Just like having the right ingredients will ensure you get a great tasting cake, having the right tools helps to ensure you end up with a great looking cake too! There are so many fun tools and gadgets you could spend your money on, but you don’t need all of them to get started.

Let’s first focus on the “essentials” and then, we’ll take a look at the “nice to haves.”

Essential Cake Decorating Tools

Turntable

To kick off our list of essential cake decorating tools is the turntable. This was one of the biggest game changers for my decorating. There are a lot of turntables on the market, so depending on how much you’re decorating cakes will help determine what type of turntable you should get. If you’re only making a birthday cake every once in a while, I think you’ll be fine with something less expensive like THIS Ateco plastic one. It’s the same one we use in my cake classes at Orson Gygi.  For the annual birthday cakes, this is my favorite go to!

If you’re making cakes pretty frequently, I think it’s worth investing in a cast iron turntable like THIS Ateco one. It’s two separate pieces, so the top spins really nicely. The base is a heavy cast iron, so it doesn’t move around or wobble. I went through a lot of plastic ones the first year or so I started my blog and then finally decided I needed something more durable. I’ve had this Ateco one for about four years now. If it ever starts to stick, I just grease it with WD40. Check out my post HERE for tips on how to move your cake from the turntable to a cake stand.

Cake Scraper

Another tool I think is a must-have is a cake scraper. A cake scraper is a tool I use to smooth out the sides of my cake. Over the years I’ve tried a lot of variations (i.e. heights, materials, thicknesses, etc.) of scrapers. They are not all created equal. For many years I settled on, and truly liked, THIS Ateco one. What I found to be the superior qualities of this scraper were the weight and thickness. However, it wasn’t quite tall enough for my bigger cakes and I didn’t like that it had textures on all sides. So last year I decided to design my own scrapers, in addition to spatulas, acrylic disks, and a few other things we’ll talk about later. As I designed my scraper set, I made sure it was just as thin and light as the Ateco one I had liked for so many years. I also added a handle and separated the textures so you have three scrapers in the set.  It’s a must-have for occasions like birthday cakes, wedding cakes, and more!

One of my favorite things to hear from customers that have bought and used the tools is how surprised they are with how lightweight they are and the major difference the tools made in their decorating!

How to Use the Cake Scraper

Check out these videos for extra tips on how to hold and use the cake scraper:

• Instagram Reel Tutorial
• Instagram LIVE
• Smooth Sides
• Assembly Demo

Icing Spatulas

To go along with the scrapers and turntable, I think everyone needs a good set of icing spatulas – one straight and one offset. I like to use the straight spatula for the sides of the cake and the offset spatula for the center and top of the cake. As I created my own set of spatulas, getting the right blade length was super important to me. Some blades are too short, which makes it difficult to frost the sides of your cakes. And then some blades are too long, which makes it difficult to control the spatula.

Acrylic Disk

Another tool that will change your world is the acrylic disk. You’ll use the disk to help you get sharp edges and straight sides. I’ve created a full tutorial on how to use the disks HERE.

Check out THIS tutorial on IG

or THIS one

and THIS one

Quality Cake Pans

One more essential to invest in to step up your cake game are quality cake pans. I recommend Fat Daddio Pans. Fat Daddio specializes in anodizing their pans – which basically means they’ve created a pan that evenly distributes heat really, really well. What does that mean for you? It means you’ll get a more even bake in your cakes.

The Nice to Haves

Ok, so now that you have the essential cake-decorating tools, let’s talk about the “nice to haves.” These are items that you can live without, but are definitely nice to have!

Cake Leveler

A cake leveler does exactly what the name implies – levels cakes. Each side has numbers on it so that you can line up the wire to create a perfectly leveled cake. I have THIS one by Wilton. 

Cake Lifter

Ever wonder how I move my cakes from the turntable to the pretty cake stand? It’s as simple as one tool! The cake lifter. I also designed my own version of this tool to match the collection. I love the color so much, this actually sits on my counter against the wall behind my trivet near the stove. 

This cake lifter is actually quite heavy and will support your cakes nicely. Just make sure you don’t rely solely on the lifter. You’ll still need to place your hand under the lifter a bit to support the cake. Stacking birthday cakes will become a piece of cake

Cake Boards

I’d also suggest getting cake boards, something you can find at your local craft store like Joann’s, Michaels or Hobby Lobby. They come pre-cut and having one under your cake will help you easily slide your cake lifter under the cake to move it. 

Parchment Paper

I think it’s also really nice to have parchment paper. Using a combination of cooking spray and parchment paper will help your cakes come out of the cake pans really nicely. You can get pre-cut parchment rounds like THESE or trace your pans on parchment paper and cut out each circle. Whichever way you decide to go, just make sure you’re spraying your pans with non-stick spray, placing parchment rounds at the bottom of the pan, and spraying the parchment with non-stick spray as well.

Silicone Piping Bag

A reusable piping bag will come in handy when you’re ready to do some piping designs on the top or sides of your cake. We just had to make one in pink! (Check out my post HERE for the best way to fill it with your buttercream!)

Drip Bottle

And last but not least, the drip bottle! I love this little guy for applying my chocolate drips.

Cake Without the Tools

While all these tools are fun to have and certainly will make decorating your cake a bit easier, not having them shouldn’t be the reason you don’t make a cake from scratch.

You can make all the same delicious cakes in 9″x13″ pans. I recorded an IGTV that you can watch HERE.

Or, if you do a layered birthday cake, you can even decorate it on a plate with a knife like you would with a turntable and spatula.

More Posts You’ll Enjoy

• Everything You Need to Know About Buttercream Frosting 
• Best Cakes for Beginner Bakers
• The Best Way to Fill a Cake with Raspberry Filling
• A Look Inside the Heart of Our Home: Part 2
• How to Use the Cake Safe

The post My Favorite and Most Essential Cake Decorating Tools first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post My Favorite and Most Essential Cake Decorating Tools appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Chocolate Orange Cake – Dark chocolate cake layers with a hint of orange zest, covered with a chocolate orange buttercream.

Chocolate Orange Cake 

Oh, this cake was due for an update! I first came up with this recipe years ago when I went to Fox 13’s The Place, a local lifestyle show here in Salt Lake City. It was a super simple recipe back then, and still is today, but one that is totally going to win you over.

Christmastime Chocolate Orange 

My goal was to make the cake taste exactly like the chocolate orange I used to get in my Christmas stocking as a child. It’s a flavor combination that will always make me think of Christmastime. And I think you’ll really like it in cake form!

The Best Chocolate Cake

I used my go-to chocolate cake recipe and added some orange zest for a hint of flavor in the cake.

Remember: it’s super important to use room-temperature wet ingredients to get the best rise out of your cake layers.

How to Make Buttercream Frosting

It’s the buttercream, however, that I think really steals the show. To add flavor to the buttercream, I used orange emulsion by Lorann. Emulsions are a lot like extracts but are water-based. Extracts are alcohol-based. I typically lean toward emulsions because I like the flavoring better, but an extract will work too. Just sub it 1-for-1 in the recipe.

To get a light and fluffy homemade buttercream frosting for this cake, I have a detailed post: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM to give you in-depth instructions for making your buttercream unreal! Here’s a quick overview.

• • Sift your powdered sugar
  • Use slightly cold butter and mix on its own for 2 to 3 minutes
  • Use heavy whipping cream
  • Beat for 5 minutes
  • Stir by hand

I don’t think this cake needs a lot of added decorations, but love how a little rosemary and dried oranges give the brown some contrast.

Excited for you to whip this one up!

For more Christmas cake recipes, check out this post: 10 Cakes Perfect for the Holidays.

For my cookbook and cake tools, make sure to check out Shop.CakebyCourtney.com.

Similar Recipes You’ll Love

• Florida Orange Flower Cake
• Ice Cream Inspired Cakes
• My Top 6 Favorite Christmas Cakes
• 5 Delicious Holiday Cookie Recipes
• Citrus Cranberry Cake

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Chocolate Orange Cake

Dark chocolate cake layers and buttercream with a hint of orange.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword chocolate buttercream, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Orange Cake, Orange

Ingredients

For the cake

• 2 cups (240g) all purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cup (350g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (88g) good quality cocoa powder
• 2 tsp (8g) baking soda
• 3/4 tsp (3g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (5.6) kosher salt
• zest of two large oranges
• 1 cup (240g) buttermilk room temperature and shaken
• 1/2 cup (109g) vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1 tsp (4.2g) pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (236g) hot water or hot coffee

For the frosting

• 2 cups (452g) unsalted butter slightly chilled
• 10 ounces (187g) good quality dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup (57.7g) heavy whipping cream
• 5 cups (625g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 2 1/2 tsp (8.4g) orange emulsion
• pinch of salt
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

Instructions

For the cake

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper and spray the pans again.
• Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. Add the zest and mix until combined.
• In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, coffee or water and vanilla.
• With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for about 23 t0 28 minutes.
• Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until ready to use. You're still going to want to level your cake layers to ensure a completely even surface for frosting and stacking.

For the Buttercream

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the heavy whipping cream for about one minute. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate chips are melted. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.
  
• Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, orange emulsion and pinch of salt.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the chocolate ganache. Beat for another 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high.
• Before frosting your cake, give the frosting a good stir with a wooden spoon to push out any air bubbles. 

The post Holiday Favorite Flavors: Chocolate Orange Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Holiday Favorite Flavors: Chocolate Orange Cake appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Peanut Butter Obsession

By now, you probably know my deep love for peanut butter. Correction – obsession for peanut butter would be more accurate! I could eat it with just about anything. Once, I even had it on a burger at Lucky 13 in Salt Lake. And it was so good! 

One of my favorite ways to enjoy peanut butter is in a traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich. My go-to method is with smooth Skippy peanut butter, strawberry jam and white bread. Hmmm. (I’m having flashbacks to my childhood just thinking about it). I never get tired of a PB&J sandwich! So, turning it into a cake was the obvious next move for me.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake

A couple years ago, I tried a couple peanut butter cake recipes, but wasn’t impressed with them. The recipes I tested came out dry and didn’t have enough peanut butter flavor. I decided to come up with my own recipe by combining ideas from others and adding a few things of my own. I’m so pleased with how the cake layers came out! 

To make sure the cake layers came out tender, I used cake flour. From the other recipes I tried, I noticed that all-purpose flour with the peanut butter created a cake that was too dense. In my recipe, I also use buttermilk, a generous serving of peanut butter and a teaspoon of cinnamon! Oh man! That cinnamon is a game changer. It’s just a hint but I think makes the cake what it is.

