medium sized bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and stir to coat the apples.
Layer the apples, slightly overlapping, onto the cake batter.
Sprinkle the streusel topping on top of the apples.
Bake the cake for 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with few moist crumbs.
Cool the cake in the pan on a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. When the cake has cooled a bit, but is still warm, drizzle the cake with caramel sauce, cut into wedges and serve.

Notes

Store caramel sauce in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Black Forest Cupcakes

August 30, 2019 By Ashley Leave a Comment

[This post is written in partnership with Bialetti. All text and opinions are 100% mine. Thank you for supporting brands that help me and my business grow!]

Hello, friends! Is it officially considered fall when pumpkin spice starts popping up in coffee shops? As much as I love fall, I’m having a hard time dealing with the fact that summer is nearly over. But I won’t pretend that I’m not excited about hauling out the slow cooker and making ALL the soups. And fall baking, also love it. Pumpkins, apples, warm spices – comfort baking at its best. I’ve got so many fab recipes and tutorials lined up for this fall season and can’t wait to share them all with you.

I couldn’t possibly finish out summer baking on the blog without posting a cherry recipe. My littlest loves cherries so we’ve had a steady supply on hand since they were first available. These black forest cupcakes are the perfect way to use up the last of those cherries. And what better to pair with cherries than chocolate. These chocolate cupcakes are moist and fluffy, filled with homemade cherry filling and topped with a tangy whipped cream cheese buttercream frosting. This is my go-to cream cheese buttercream frosting I use for my wedding cakes.

I’ll admit, these black forest cupcakes aren’t authentically black forest in the traditional sense. Both feature a rich chocolate cake base, but the cherry filling differs a bit. Traditional black forest cake has that unmistakable flavor of Kirsch, or cherry liquor. I chose to leave it out and flavored my cherry filling with vanilla and a hint of almond. I left it out because I don’t keep Kirsch on hand and didn’t feel like it was worth buying a bottle of Kirsch for this one recipe. It would never be used except for this recipe. However, you can add Kirsch to the filling if you have it and wish to use it. I also used sweet cherries for my filling in place of the traditional sour cherries. Traditional black forest cake is filled and covered with a light whipped cream. I opted for a whipped cream cheese buttercream frosting because the tanginess of the cream cheese is fabulous with the cherries and the chocolate.

This chocolate cupcake recipe is one I’ve been using for years and it’s pretty much the *perfect* chocolate cupcake. It’s fantastically chocolate-y with a tight but fluffy crumb. Be sure to use a good quality dutch processed cocoa here. Not only will the flavor be highlighted, but also good quality cocoa powder has a higher fat content (ie: adds moistness to the cupcake).

The only liquid in this chocolate cupcake recipe is coffee. I used Bialetti’s Moka Express to brew the coffee for my cupcakes. I don’t own an espresso machine, so the Moka Express is a fast and easy way for me to make a quality espresso drink without having to hit the local coffee shop drive-through. Bialetti’s Milano coffee blend is my favorite to drink – it’s lighter, more floral and more delicate than the Bialetti Napoli blend that I used for these cupcakes. I opted to use a more robust and dark roast to really enhance the chocolate in the cupcakes and I wanted the natural roasted and cocoa aroma of the coffee to really shine through.

The coffee and cocoa powder are mixed together to “bloom” the cocoa powder. Combining the cocoa powder with a liquid allows the cocoa powder to dissolve and essentially release it’s flavor. Pretty much means you’re unleashing it’s ultimate chocolate-y potential. The cupcakes are made by combining sugar and butter in a saucepan and heating just until melted. The mixture is then poured into the bowl of a stand mixer and beaten until room temperature. Eggs and vanilla are added, followed by the chocolate mixture and finished by alternating between sour cream and the flour mixture. When baked they’ll be perfectly domed, moist and flavorful chocolate cupcakes.

The cherry filling for these black forest cupcakes is super easy and fast to make. Combine all the ingredients into a saucepan. I use a potato masher to break up the cherries a bit more and get them to release some of their juices once they start to cook down a bit. Let the cherry mixture simmer until thickened, add in extracts and let it cool completely before using. Easy peasy. The cherry filling can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to a week.

Whipped cream cheese buttercream frosting is so versatile and great for topping cupcakes, filling cakes and spreading on brownies. It’s also super easy to prepare and definitely a no fuss recipe. Combine softened butter and chilled cream cheese and beat until combined. I use the cream cheese while it’s still cold because it will heat up quite a bit with all the mixing. Using chilled cream cheese helps keep it more stable. Add in the powdered sugar and the vanilla and beat on low until combined. At this point, it’s going to look yellow and pretty lumpy. Turn up the mixer to medium speed and whip until the buttercream has lightened in color and texture, about 3-5 minutes.

If you really wanted to get extra, after filling the cupcakes, puree the remaining cherry filling and drizzle it over the top of the cupcakes. So. Much. Yum. These black forest cupcakes are a must try.

If you try my black forest cupcakes, let me know! Leave a comment in the comment area below and be sure to snap a photo and tag it #littlevintagebaking on Instagram. I love seeing your Little Vintage Baking creations!

For more chocolate desserts, check out these recipes:

Chocolate Stout Cake with Coffee Irish Cream Buttercream and Irish Whiskey Ganache

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Black Forest Cupcakes

Moist chocolate cupcakes filled with homemade cherry filling and topped with a tangy whipped cream cheese buttercream frosting

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Dessert

Keyword: Black Forest Cupcakes

Servings: cupcakes

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes:

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons espresso or coffee
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120ml) sour cream, full fat

Cherry Filling:

1 cup (1/2lb) sweet cherries, cut in half, stems and pits removed
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Pinch of fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

Whipped Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting:

1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 block (250g) cream cheese
4 cups (500g) confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

Make the chocolate cupcakes.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and espresso and whisk until thoroughly incorporated. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
Place the sugar and the butter into a saucepan over low heat. When the butter is almost melted, transfer the mixture to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
On medium low speed, beat the butter mixture until it is room temperature.
Adjust the speed to low. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla.
Add the chocolate coffee mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the sour cream, mixing only until just combined after each addition.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the sides and the bottom to make sure that all the ingredients are fully mixed.
Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake the cupcakes for 16-19 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few stray crumbs.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Make the cherry filling.

Combine the cherries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium low heat.
Use a potato masher or a wooden spoon to crush the cherries just a bit to release the juices and break them up a bit.
Let the mixture simmer until thickened and glossy, about 5-7 minutes.
Remove the mixture from the heat and cool completely before using.

Make the whipped cream cheese buttercream frosting.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fixed with a paddle attachment, on medium speed, combine the butter and the cream cheese and beat until combined, about a minute.
Adjust the speed to low and add the confectioners sugar a cup at a time, mixing until incorporated after each addition.
Once all the sugar has been added, scrape down the bowl. Add the vanilla and the salt.
Turn the mixer speed to medium and beat the buttercream until lightened and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
Place the frosting into a piping bag fitted with your preferred piping tip

Compile the black forest cupcakes.

Use a small knife to cut a cone shape out of the cupcake center.
Fill the cupcake with two teaspoons of the cherry filling.
Pipe the cupcakes with the whipped cream cheese buttercream frosting and top with a cherry. Enjoy!

Notes

The cupcakes, without frosting can be stored for up to three days at room temperature in a air tight container.

The cupcakes with frosting must be refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.

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