The cake is also moist with the perfect peanut butter flavor.

Peanut Butter Buttercream

For the filling, I use my mom’s homemade strawberry jam. There’s nothing else like it, if you ask me. If you don’t have homemade jam on hand, don’t worry. Your favorite store bought jam will work great too.

For my peanut butter frosting, I adapted one I already use and love from Annie Eats. Instead of whipping the cream and folding it in at the end, I just added a little cream at the end and whipped the frosting mixture like I usually do. It’s still creamy and smooth, and just as delicious – it just has a little more stability to it. 

One bite of this cake and I think you’ll agree, it’s definitely a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in cake form! What could be better than that? Look at these layers!

I can’t wait for you to try it out! If you love peanut butter, you’re going to go nuts for this cake!

And here’s a quick look at how to assembly this cake:

Similar Recipes You’ll Love

• Easy Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
• The Ultimate Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
• Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
• Sweet and Savory Honey Fig Goat Cheese Cake

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake.

Peanut butter cake layers with strawberry jam and peanut butter frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 23 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 23 minutes

Author Courtney Rich

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (345 g ) cake flour
• 3 teaspoons (12 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (5.6 g) coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon (2.6 g) cinnamon
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup (250 g) peanut butter
• 2 cups (400) g granulated sugar
• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon (13 g) vanilla extract

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• 5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 1 cup (250 g) creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon (13 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy whipping cream
• Pinch of coarse salt
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

Extras

• Seedless strawberry jam
• Lightly salted peanuts optional

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.  
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and peanut butter until creamy. Add in the sugar and mix on medium for about 3 minutes. 
• Decrease the speed to low and add in the vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• With the mixer on low, add in half of the flour mixture, then stream in the buttermilk and mix until incorporated. Add in the remaining flour and mix until combined. 
• Evenly divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes before removing the cakes from their pans.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and peanut butter. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 45 seconds.
• Add the powdered  sugar to the bowl and mix in, slowly at first until incorporated, then increasing the mixer speed to high. Blend in the vanilla extract, salt and heavy whipping cream, and continue to whip on high speed until very fluffy, about 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. 
• To remove air bubbles from the frosting, use a wooden spoon to stir and push out the air bubbles.

ASSEMBLY

• Place your first layer on the cake board. Spread about ½ cup of peanut butter frosting on the cake and then pipe a border of the peanut butter frosting around the edge to create a wall for the jam. Fill the center with about ½ cup strawberry jam and carefully spread it around. Don’t add too much jam or the cake will be unstable as you continue to stack and frost.
• Place the second layer of cake on top of the first layer and repeat step one.
• Place the third layer of cake, bottom side up, on the second layer and spread a thin layer of frosting around the entire cake to create a crumb coat. Freeze the cake for 10 to 15 to set the crumb coat.
• After the crumb coat is set, continue to frost the cake with the remaining frosting. 
• If you use a cake board on top of the cake like I did in my video above, you’ll want to freeze the cake again for another 20 to 30 minutes after you’ve frosted the sides and before you take the cake board off the top. This will ensure you get sharp edges when you cut it off with a knife. You’ll then add frosting to the top of the cake after you’ve removed the cake board.

The post Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Looking for a way to use up all your zucchini from your garden? I’ve got you covered! My Chocolate Zucchini Cake is as easy as it is delicious! It’s a recipe from Ryan’s family and a fan favorite around here. 

The zucchini adds moisture to the cake, but you can’t even tell it’s there once the cakes are baked. I also added some lemon zest to the cake to carry that flavor throughout each bite.

I also added a bit of lemon to the cream cheese frosting. Chocolate and lemon may seem a bit unusual to some, but it’s oh-so-good!

Can this cake be made in a sheet pan?

Absolutely! Just like all of my cakes, you can simplify them by baking them in a 9″ x 13″ baking pan. In fact, Ryan’s parents used to serve this cake with chocolate chips sprinkled on top. The frosting is my addition  

To bake in a rectangular baking pan, don’t change a thing except the baking time. You’ll add about 10 minutes to my suggested time below. 

How to Assemble this Cake

With only two layers to handle, the assembly of this cake is incredibly easy. The first time I made it, I actually didn’t even frost the outside of the cake and made it a naked cake.

This time around, I created a rustic look with my straight icing spatula. You can easily get this look with just a regular kitchen knife too. Check out my tutorial for this technique HERE.

I love the simplicity of this cake, but the flavor is really the show-stopper!

Enjoy!

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Chocolate Lemon Zucchini Cake

Moist chocolate zucchini cake layers with lemon cream cheese frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword chocolate, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate lemon zucchini cake, cream cheese buttercream, Lemon, Zucchini

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 25 minutes

Inactive Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings 1 2-layer, 8-inch cake

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 2 1/4 cup (270 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (109 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (109 g) vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (120 g) buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 cups (300 g) grated unpeeled zucchini, about 2 ½ medium
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

For the Buttercream

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 4 oz. cream cheese, slightly chilled
• 5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) lemon extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray your two 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper and spray the parchment. Set aside.
• Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the sugar, butter, and oil until well blended.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for about 30 seconds after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
• Mix in the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
• Mix in the grated zucchini and lemon zest.
• Pour the batter evenly into the two cake pans and bake for about 25-30 minutes.
• Cool completely in pan. 

For the Buttercream

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the lemon extract and salt.
• Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat for about 5 minutes, until light in color.

The post The Perfect Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post The Perfect Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Decadent Peanut Butter S’mores Cake

Alright, peanut butter lovers! This cake is for you!

I made a Peanut Butter S’mores Cake YEARS ago for my sister’s birthday. It was basically my Ultimate S’mores Cake but with peanut butter buttercream instead of chocolate buttercream. It was delicious, but it wasn’t something that stood out on it’s own. I recently decided to rethink this cake and came up with a totally new version!

Graham Cracker Cake Layers

• The cake layers for this cake are my graham cracker cake layers from my Peanut Butter Graham Cake (another must-try if you love PB!). I love the hint of cinnamon these layers add to the cake.
• I then used the chocolate ganache/drip, toasted marshmallow filling and toasted graham crackers from my Ultimate S’mores Cake.
• And instead of chocolate buttercream, we’re using peanut butter!

So nothing is really new in this cake – just the combination of all these different elements. I think it’s so fun to play around with flavor combinations, and taking components from different cake recipes is the perfect way to try it out!

How to Cake It: The Perfect Drip

I know getting the perfect consistency for your drip can be tricky, so let’s talk about how to make the perfect drip!

Nail the cream to chocolate ratio

• For dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate, you’ll need more cream than any other type of baking chip. I recommend you start with ¾ cup heavy cream for 1 cup of your chips. You may need to add an extra ¼ cup cream to make it a little thinner.
• For any other type of baking chip, you’ll only need ¼ to ⅓ cup heavy cream for 1 cup of the chips.

How to melt the chocolate

• To melt your chips, I suggest heating your cream first and then pouring the hot cream over your chips. Let the cream sit for a minute on the chips and then stir to create a silky, smooth texture. If the chips don’t melt all the way at this point, microwave the mixture for 10 seconds and stir again.
• If you try to heat your chocolate and cream together in a microwave, you’ll likely seize the chocolate.
• An alternative to the microwave is a double boiler.

Making sure your consistency is perfect

• When I use the drip in between the cake layers, like you see above, I let the mixture get completely room temperature – for a couple reasons: 1.) the drip thickens as it cools, and 2.) I don’t want warm chocolate in between my layers melting buttercream.
• But when I’m ready to use the drip for the actual drip, I want it to be a little thinner and slightly warmer than what I used in between the layers. To do this, I usually heat that extra ¼ cup cream till it boils and then add it to what’s left of my room temperature drip that I used in between the layers.

How to Assemble the Peanut Butter S’mores Cake

• After you’ve chilled your crumb coated cake in the freezer for about 15 minutes, you’re ready to continue frosting your cake with the remaining buttercream and drip.

HOW TO MAKE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

To get a light and fluffy homemade buttercream frosting, make sure you follow my tips over at: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM

These steps are written up for my vanilla buttercream, but are supposed to be applied to any of my buttercream recipes.

• Sift your powdered sugar
• Use slightly cold butter
• Use heavy whipping cream
• Beat for 5 minutes
• Stir by hand

You’ll want to check out the post linked above for more details on each step.

Other Cakes You’ll Love

• Ultimate S’mores Cake
• Banana Nutella S’mores Cake
• Banana Peanut Butter Caramel Cake
• Peanut Butter Dream Cake

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Peanut Butter S’mores Cake

Graham cracker cake layers with toasted marshmallow filling, toasted graham crackers, chocolate ganache and peanut butter buttercream

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword chocolate, graham cracker, Graham Cracker cake, marshmallow, Peanut Butter

Servings 20 people

Ingredients

FOR THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUMBS

• 3 cups (360 g) finely ground graham crackers 27 full rectangles
• 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter melted
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 cup (120 g) finely ground graham cracker crumbs 9 full rectangles
• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 tsps. (7 g) baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. (3 g) baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. (2 g) ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. (2.5 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 2/3 cups (270 g) granulated sugar
• 4 large or extra large eggs at room temperature
• 2 cups (480 g) buttermilk at room temperature

FOR THE TOASTED MARSHMALLOW FILLING

• 24 marshmallows regular size
• 1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
• ½ tsp. (2 g) vanilla extract
• 1 jar (200 g) marshmallow fluff

FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE/DRIP

• 1 cup (175 g) dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ¾ to 1 cup (170 to 230 g) heavy whipping cream

FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER BUTTERCREAM

• 1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter slightly cold
• 1 cup (240 g) creamy peanut butter I use Skippy
• 5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
• 1 tbsp. (13 g) vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (57 g) heavy whipping cream
• Pinch of salt
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

Instructions

FOR THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUMBS

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a half sheet baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a food processor, combine the graham cracker, melted butter and sugar. Blend/mix until the mixture resembles wet sand.
• Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs onto the prepared parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Let cool completely before using in the cake. Can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer in an airtight container.

FOR THE CAKE LAYERS

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray and then line with parchment. Spray again.
• Place the graham crackers in a food processor or blender and pulse until the cookies are finely ground and resemble flour.
• In a medium-size bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk until the ingredients are well-blended. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl between each addition.
• With the mixer on low speed, add ⅓ of the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Slowly add half of the buttermilk and mix until incorporated. Continue alternating the flour and buttermilk until it has all been incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and slowly mix for another 20-30 seconds.
• Divide the batter evenly among your pans and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely. 

FOR THE MARSHMALLOW FILLING

• Place the marshmallows on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place on the middle rack of the oven, and broil the marshmallows until golden brown on top, about 30-60 seconds. Keep your eye on them!
• Remove the pan from the oven and gently turn the marshmallows over and broil them again until they are golden brown on the other side.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and powdered sugar and beat on low until blended. Add the vanilla and mix on medium speed for about three minutes.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the marshmallow cream and (cooled) toasted marshmallows, and mix for about one minute.
• Can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

FOR THE CHOCOLATE DRIP

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream for about one minute.
• Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for a couple minutes. Stir until chocolate is melted. If needed, heat for another 30 seconds to melt the chocolate chips completely. Let cool to room temperature before using using in the cake.
• Follow instructions above for making the mixture thinner for the outer drip.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and peanut butter. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the powdered sugar to the bowl and mix in, slowly at first until incorporated, then increasing the mixer speed to high once all of the powdered sugar has been added. Blend in the vanilla extract, salt and heavy whipping cream, and continue to whip on high speed until very fluffy, about 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Stir by hand with a wooden spoon to push out air pockets.

ASSEMBLY

• Place the first cake layer on a cake board, bottom-side down. Pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge and fill with about 1 cup of the toasted marshmallow filling.
• Sprinkle about 1/2-1 cup of the graham crackers on top and pat into place with your hand. Drizzle the chocolate drip on top, making sure to not let the chocolate go outside of the buttercream rim you piped.
• Repeat these steps with the second cake layer.
• Place the final cake layer, top side down, on the final layer of fillings. Apply a thin layer of buttercream over the entire cake. This is the crumb coat. Freeze the crumb coated cake for about 15 minutes.
• Once the crumb coat is set, finish frosting the cake and apply the drip. Remember to refer to the tutorial above for tips for the drip.

The post Decadent Peanut Butter S’mores Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Decadent Peanut Butter S’mores Cake appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Are you struggling to get tall cake layers? Or, struggling with getting that light and fluffy texture you want in a cake? You could be measuring your ingredients incorrectly. When wanting to get nice and airy cake layers, the process of measuring ingredients and mixing them together is super important! Here or my quick tips on how to measure cake ingredients the right way.

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Quick Tips for Measuring Wet Ingredients

When it comes to wet ingredients for your cakes, the first thing you need to know is all of them need to be at room temperature before you mix them together and create your cake batter. Having them at room temperature will make sure your batter stays nice and smooth. Plus, your dry ingredients will better absorb wet ingredients at room temperature, giving you a taller cake layer.

If the wet ingredients are used while still too cold, this can cause your batter to have lumps in it. And when I say wet ingredients I mean, eggs, buttermilk, butter, sour cream, etc. Check out this video HERE to show you the difference between a cake layer that used room-temperature ingredients and one that used cold ingredients. The difference is insane!

Quick Tips for Measuring Dry Ingredients

The best way to measure your dry ingredients is with a scale, but if you love using measuring cups like me, it’s totally doable this way too. There’s just a right way to measure it, so you get the best cake bakes. 

Don’t: Use the measuring cup to scoop out the dry ingredient and then shake it to get the extra amount off. This will cause you to scoop too much flour and it will make your cake denser.

Do: Fluff up the dry ingredient (e.g. flour) with a fork and spoon it into the measuring cup. Then, carefully level it off with a butter knife. This will give you light and fluffy layers that are perfect for cakes.

If you’re hung up on whether a scale is necessary, just know that measuring out your dry ingredients this correct way using measuring cups will give you nearly the exact same amount as the gram measurement. 

Want to use a scale? Awesome! I’ve got you covered. Grams are included in my recipes and here’s a link to my favorite Escali scale.

How to Measure Cake Ingredients the Right Way

I hope these tips on how to measure cake ingredients the right way give you those quality cake bakes you are looking for! I have some other blog posts linked below that will answer a few more of your questions when it comes to the cake-baking process. You can also follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney for the best tips and recipes on all things cake!

Other posts you’ll love:

• How to Bake Tall Cake Layers
• How to Bake Moist Cakes from Scratch
• The Essential Cake Ingredients I Always Have on Hand
• Tip Tuesday – Driving with Cake

The post How to Measure Cake Ingredients the Right Way first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post How to Measure Cake Ingredients the Right Way appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Are you ready to brave the chocolate drip for your cake? I know the chocolate drip can seem intimidating, but once you practice it a few times you’ll be a natural! Plus, I’m going to share my tips and tricks for adding a chocolate drip to your cakes that will get you started on the right foot. So, here are my 5 steps to add a chocolate drip to a cake!

Before you can begin adding chocolate drip to your cakes, you want to make sure you have the proper tools to make it happen. I LOVE this drip bottle that I use every single time I add a chocolate drip to my cake. It makes it super easy to prep the drip and for decorating the cake too. 

I know getting the perfect consistency for your chocolate drip can be tricky, so hopefully, these 5 steps will help clear up any issues you’ve had in the past! Or, if this will be your first time adding chocolate drip to your cake, help you start with a successful drip right off the bat. Whether you’ve done a chocolate drip before or this is your very first time, these 5 steps include the tips you need to nail the recipe and application for it!

5 Steps to Add a Chocolate Drip to a Cake

Chocolate Drip Step #1: Mix your heavy cream and chocolate chips together.

The best way to mix your heavy cream and chocolate chips together is to heat up your cream in the microwave for about one minute. And then pour the cream over the chocolate chips and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Then you can stir until the chocolate is all melted and you have a silky, smooth texture. If needed, you can heat the mixture for another 30 seconds to melt the chocolate chips completely. 

Whenever you are using dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate, I recommend starting with ¾ cup of heavy cream per 1 cup of chips. You may need an extra ¼ cup of cream to make it a little thinner. For any other type of baking chip, you’ll only need ¼ to ⅓ cup of heavy cream per 1 cup of chips.

Chocolate Drip Step #2: Before decorating your cake, heat up the extra cream if needed and add it to your drip.

If you’re using the drip in between your cake layers, you want it to be at room temperature. That will keep the warm drip from melting your buttercream when assembling your cake. However, you’ll want to heat up your drip again when you add the chocolate drip to the outside of your cake. 

I usually boil an extra ¼ cup of heavy cream and pour it into my chocolate drip mixture. This heats it up again and it makes the mixture a little bit thinner which makes for better drips on my cake. Try to avoid heating up the chocolate chips and the cream together in the microwave because it may seize the chocolate.

Chocolate Drip Step #3: Hold the drip bottle at an angle when adding the chocolate drip.

When you’re ready to add the drip to your cake, make sure to hold your drip bottle at an angle, so the drip falls off the cake like a waterfall. This will help create an amazing definition for each drip along the border of your cake. I linked a few cake tutorials at the bottom of this post, so you can see in live action how I hold the drip bottle when I’m applying the chocolate drip to my cakes.

Chocolate Drip Step #4: Pull back the drip bottle in certain places to add variety.

If you want to add a nice variety of lengths for each drip, just pull back the drip bottle a bit, so the drips don’t fall as long as the others. I always like doing this because I think it makes the cake look even more beautiful and appetizing.

Chocolate Drip Step #5: Add a little bit of drip on top to blend in with the border.

The last step is super simple! Just open the lid to your drip bottle and pour the remaining drip on top of your cake. Using an icing spatula, blend in the drip with the border you’ve made along your cake. Now you can move on to finishing the rest of the decoration of your cake!

Again, make sure to check out the tutorials I linked below where I share the full recipes for the chocolate drip and how to apply it to your cake. I am excited to see how your chocolate drip cake goes for you!

5 Steps to Add a Chocolate Drip to a Cake

I hope these 5 steps to add a chocolate drip to a cake got you ready and excited to try it on your own! I know it’ll turn out so great. For more tips and tricks on all things cake, follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney. Also, I linked several of my cakes that use a chocolate drip that includes a video tutorial, so be sure to check those out if you want a nice visual before you go for it!

Chocolate Drip Tutorials:

• Peanut Butter Smores Cake (step-by-step)
• Rocky Road Cake
• Seven Layer Bar Cake
• Almond Joy Cake

The post 5 Steps to Add a Chocolate Drip to a Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post 5 Steps to Add a Chocolate Drip to a Cake appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Birthday Cakes

My Avery turned 8 yesterday and I’m still trying to cope with this whole, “growing up” thing. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it! Avery always has grand ideas for her birthday cakes and this year was no different.

Before we get into this year’s buttercream dog cake, let’s take a little trip down memory lane!

Avery’s 7th Birthday Cake

For Avery’s birthday last year, she wanted a rainbow cake. I love a rainbow cake and the traditional rainbow order but decided to stray from the usual once I saw the candles by A Glow. They are truly something special and I loved how the order of colors felt more random but still scream, “rainbow!”. For this one, I used my Confetti Cake recipe (minus the sprinkles).

TIP: when adding food coloring to your cake batter, make sure to fold it in so you don’t over-mix your buttercream (which causes your cake to sink when it bakes).

Avery’s 6th Birthday Cake

Two years ago, Avery had one of her more “unique” requests – a bear unicorn cake. Yes, you read that right. Bear + unicorn!

This cake was chocolate cake layers with chocolate buttercream.

Avery’s 5th Birthday Cake

Three years ago, Avery was actually only concerned about the flavor of the cake. She specifically told me she wanted a peach cake that wasn’t my Peach Crisp Cake. It needed to have peach cake layers, peach filling, and vanilla buttercream. You may remember this cake… it was quite the ordeal! It took several attempts to get the peach flavor to stand out in the cake layers but was well worth the effort. My Peaches and Cream Cake is delicious and Avery loved it!

Avery’s 4th Birthday Cake

When Avery was younger, the color of her cake mattered a lot. For her 4th birthday, she wanted a blue and pink cake. To do something a little more exciting than just coloring vanilla cake, I decided to create a Cotton Candy Cake. This one is very sweet and tastes just like the fan-favorite county fair treat.

Avery’s 3rd Birthday Cake

No surprise here! Avery was a huge Elsa fan when she turned 3. Her entire party was Frozen-themed, which included the cake. I made an ombre buttercream design for the cake and then melted white chocolate, spread it on parchment paper, sprinkled it with candy pearls, and let it dry before I broke it into pieces.

Avery’s 2nd Birthday Cake

At age two, little miss already had an opinion about her cake. This was the first time she requested something specific. PINK! It had to be pink! This was also the year I started Cake by Courtney.

Avery’s 1st Birthday Cake

We had been traveling on Avery’s first birthday, so I’m gonna say it – I made a box cake mix!

Buttercream Dog Cake Tutorial and Tips

Okay! Back to this year’s buttercream dog cake! The cake itself was my Ultimate Chocolate Cake – chocolate cake layers, chocolate mousse filling, and chocolate buttercream.

How to Make a Dog Cake with Buttercream

• Trim a little cake off the top of each cake layer to use for shaping the nose and ears on the dog face.
• Stack and crumb coat cake.
• Freeze crumb coated cake for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add a spoonful of buttercream to the cake scraps and mix well.
• Shape the cake scraps to form ears and nose area.
• Prepare TWO piping bags with grass Piping Tips.
• Fill each piping bag with chocolate buttercream (don’t fill past 2/3rds full – you’ll be alternating between the two bags as each gets a little warm from your hand).
• TIP: when your buttercream starts to soften too much, switch it for the second bag and place the first bag in the fridge for a few minutes to set the buttercream.
• Start piping the dog hair from the bottom of the cake and work your way up.
• Once the cake is covered, roll out fondant. I like to use these small packets of Fondant
• Use a 1-inch cookie cutter to cut two eyes in black fondant.
• Take a small piece of white fondant, roll a ball in your hands and press flat to make the whites of the eye.
• You’ll also want to roll out some black fondant to create the lines from the nose to the mouth and one for above the tongue.
• I simply shaped the tongue with my hands. See picture above for reference on shape.
• Gently place the fondant pieces into place.
• Candle: Meri Meri Brand

How to Cake It

Check out my post HERE for more animal-inspired cakes! Also, follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney for tips and recipes on all things cake!

The post How to Make a Dog Cake with Buttercream Icing first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post How to Make a Dog Cake with Buttercream Icing appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

 

 

The Best Yellow Cake Layers

When making the cake layers, don’t forget to follow my go-to tips for getting your cakes to rise and bake well:

• Preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
• Use good quality pans like Fat Daddio.
• Spray your pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper. 
• Don’t overmix your cake batter once you add the dry ingredients.
• Use room temperature wet ingredients.
• Use fresh baking powder.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it

Print

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Inspired by the Sprinkles Cookie Cupcake, I’ve created my new Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with layers of dark chocolate cookie crust, tender yellow chocolate chip cake, silky brown sugar frosting and dusted in chocolate chip cookie crumbs.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword brown sugar buttercream, brown sugar frosting, Chocolate Chip, chocolate chip cookie cake, Yellow Cake

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 30 minutes

Inactive Time 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Servings 1 3-layer, 8-inch round cake

Author Courtney Rich

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST

• 1 1/3 cups (160 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1 1/3 cups (157.3 g) dark cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoons (6 g) salt
• 12 tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup (72.6 g) canola oil
• 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon (13 g) clear vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) butter extract
• 1 cup (240 g) full fat sour cream, room temperature
• 1 cup (150 g) mini chocolate chips, dusted in 1 tablespoon flour

FOR THE BROWN SUGAR SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

• 2 cup (400 g) brown sugar
• 7 egg whites
• 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

FOR THE GARNISH

• Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Instructions

For the Crust

• Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and paddle on low speed until mixed.
• Add the butter and mix on low speed until the mixture starts to come together in small clusters.
• Spread 8 ounces of the chocolate crumbs on the parchment in each the three 8-inch cake pans. Using the back of a spoon, push the crumbs together to form a crust. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes.
• Let the crust cool a bit while you make the yellow cake. 

For the Cake

• While the chocolate cookie crust is cooling, turn your oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, oil, and sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• Turn the mixer to medium-low and add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl in between each addition. Add the extracts. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and mix for an addition 2 to 3 minutes, until the texture is smooth and the color is light.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Stir just until the flour is combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• In a small bowl, combine the mini chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon of flour. This helps to coat the chocolate chips so they don’t sink to the bottom of the cake.
• Fold the chocolate chips into the cake batter.
• Evenly distribute the cake batter in the pans on top of cookie crust.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out with only just a few crumbs on it.
• Cool the cakes on wire racks for about 10 minutes. Carefully invert the cakes onto cooking racks to cool completely. If you don’t plan to stack and decorate the cake right away, wrap each layer in plastic wrap or tin foil and freeze. 

For the Buttercream

• In a medium sauce pan, heat 2 to 3 inches of water over medium-high heat until simmering.
• Using a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, whip sugar and egg whites on medium-high until foamy.
• Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and place over the saucepan to create a double boiler. Do not let the bowl touch the water. Pour out some water, if necessary.
• Heat the mixture to 160-170 degrees F, stirring occasionally.
• Carefully transfer the bowl back to the stand mixer. Whip the mixture on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes, until stiff peaks form and the bottom of the bowl is no longer warm to the touch.
• Change the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the butter, a couple tablespoons at a time. Once incorporated, add the vanilla.
• With the mixer on medium-high speed, beat the btutercream for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl at least twice during the process. The texture should be silky-smooth

Assembly

• Spread a small dollop of buttercream on your cake board. Place the first cake layer on the board, with the chocolate cookie crust on the bottom.
• Spread about ¾ cup of the brown sugar buttercream on top of the cake layer. Make sure to get eye level with the cake to ensure it is level.
• Sprinkle three crushed chocolate chip cookies (big chunks of cookie are ok!) on the frosting and tap them with your fingers to gently set them into the frosting.
• Place the second cake layer, chocolate cookie crust on the bottom, on top of the buttercream and cookie crumbs. Repeat step 2 and 3.
• Place the final cake layer, chocolate cookie crust on the bottom, on top of the second layer of buttercream and cookie crumbs.
• Spread a thin layer of buttercream around the entire cake to lock in any crumbs. This is called the crumb coat. Freeze the cake for 10 minutes to ensure the crumbs get locked into this coat of buttercream. After the buttercream is set, continue to frost the cake. I used about 16 cookies to pulse in my blender to get find crumbs for the outside of my cake.

The post Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

How to Bake Moist Cakes From Scratch

It’s probably one of the most frequently asked questions in baking. How do I bake moist cakes from scratch?

It seems like it would be simple, right? Follow a recipe and get a moist cake. Unfortunately, it’s not always that easy. Sometimes, we are unaware of how certain substitutions, incorrect measuring, different ovens, how we mix the batter, etc. can affect how our cakes bake.

So today, I thought I’d share with you some things I’ve learned in my baking journey that help to create moist cakes. Hopefully, you learn something that ends up being a game changer to the way you make your cakes so that you always bake moist cakes from scratch from here on out!

Use Real Butter

I’m usually not very picky about what brand of butter you use in a cake. But, using butter, not margarine is hugely important and impactful on the texture of your cake. Did you know margarine has more water content than butter. It’s also made from plant oils, whereas, butter is made from dairy and rich in saturated fats. That fat helps create moisture in our cakes. So when you’re at the store, make sure you reach for butter (I always use unsalted), not margarine.

Measure Flour Correctly

Did you know there’s a right way and a wrong way to measure flour (as well as all dry ingredients)? The most accurate way to measure dry ingredients is with a scale. However, if you don’t have a scale, the next most accurate way to measure flour is as follows:

• Fluff your flour with a spoon.
• Use that spoon to lightly add flour into your measuring cup.
• Carefully and gently level the flour with a knife.

What you don’t want to do is scoop flour with your measuring cup and/or shake the measuring cup to level the amount. When you do either of these, you end up with far more flour in your measuring cup than you’re supposed to have. In fact, I once tested it out to see just how much extra flour you end up with when you scoop and shake. I measured 3 cups of all-purpose flour with the scoop and shake method. I then weighed the amount I measured. It was a full ¼ cup MORE flour than I was supposed to have in my cake batter. That ¼ cup of extra flour will totally change the texture of your cake – most likely causing it to be dry and/or dense.

Add Fat

If you’re often finding that your cakes with only egg whites are coming out dry, it’s likely that you need more fat in the recipe. When we don’t use the yolk, we lose that added fat that helps to create moisture. It’s totally possible to bake moist cakes with just egg whites, but you definitely need to keep your eye on the bake time and likely reduce the temperature (we’ll talk more about that in a minute).

The other trick I like to use with cakes that have only egg whites, is to add sour cream to the recipe. Sour cream is a great fat ingredient that will add moisture to your cake without changing the flavor or color (i.e. if you’re trying to make a white cake). You’ll see that I’ve started adding sour cream to some of my recent recipes, like my Classic Vanilla Cake.

You can add a tablespoon of sour cream for every egg white, or if you’re like me, just throw in a ½ cup, and see how sour cream will be your new best baking friend.

Watch the Bake Time and Temp

I know this may sound obvious to some, but it’s worth going over because it’s an easy fix. If your cakes are coming out dry, it could be that you’re over baking them. Remember, when you insert a toothpick into the center of your cake to check “doneness,” you want the toothpick to come out with a few moist crumbs on it. Your cake layers continue to bake for a few minutes as they cool in the cake pans.

Another alternative to making sure you bake moist cakes from scratch is turning down your oven temperature. While you and I may have the exact same oven, that doesn’t mean they bake the same way. You really have to get to know your oven and be mindful of how long your cakes bake in comparison to a recommended time in a recipe. If you’re watching your cakes bake at a given temperature and time and they’re always coming out dry, I’d suggest reducing your temperature to 325 and baking a few minutes longer. Start with 5 to 7 minutes more and work your way up, if needed, by 2 minute intervals.

Use Light Colored Cake Pans

The color of your pans also makes a difference in how your cakes are baking. If you’re using dark colored pans, you’re likely going to get dark, dry edges because a dark pan heats up quicker as your cake is baking. I always suggest using Fat Daddio pans. This brand specializes in making light colored pans that distribute heat evenly.

Mix on Low Speed

Did you know that over-mixing your cake batter can create a dry, dense cake that doesn’t rise? Sure does! When you start adding your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients, mix on low just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl, and then mix again for another 20 to 30 seconds.

Serve Your Cake at Room Temperature

Yes, I said it and I know it’s controversial

I know many of you like cold cake, and if you do, then keep eating cold cake and enjoy! However, if you’re serving your cake cold, just remember that the texture of the cake layers and buttercream will be different than when you serve cake at room temperature. I think sometimes we associate cold cake with dry cake, when in fact, the cake isn’t actually dry and just needs to be left at room temperature for a little longer.

Store Cake in the Freezer not the Fridge

One of the reasons your cake may end up dry is due to how you store the cake if you’re not serving it right away. Storing your cake in the fridge for a night is definitely ok. Just make sure it’s covered really well (i.e. in a cake carrier or box), so that the air doesn’t dry it out. If you need to store your cake for longer than a night, the freezer is a better option.

You can head HERE to read my blog post about freezing, thawing and transporting your cakes.

Alright, there you have it! Lots of tips for making sure you bake moist cakes from scratch every time!

The post How to Bake Moist Cakes From Scratch first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post How to Bake Moist Cakes From Scratch appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

If you’re reading this post you may be ready to try a drip cake. I’m so excited for you! Drip cakes do not have to be intimidating. If you learn these few simple tips it should help your experience be pretty easy! And, of course, you will get better with practice. This post is specifically about how to make the best white chocolate ganache for drip cake, so take note that the recipe differs depending on what type of chocolate you are working with. OK, let’s get started!

The Best White Chocolate Ganache Recipe for Drip Cake

My white chocolate ganache uses heavy cream and white chocolate chips. But, I don’t just use any brand for my white chocolate. My absolute favorite is the white chocolate chips from Gygi. I use these for frosting and the drip. The ones I use the most from Gygi are called Guittard White Cookie Drops. If you compare these chips to another brand of white chocolate chips, you’ll see the Gygi ones are much whiter in color! This makes it bring out a true white drip on your cake rather than a more yellow-tinted white that you will get if you use another brand of white chocolate chips.

There a just a few simple steps to making this white chocolate ganache, but the order matters because it is what will bring you the best results! If you do it any other way you risk your white chocolate seizing or the ganache getting too clumpy. 

White Chocolate Ganache Recipe

Step #1: Heat up a ⅓ cup of heavy cream in the microwave for 60 seconds. 

Step #2: Pour the heavy cream over 1 cup of white chocolate chips one tablespoon at a time. 

Doing it one tablespoon at a time helps you have control of the consistency of the ganache. If you pour in the ⅓ cup all at once you run the risk of it being too runny. Depending on the brands you use and other factors, you may not end up needing the entire ⅓ cup of cream to make the ganache.

Step 3: Slowly stir together the cream and white chocolate chips until you reach a smooth consistency. 

If the white chocolate chips do not melt completely from the cream, put the mixture in the microwave for 10 seconds. Stir together again. Continue this process until all of your white chocolate chips are melted and you’ve reached the desired consistency. 

How to Apply White Chocolate Ganache to a Drip Cake

Now that you know how to make the best white chocolate ganache for a drip cake, let’s talk about the best way to create the drip on a cake. There are some tools that help this process go more smoothly, but there are several different ways you can do this. 

I personally use this drip bottle for my drip cakes. Also, it makes it so much easier to have your cake on a turntable so you can easily turn your cake as you apply the drip. It’s totally worth investing in these products if you make cakes regularly! However, you can also apply drip to a cake by using a piping bag or by spooning it over the edge of your cake. 

After applying the drip around your entire cake, pour the remaining white chocolate ganache on top of your cake and blend it in with the border you created from the drip.

Quick Tips for Applying White Chocolate Ganache to a Drip Cake

Drip Cake Tip #1

Hold the drip bottle at an angle so the drip falls down the side of your cake like a waterfall.

Drip Cake Tip #2

Freeze your cake for at least 10-15 minutes before you apply the drip. This will help your buttercream and overall cake set. (If you need to make room in your freezer, you can move things over to your fridge just for those few minutes while your cake is chilling. And then you can move it back over when you take your cake out.)

Drip Cake Tip #3

Make sure your drip is warm to room temperature before applying it to your cake. This will help your drip not go too far down toward the bottom of your cake. Also, your drip will thicken up a bit as it cools. This will help the consistency of it as well.

Drip Cake Tip #4

If you want to tint your white chocolate drip, I recommend using Americolor Food Gels. They are water-based so that, along with the barrier the cream provides, will allow your ganache to stay smooth while you add the food gel.

Drip Cake Tip #5

When applying the drip, start with one drip to see how it will turn out. This will give you an idea of the consistency of your drip. It will also help you gauge how much pressure you need to apply to your drip bottle.

Drip Cake Tip #6

Start the drip at the top of your cake and let it drip over the edge of your cake like a waterfall. Pull back your bottle a little bit if you want some drips to be shorter than others.

Drip Cake Tip #7

You can’t go back over your drip once you do it, so it’s best to just go for it. Don’t worry, it’s going to look great!

How to Make the Best White Chocolate Ganache for Drip Cake

OK, those are all of my best tips and tricks on how to make the best white chocolate ganache for a drip cake! I hope these tips help. If you want to see some video tutorials on making the ganache and applying the drip you can watch these Instagram Lives here:

• Making White Chocolate Ganache for a Drip Cake
• Applying Ganache to a Drip Cake

Be sure to follow me there @cakebycourtney to get all the best tips and tricks on all things cake! 

Also, two of my favorite cake recipes that use this white chocolate ganache and drip technique are my Biscoff Cake and my Snickerdoodle Cake. Oh, and my Cotton Candy Cake would be another fun one to try! I’d love for you to try them out and then for you to let me know what you think!

The post How to Make the Best White Chocolate Ganache for Drip Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post How to Make the Best White Chocolate Ganache for Drip Cake appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

So many rainbow cakes, so little time! This St. Patrick’s Day inspired cake is probably my favorite I’ve ever done and I’m so excited for you to try out. These darling rainbows are so easy to create and so fun to make.

Getting Started

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Two 12-inch piping bags (one for the rainbow colors and one for the white clouds)
• Wilton 1M piping tip
• Wilton #10 piping tip
• Six ZipLock bags
• Seran wrap
• Six Americolor food gels (I used, Coral, Copper, Gold, Moss, Navy and Violet)

Plan on using about a half batch of my vanilla buttercream (recipe below) for the rainbows and clouds. Divide the frosting into seven bowls. Tint six of the bowls of frosting your rainbow colors and leave one bowl of frosting white for the clouds.

Place each color of frosting into a ZipLock bag and cut a corner off each bag.

Prepping the Piping Bag for Rainbows

On plastic wrap, pipe a line (about 6-inches long) of each color. Make sure the colors line up and touch one another.

Try to create equal amounts of frosting in each line.

After you’ve piped all six colors, take the end of one side of the plastic wrap and begin to lift it up.

Carefully fold the plastic wrap and buttercream to create a circle of colors.

Be gentle as you fold the buttercream over so that you don’t smash the frosting and create uneven lines.

After you’ve wrapped the buttercream, twist one end of the plastic wrap so the buttercream doesn’t come out. On the other end, cut the plastic wrap close to the buttercream. You’ll then place the wrapped buttercream into the piping bag fitted with the Wilton 1M tip.

Piping Rainbows

To create the rainbow, simply pipe a half circle onto a frozen or chilled cake. For best results, place your cake on a tall cake stand and the place the cake stand on your turn table. It will be much easier for you to pipe if you’re as close to eye level with the cake as possible.

After you’ve piped all the rainbows onto the side of the cake, it’s time to pipe the clouds. Place your white frosting into a piping bag fitted with the Wilton #10 tip.

Again, positioning yourself as close to eye level with the cake as possible will make it much easier to pipe onto the side of the cake.

To create the clouds, simple pipe a sideways “s” or squished “m.”

To finish off the cake, grab the rainbow piping bag again and create a braid around the top of the cake. I left about a half inch from the edge of the cake to where I started by the rainbow.

To see a video tutorial of the buttercream braid, take a look at my segment on Fox from December when I used the braid to create a wreath.

And that’s it! Easy peasy, right? Can’t wait to see you give this a try!

Similar Recipes You’ll Enjoy

• 10 Fun and Easy St. Patrick’s Day Cake Ideas
• Green Velvet Rainbow Cake
• Tip Tuesday: How To Fill Your Piping Bag
• Bright and Colorful Rainbow Sherbet Cake
• Lemon Pretzel Cake with Step-by-Step Picture Assembly Tutorial

Kelly Clarkson Show

More St. Patrick’s Day Inspired Cakes

• Green Velvet Cake
• Carved Rainbow Cake
• Rainbow Dot Cake

The post Buttercream Rainbow Tutorial first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Buttercream Rainbow Tutorial appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

How Do I Bake Cake Layers That Rise Well?

It’s a question I get asked all the time and one worth going over frequently. These are tips and tricks you don’t want to forget. There are a lot of elements that go into how to bake tall cake layers. From ingredients, to your oven temperature, to how you mix your batter, and so much more.

Let’s get started!

Use Fresh Ingredients

Your cakes won’t rise well if the ingredients you use to help them rise aren’t fresh. So go check your baking powder and baking soda to make sure they aren’t over 6 months old. Yup! Six months is the shelf life for these important leavening agents when used for baking.

Use Room Temperature Wet Ingredients

While we’re talking about ingredients, it’s important to remember that wet ingredients (i.e. buttermilk, eggs, butter, sour cream, etc.) need to be room temperature before you make your cake batter.

Room temperature wet ingredients better blend together (meaning they’ll mix up to be smooth and silky, not lumpy), AND they’re better absorbed by the dry ingredients. Why is that last part so important? Well, when the dry ingredients better absorb the wet ingredients, the cake rises so much better.

Take a look at THIS video for a visual of the difference between cakes made with cold ingredients and cakes made with room temperature ingredients.

Don’t Over Mix Your Cake Batter

If you’re like me, you grew up making cake from a cake box. It was a great way to learn how to read instructions and gain confidence in the kitchen at a young age. However, if you remember, the box mix instructs you to mix on high speed for several minutes.

Unfortunately, that’s not what we want to do for cakes from scratch.

Follow these tips for mixing:

• When you beat the butter and sugar, and then eggs, you can beat on a medium-high speed for a few minutes to get the cake batter light and fluffy.
• BUT, once you add the dry ingredients (which includes the leavening agents), turn your mixer to low.
• Mix only till the flour is incorporated and that’s it.
• That mixing time won’t be more than 30 to 60 seconds.
• Over mixing your cake batter once those leavening agents are in the batter can cause the cake layers to sink, not rise, and/or have a dense texture.

The Pans Matter

I had no idea how important the type of pans we use in baking matters until I got the right pans and saw the difference in how my cake layers bake.

Try to find light metal pans that are made by a company known for their pans. I love Fat Daddio pans. I also know many of you love USA pans, as well. Find what you love, but just know, the pans from the grocery store and craft stores aren’t going to be the best ones.

Bake at a Lower Temperature

As I worked on my cookbook this past year, one of the things I played around with was oven temperature. I’ve settled on 325 degrees F. This lower baking temperature has helped my cake layers to bake more evenly and without a dome. You’ll also notice that the edges of the cake layers aren’t as dark.

Measure Dry Ingredients Correctly

When it comes to measuring ingredients, there’s a right way and a wrong way – especially dry ingredients.

You can use a scale to measure by grams OR, if you’re like me and love using measuring cups, make sure you measure correctly.

DO NOT scoop up the dry ingredients with your measuring cup and shake off the excess until the cup is level. This will pack in a lot of extra flour, which will create a much different texture and rise in your cake than intended.

Instead, fluff the dry ingredients with your spoon or fork, lightly spoon the flour or other dry ingredient into your measuring cup and level with a knife. This will be nearly the exact amount as the gram measurement.

Bake Cake Layers on the Middle Rack

To ensure an even bake with your cake layers, make sure to bake your cake layers on the middle rack of your oven AND only the middle rack. Trying to bake cake layers on multiple racks at a time can cause your cake layers to bake unevenly.

Also make sure to give the cake pans about an inch to two inches between each pan. If all of your pans don’t fit on the middle rack, it’s ok to leave cake batter out at room temperature while other layers bake.

Bonus Tip

One last tip for baking tall cake layers that rise evenly! Read the picture for this game changer.

The post How to Bake Tall Cake Layers first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post How to Bake Tall Cake Layers appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

The Best Vanilla Buttercream

This buttercream is just too good not to have its own post! It’s light and fluffy, silky and smooth – and just all-around delicious.

To me, a buttercream should never be so dense that it steals the show away from the cake. In fact, a buttercream should be part of the ensemble, a complementary element to the layers and fillings. However, that’s not always the case. I grew up thinking buttercream was dense and heavy. It wasn’t until I started making homemade cakes and homemade frosting that I realized, it didn’t have to be that way.

How to Make Buttercream Frosting

To get a light and fluffy homemade buttercream frosting, I have a detailed post: HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM to give you in-depth instruction for making your buttercream unreal! Here’s an overview with a quick picture tutorial for making the best vanilla buttercream:

• Sift your powdered sugar
• Use slightly cold butter and mix on its own for 2 to 3 minutes
• Use heavy whipping cream
• Beat for 5 minutes
• Stir by hand

Before frosting your cake, make sure to stir the buttercream with a wooden spoon or spatula to push out the air pockets. This makes getting smooth sides on your cake so much easier.

Look at the transformation in color and texture in these pictures below.

You’ll be able to get nearly white in color with that extra five minutes of beating. More importantly, you’re creating a light, fluffy texture that won’t overpower your cake layers.

Print

Vanilla Buttercream

A light and fluffy vanilla buttercream

Course Dessert

Cuisine Buttercream

Keyword easy buttercream recipe

Ingredients

For the Buttercream

• 2 cups (452g) unsalted butter slightly chilled
• 6 cups (750g) powdered sugar measured and then sifted
• 3-4 tbsp (57.75g) heavy whipping cream
• 2 tsp (8.4g) vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

Instructions

To prepare

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter for about 2 to 3 minutes. This will soften the butter without it having to be warm.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing a little in between each addition.
• With mixer on medium speed, add whipping cream, vanilla and salt.
• Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. The frosting will become lighter in color and texture.
• Before spreading on your cake, spend a couple minutes mixing the buttercream by hand with a wooden spoon to push out the air pockets.

The post The Best Vanilla Buttercream first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post The Best Vanilla Buttercream appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Well, it’s time to fix that!

How to Prevent Your Cake Layers From Sinking

The first time I experienced my cake layers sinking and not rising properly, was when we moved to Utah five years ago. Of course, the altitude here caused some of my issues, but it was the catalyst to a deep dive into why cakes sink at all, high altitude or not.

I learned a lot about how ingredients, ovens, mixing and so much more plays a role in how our cake layers bake. As I’ve used those learnings over the years during my recipe development, I’ve come up with a list of sure-fire ways to make sure you get a good rise out of your cakes – no matter where you live.

Know Your Oven

First things first, get to know your oven. Often times our cakes sink in the middle while baking or after we’ve removed them from the oven because they haven’t baked properly. Here are a few tips for getting to know your oven and for ensuring you bake the layers to the perfect “doneness.”

• Oven Thermometer: Use an oven thermometer to make sure your internal temperature matches what your oven screen is telling you. Even just a few degrees off in one direction can change the way your cake bakes. Adjust your oven accordingly to get the internal oven thermometer to the right temperature.
• Don’t Open the Oven Door Too Much: opening the oven door over and over again, during the baking process, allows cool air to get in the oven and this affects the way the cake bakes. There’s really no need to open the door until about 75% of the bake time has passed. If you need to rotate your pans, this is the time to do it.
• Test Doneness: When you test your cake layers, insert a toothpick in the center of the cake. Your cake is done when the toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Testing the cake layers doesn’t need to be done before the last few minutes of the bake time.
• Middle Rack Only: whether your oven is big enough to fit all of your pans on one rack or not, we always want to bake our cake layers on the middle rack with about 1 inch between each pan. If your oven can’t fit all of your cake layers at once, it’s TOTALLY okay to leave some pans on the counter while the other layers bake. Just make sure to cover the pans with plastic wrap while they wait their turn.

Room Temperature Ingredients

The difference between using cold ingredients and room temperature ingredients in your cake batter is HUGE! It’s such a make or break rule, that I created THIS Instagram video for you to show you the difference in my layers after using cold ingredients in one batch and room temperature ingredients in another batch. It’s a must-watch!

Basically, when you allow your wet ingredients (anything coming from the fridge) to get to room temperature before you add them to the cake batter, it allows the dry ingredients to better absorb the wet ingredients. This quality absorption process helps your cakes to rise higher and more evenly.

I typically leave my ingredients on the counter for one to two hours before I start making my cake layers.

Fresh Ingredients

Did you know that baking powder AND baking soda expire? It’s true and I’ve found that not many people know that. Baking powder and baking soda are going to produce the best rise in your cakes if they are less than 6 months old, from the time you buy them. This is when the ingredients are at their absolute freshest and will create the exact reaction in the ingredients we need for our cakes to rise.

My friends over at Orson Gygi did a great comparison of old and new baking soda. You can catch the entire test HERE. It’s amazing the difference these ingredients make when they’re fresh.

Mixing Speed

When you add butter and sugar together, you want to mix them on a medium-high speed to get a light and fluffy texture. As you add the eggs or egg whites in a recipe, again, you’re mixing on a medium-high speed to ensure you dissolve all the sugar granules.

However, once you start adding your dry ingredients (which include the leavening agents), you want to turn your mixer to low speed and mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Your cake layers will sink and have a dense texture if you overmix your cake batter at this point.

I also recommend not doubling a recipe in your mixing bowl if it’s a 5 qt. or 6 qt. bowl. There’s simply not enough room in the bowl for your ingredients to mix evenly and you’ll run the risk of over-mixing if you try to jam too much into your mixing bowl.

Use Quality Pans

I think most people are surprised to find out that the type of pans they use to bake their cakes in makes a huge difference in how the cake layers bake. To ensure an even bake, meaning the cake rises well and doesn’t get too dark around the edges or top, you want a pan that has been anodized well. For a good price point, I think Fat Daddio does this the best. They are experts in cake pans and the cost won’t break your bank. I use THESE pans – both in 6″x2″ and 8″x2″.

Bake Even Strips

I get a lot of questions about bake even strips. I don’t use them. I’ve tried several times and feel like the bake even strips change the way my cake bakes (usually takes a lot longer), and they change the texture of the cake (my chocolate cake turned out like a brownie).

If you’re not already using them, I don’t think there’s any need to if you’re following the guidelines above. However, if you use them and love them, by all means, continue! It’s always good to experiment a little on your own to determine what works best for you.

Happy Baking!

The post How to Prevent Your Cake Layers From Sinking first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post How to Prevent Your Cake Layers From Sinking appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Easy Baking Substitutions

I think this post is long-overdue, but one that couldn’t be more timely! With everyone stocking up on emergency preparedness items, some of our favorite baking ingredients are hard to find on store shelves right now. It’s ok, though! We’re going to do our best to keep baking and work with substitutions, if we have to.

I say, if we have to, because, of course, it’s always best to use the exact ingredients a recipe calls for. However, desperate times, call for desperate measures. If you’re in a pinch, I’d rather you use sub than not bake at all!

Make sure to download and print the PDF above so you always have these ingredient alternatives on hand when you’re baking. And if you need even more substitution ideas, check out this post from Real Simple. You’ll find extra substitutions for other baking items needed for cookies, brownies, etc.

Other Helpful Baking Posts

And to make sure you’re ready and prepped to get baking, check out these posts:

• Ingredients I Always Have on Hand
• Essential Cake Decorating Tools
• How to Schedule Your Cake Making

Some of My Favorite, Easy Cakes

If you’re worried about having hard-to-find ingredients on-hand, consider making some of my easy, classic cakes so you don’t have to reach for any baking substitutions:

• Classic Yellow Cake
• Vanilla Cake
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Because everyone deserves to have cake – no celebration needed!

The post Easy Baking Substitutions first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Easy Baking Substitutions appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Cake Basics: How to Schedule Your Cake Making

Before we get to the different schedules, the first piece of timing advice I want to offer is this: read through your recipe at least a week before you start baking. This way you’ll have plenty of time to buy ingredients, order any special ingredients, and plan how much time to give yourself for the whole process.

Some of my cakes only have a couple of elements to them. Take my Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream, for example. This cake has two elements: cake layers and buttercream. It’s a great cake to make when you only have one or two days to bake. My Ultimate S’mores Cake, on the other hand, has SIX different elements. That’s a great one to spread out over the course of a week. And trust me, that one is worth every minute of your time!

If You Have a Week

Let’s start with a week of prep time! A full week is a good amount of time to give yourself if you’re making a cake with a lot of elements, as I mentioned above.

• Day 1: Review the recipe and do your grocery shopping.
• Day 2: Bake the cake layers.
  • Once the cake layers are cooled to room temperature, wrap each layer in plastic wrap and freeze. The layers will be good for a week like this. If you want to freeze the layers for longer, wrap a second time in tin foil and place in a zip lock bag.
  • One hour before you’re ready to start stacking and decorating your cake, remove your cake layers from the freezer.
• Day 3: Make one of the fillings.
  • Fillings are usually best stored in an airtight container on the counter or in the fridge.
• Day 4: Make additional fillings, if any.
• Day 5: Make the buttercream.
  • To store the buttercream, place the buttercream in an airtight container and refrigerate.
  • To use the premade frosting, remove from the refrigerator a few hours before you want to decorate. Let the frosting get back to room temperature and re-beat the buttercream to soften it.
• Day 6: Assemble the cake.
  • I typically like to assemble the cake a few hours before I want to serve it and will then store it in a cake box or on a cake stand with a lid. Room temperature is okay for most cakes, for 2 to 3 hours. Some cakes, like my Ricotta Olive Oil Cake, are best stored in the fridge and served slightly chilled.
  • If you don’t plan to serve the cake on the day you assemble the cake, you can refrigerate it overnight in an airtight container.
• Day 7: Serve the cake.
  • On the day you’re ready to serve your masterpiece, you’ll want to bring the cake back to room temperature if it’s been frozen or in the refrigerator. Refer to the final section in this post about freezing and thawing your cakes.

If You Have Three to Four Days

If you’re a little tighter on time, but still have a few days to prep, here’s how I suggest laying out the baking process:

• Day 1: Review the recipe one more time, do your grocery shopping and bake your cake layers.
• Day 2: Make your fillings.
• Day 3: Make the frosting. If you only have three days, you’ll want to assemble this day too.
• Day 4: If you have an extra day, assemble the cake on day 4 a few hours before you plan to serve it.

If You Have Two Days

Now let’s say you just have two days to get everything together, here’s how I would plan out the process:

• Day 1: Shop for ingredients in the morning. By lunchtime, plan on making the cake layers. If you have fillings to make, try to get those done in the afternoon or evening when the kids go to bed.
• Day 2: On day 2, when you plan to serve the cake, you’ll want to make the frosting and assemble the cake. You can make the frosting in the morning and let it sit at room temperature for a few hours (covered well), and then re-beat it for a few minutes right before you start to assemble the cake.

If You Have One Day

If you only have one day to make a cake, pick something simple. To me, something simple is a cake that only has two elements to it: cake layers and buttercream.

• Morning: Shop for ingredients and then make your cake layers. Even though you’ll be putting the cake together in a few hours, you still want to let your cake cool to room temperature, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it for an hour. You’ll have a much easier time decorating your cake if your cake layers are chilled.
• Afternoon: While your cake layers are chilling, make your buttercream. A few hours before you serve your cake, start the assembly process. I would give yourself about an hour for stacking and decorating your cake.
• Evening: EAT!

Making Cakes Ahead of Time

Another option is to make the entire cake ahead of time and freeze it. I like to do this if I have a cake deadline in the near future but don’t have the availability to make the cake near the time I actually need to deliver it or serve it.

I wrote an entire blog post about How to Freeze, Thaw and Transport You Cakes. You can read the entire post for all the details, but here’s the reader’s digest version:

• After you’ve frosted your cake completely, freeze the cake for about 30 to 60 minutes to set the outer coat of frosting.
• Once the frosting is set, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap.
• The night before you want to serve your cake, move it to the refrigerator (still wrapped).
• The next morning, move the cake to room temperature. You can leave the plastic wrap on for the first hour or two. You’ll then remove the plastic wrap and keep the cake in an airtight container like a cake box or cake carrier.
• If you have any condensation appear on the cake, just gently pat it dry with a paper towel.

Alright! You’re all set to plan out your next cake! What’s it going to be?

Some Recipes You’ll Love

• Unforgettable Gingerbread Cookie Cake with Boiled Milk Frosting and Cookies
• Buttercream Rainbow Tutorial
• Light and Fluffy Coconut Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Best Cakes for Beginner Bakers
• The Best Ever Cookies and Cream Cake with Oreo Buttercream

The post Cake Basics: How to Schedule Your Cake Making first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Cake Basics: How to Schedule Your Cake Making appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Inspiration

 

Banana Peanut Butter Caramel Cake

Banana Frosting

Peanut Butter Frosting

Similar Recipes You’ll Love

• Banana Lemon Cream Cake with Caramel, Coconut and Pecan Buttercream
• Best Ever Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Hummingbird Cake
• Moist and Flavorful Mocha Banana Chocolate Chip Cake
• Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Cake

Print

Banana Peanut Butter Caramel Cake

Tender banana cake layers with banana cream cheese frosting, whipped peanut butter frosting and salted caramel.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cake

Keyword Banana Bread, Banana Cake, Banana Caramel Biscoff Cake, Banana Peanut Butter Caramel Cake, caramel peanut butter cake, Peanut Butter Buttercream

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 30 minutes

Inactive Time 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Author Courtney Rich

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon (4.2) g salt
• 3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (73.3 g) light brown sugar
• 3 large or extra large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup (360 g) buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (6.3 g) pure vanilla extract
• 3 medium-sized bananas, mashed

For the Banana Cream Cheese Filling

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 2 oz. cream cheese, slightly chilled
• 3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon (1 g) banana emulsion (or more if you prefer a stronger banana flavor)
• pinch of salt
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

For the Peanut Butter Buttercream

• 4 tablespoons (57.75 g) heavy cream
• 2 cups (250 g) cups confectioners' sugar, measured and then sifted
• 3/4 cups (169.5 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
• 1/2 cup (125 g) creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.1 g) pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of coarse salt
• *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra ½ batch.

For the Caramel

• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons (59.15 g) water
• 2 teaspoons (10 g) light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup (57.75 g) heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) kosher salt

Instructions

For the Cake

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray four 6-inch pans (or three 8-inch pans) with nonstick cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, oil, and sugars on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next (about 30 seconds). Add the vanilla.
• With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk mixture into the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated and remove bowl from stand mixer. Using a large stainless steel whisk, stir/whisk the mashed banana into the mixture–you can use use some strength and blend well, ensuring all of the ingredients are well mixed. (If you don’t have a large stainless whisk, you can fold the banana mixture in using a rubber spatula until incorporated.)
• Divide the batter evenly between the pans, using a kitchen scale for the best accuracy. (For this recipe, you’ll have about 15 ounces of batter in each of the four 6-inch pans or 20 ounces of batter in each of the three 8-inch pans). 
• Carefully smooth the batter with small offset palette knife, and bake until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. 
• Let pans cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto racks, gently, peeling away parchment rounds. Let cool completely. 
• When the cakes are completely cooled, level the cake layers if necessary
• The cake layers can be made up to a week in advance. If you plan to make it in advance, cover each cake layer with two layers of plastic wrap. When you’re ready to frost your cake, take the cake layers out of the freezer an hour before you decorate.

For the Banana Cream Cheese Filling

• Combine the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until combined, about one minute.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, followed by the banana emulsion and salt.
• Increase the speed to medium and beat the frosting for 5 minutes, until light in color and texture.
• Continue to mix by hand using a wooden spoon to smooth out air bubbles. 

For the Peanut Butter Buttercream

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and peanut butter. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 45 seconds.
• Add the powdered sugar to the bowl and mix in, slowly at first until incorporated, then increasing the mixer speed to high. Blend in the vanilla extract, salt, and cream. Continue to whip on medium-high speed until very fluffy, about 4-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Continue to mix by hand using a wooden spoon to smooth out air bubbles.

For the Caramel

• Mix the sugar, water and corn syrup in a small saucepan.
• Bring the mixture to boil over medium heat, but DO NOT STIR! (Stirring encourages crystallization). Let the mixture cook until it turns to a golden brown/amber color. It happens quickly, so keep an eye on it.
• Remove the caramelized sugar syrup from the heat and very slowly stir in the cream, pouring it in little by little, to temper the cream and sugar syrup. If you pour it in all at once, your sugar will turn into hard candy. You can start adding more and more as you go along.
• Once the cream is mixed in, add the salt and vanilla. Stir to combine and then set aside to cool to room temperature before using.    

Assembly

• After you’ve leveled each cake layer with a cake leveler or serrated knife, place the first cake layer, top side up, on a cake board.
• Cover the cake layer with about ½ cup banana frosting.
• Drizzle with salted caramel and place another cake layer on top.
• Repeat these steps until you get to the final cake layer, which you will place top side down.
• Apply a thin layer of frosting around the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze for 10 minutes.
• After the crumb coat is set, continue to frost the cake with the peanut butter frosting and add the caramel drip.

The post To-Die-For Banana Peanut Butter Caramel Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post To-Die-For Banana Peanut Butter Caramel Cake appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

This may not be a life-changing post for everyone, but for some, I think it’s gonna rock your world (and everyone matters!). Today’s “Tip Tuesday” is a quick and easy way to fill your piping bag without making a huge mess.

Step-by-Step Tutorial on How to Fill Your Piping Bag

Step 1: Start by cutting the tip of your piping bag.

Step 2: After cutting the tip, reach into the bag with your hand to open it up.

Step 3: Next, place the piping bag inside a large tumbler and fold the top of the piping bag over the edge of the glass.

Step 4: Once your bag is folded over the edge of your cup, use a spatula to spoon frosting into the piping bag. Be sure to only fill the bag about two-thirds of the way so you have room to close the bag.

Step 5: Once your bag is filled with buttercream, grab the edge of the piping bag and pull it up, over the glass. Next, shake the bag one or two times to get the frosting to fall toward the very bottom of the bag.

Step 6: Next, twist the top of the piping bag tightly.

Step 7: Lastly, when you’re piping, make sure to keep one hand around the top of the bag with a tight grip. This will keep the frosting from spilling out.

I recommend holding the piping bag with your thumb to secure the twist. And then your fingers can apply pressure to release the frosting from the bag.

I hope today’s Tip Tuesday: How to Fill Your Piping Bag is helpful for you! Make sure to follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney! That’s where I share all my best tips and tricks on all things cake!

You can shop my favorite cake tools HERE.

Other Tutorials You’ll Love

• Tip Tuesday – How to Move Your Cake
• Tip Tuesday – Driving with Cake
• Best KitchenAid Black Friday Deals
• How to Turn Cake into Cupcakes
• How to Make Buttercream Stripes

The post Tip Tuesday: How To Fill Your Piping Bag first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Tip Tuesday: How To Fill Your Piping Bag appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Tip Tuesday – How To Move Your Cake

Tip #1: Use a Cake Lifter

The key to making this task easy and stress-free is one little tool: a cake lifter. I have THIS one by Wilton. It’s worth every penny of the $8 it costs. It’s about 8-inches wide and long, which is the perfect base for all of my cakes (both 8-inch and 6-inch).

As you probably know by now, I tape a cake board (the same size as my cake) to a larger cake board. The larger cake board is just there to hold on to when I move the cake in and out of the freezer. I do this when setting the crumb coat and final coat of frosting with the acrylic disk. I only use a small piece of scotch tape to hold the boards together. This makes removing the boards from each other super easy.

Tip #2: Freeze the Cake

You’ll want the cake to be chilled before you move it off the larger cake board. This ensures your frosting stays intact while you move the cake around.

As you move the cake, make sure the cake lifter is nearly covering the base of the cake, but also use your extra hand to support the cake as well.

Tip #3: Use an Icing Spatula for Added Assistance

To slide the cake off the cake lifter, I use my offset icing spatula for a little assistance.

Tip Tuesday – How to Move Your Cake

I hope this Tip Tuesday – how to move your cake is helpful! I hope you at least see it’s not as tricky or scary as you think. 

This quick video will also help give you a good visual of just how easy moving your cake can be.

For more tips and tricks on all things cake, follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney. Here are a few other tutorial posts that you’ll love:

• How to Bake Tall Layers
• How to Use Acrylic Cake Disks
• Tip Tuesday: How to Freeze, Thaw, and Transport Your Cakes
• Tip Tuesday: Driving with Cake
• How to Turn Cakes into Cupcakes

The post Tip Tuesday – How To Move Your Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Tip Tuesday – How To Move Your Cake appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Inspiration

I’ve had this Fruity Pebbles cake on my mind since trying the Fruity Pebbles macaron ice cream sandwich from Perfect Scoop in Las Vegas last month. I was obsessed with how well they incorporated the cereal flavor into the cookie and the ice cream without just throwing in pieces of the cereal. The flavor was a part of every bite and that’s exactly what I wanted for this cake.

Trial and Error

In my first round, I used ground up cereal in place of some of the flour in the cake. It created a great flavor to the cake, but the texture was all wrong! It was too dense and fell apart really easily. I was disappointed, of course, but kept going. As I thought about how to get the Fruity Pebbles flavor into the cake, I remembered that Milk Bar has something they call “Cereal Milk.” Milk Bar creator, Christina Tosi, originally came up with this idea for a cereal panna cotta. Cereal Milk is made by soaking cereal in milk for about 20 minutes and then strain the milk. The milk remains smooth but there’s now a fabulous cereal flavor to it.

That’s exactly what I needed for this cake and it worked beautifully. With the Fruity Pebbles milk, you get a great Fruity Pebbles flavor in the cake (not too strong) and still have a fluffy, moist cake.

Fillings

While I was thinking about Milk Bar, I also decided to use their cereal crunch element for this cake to add some texture to the layers. The cake is certainly a sweet one, so the added kosher salt in the crunch provides a bit of a balance.

And not one to stop there, I also wanted the filling to be flavored with Fruity Pebbles, so I ground up some more cereal and added it to my vanilla frosting. I love how it adds just one more touch of the cereal flavor and is a slightly different texture than the frosting itself. It does thicken slightly with the cereal crumbs in it.

So now with Fruity Pebbles cake layers, Fruity Pebbles filling and cereal crunch, and a whipped vanilla buttercream, this cake shouts Fruity Pebbles with every bite. It’s definitely on the sweeter side but I wouldn’t want it any other way!

Assembly

Here’s a peek at how to assemble the cake. More detailed instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Enjoy!

The post Fruity Pebbles Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Fruity Pebbles Cake appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

The New Wilton

If you’ve been in your local craft store, Wal-Mart, or even browsing Amazon for cake decorating tools, you may have noticed some changes to the Wilton brand. From first glance, you’ll see they said goodbye to purple and hello to yellow – but that’s not the only change they’ve made. Wilton has really stepped up their game when it comes to customer experience. Their website and social media accounts are full of new and on-trend baking inspiration, with helpful tutorials and how-to’s for so many creative and easy baking projects.

Bake the Happiest Birthday Ever

One of the new changes I noticed on Wilton.com are the categorized pages they put together for each of your baking needs (i.e. Occasion, Wedding, Baby Shower, Graduation, Birthday, Cupcakes, Piping Techniques, Cake Ideas, etc.). It’s kinda like a one-stop shop. You can buy your products and get ideas for your next dessert. Win, win!

To celebrate the launch of their new “Birthday” page, Wilton asked if I’d share one of my favorite birthday cakes.

Of course! It was my son’s first birthday that sparked my love affair with cake in the first place! While my decorating skills were a bit scary back then, over the years I’ve been able to teach myself (through a lot of trial and error) how make a the perfect birthday cake – one that not only looks fabulous, but also (and more importantly) tastes amazing! And today, I’m going to show you how you can make the perfect birthday cake too.

The Perfect Birthday Cake

To make my perfect birthday cake, I’m using my popular Biscoff Cake. This cake is one of my personal favorites and one I constantly get rave reviews about from you! I’m so thrilled to know you love it as much as I do.

Get Ready

As you get ready to stack and decorate your cake, there’s a couple cake prep items to check off your to-do list:

1. Tape a cardboard cake board (the size of your cake) to a cardboard cake board that’s slightly larger than your cake. This gives you a board to hold on to while moving your cake in and out of the freezer during some of my steps to follow.
2. If your cake layers don’t bake evenly, use a cake leveler to level the top of the cake. We’re looking to stack an even cake, not the leaning tower of Pisa

The Perfect Buttercream

Before we stack and frost the cake, let’s make sure you’re also making the perfect buttercream. With all of my recipes, I also suggest the following:

1. Use semi-cold butter – which I cut into cubes and beat on medium speed in my stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to soften. You do not want to start with butter that is too soft.
2.  Sift your powdered sugar – which will make your buttercream much silkier and smoother when you frost your cake.
3. Add a little heavy whipping cream – which will help to lighten the texture of the frosting IF you turn the mixer to medium-high and let the frosting beat for about 5 minutes.
4. Mix the frosting by hand with a wooden spoon – which will help to push out the air pockets created by the electric mixer.

Don’t Skip the Crumb Coat

After you’ve stacked your cake layers and filled each layer with frosting, apply a small layer of frosting around the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. At this point, you’ll want to move your cake into the freezer for about 10 to 15 minutes to set the crumb coat. This ensures that no crumbs will get in your final coat of frosting.

Perfecting the Final Coat of Frosting

Once your crumb coat is set, you’re ready to put your final coat of frosting on the cake. To get the perfect coat of frosting, I actually put another cake board on top of my cake (right on the cold crumb coat) to help me achieve straight sides and a sharp edge. If you’re new to my site and have no idea what I’m talking about, I’ve included a video below to give you a visual of what I’m talking about You’ll find additional tutorials on my YouTube page: Cake by Courtney.

With the board on top of the cake, apply frosting around the top cake board to keep it in place. Then, frost the rest of the cake, making sure to cover the bottom cake board (the one the size of your cake).

Using a cake scraper, I prefer a metal one, you’ll then want to smooth out the frosting to see where you need to fill in and even out the sides with more frosting. You end up repeating these steps a few times until your sides are even.

Cake Scraper Tips

When it comes to using a cake scraper, I have a few tips that I think will make using the scraper a lot easier:

1. Use a light touch – if you press too hard against your cake, you’ll run the risk of pulling cake up with the frosting. You’ll also get a lot of “holes” in your frosting. We also don’t want to take away a ton of frosting, we’re just trying to smooth it out at this point.
2. Watch the angle of your cake scraper – I always start with the cake scraper and my free hand on the opposite side of the turn table from where I’m standing. The goal is to bring your hands together in one motion so you don’t have a bunch of stop lines from the scraper. I also hold the cake scraper at about a 45 degree angle as it rotates the cake. Keeping the scraper close to the cake, rather than perpendicular to the cake, will also help your final coat of frosting get much smoother. You may need to watch this in my videos a few times, and it takes some practice, but once you get it, it’s a game changer!
3. After you’re done with the sides of the cake, freeze the cake for another 20 to 30 minutes to set the frosting. Once chilled, you can cut the cake board off the top of the cake by running a sharp knife under the board to create a sharp edge. From there, just fill in the top with buttercream.

My Favorite Wilton Decorating Tools

After you’ve added frosting to the top of the cake, it’s time to get to the fun – decorating! In my mind, the perfect birthday cake has a bright colorful drip, silky buttercream swirls, vibrant sprinkles, and of course, candles!

For the Drip

I love using Wilton’s Candy Melts because they come in so many fun colors. I often hear from readers that tinting a white chocolate drip gets a little tricky. With any drip, you always want to add some heavy cream to the chocolate or candy melts. Here’s a couple rules of thumb when it comes to cream and chocolate ratio:

1. For semi sweet or dark chocolate, use one cup heavy whipping cream with one cup chocolate chips
2. For white chocolate or any kind of candy melts, you only need ¼ cup cream with one cup of chips.

It’s also important to remember that the drip will thicken a little as it sits out and cools. If your drip starts to thicken, reheat it in the microwave for 10 seconds and add a couple teaspoons of cream.

For the Buttercream Swirls

When it comes to piping on my cakes, my favorite piping tip is the Wilton 1M tip. I use it on nearly all of my cakes. It’s just so cute! I also love using the Wilton disposable piping bags because it’s an easy cleanup. Simple as that!

A quick note about piping these swirls, try to keep your piping bag as straight as possible. If you slant the piping bag as you make the swirls, they’ll definitely come out slanted.

Finishing Touches

For a couple finishing touches, and to really make this cake feel worthy of a birthday celebration, I added these darling “Happy Birthday” candles and a handful of some Sweetapolita sprinkles. The Wilton candles actually inspired the color scheme of the cake. They also come in pink or blue, if you’re looking for a more monochromatic look.

Cutting into any cake is by far my favorite part. Take a look at these gorgeous Biscoff Cake layers with Biscoff cookie butter filling and white chocolate frosting.

Make sure to check out the full recipe HERE.

A special thanks to Wilton for providing the candy melts, birthday candles, piping bags and piping tip. As always, all the opinions expressed on my site are from yours truly

Enjoy!

Pictures by @trinaharrisphotography

The post How to Make the Perfect Birthday Cake first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post How to Make the Perfect Birthday Cake appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

Valentine’s Cake #1: Strawberry Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake

My Strawberry Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake is the perfect Valentine’s cake, both from the inside and outside. Biting into this decadent dessert is like eating a strawberry truffle from Sees Candy. It’s covered in strawberry buttercream and chocolate ganache, giving it the look of one of Valentine’s classic treats.

Valentine’s Cake #2: Bubble Gum Heart Cake

This might be my favorite cake of the holiday. I was toying around with the idea of trying my hand at fondant or gum paste, but then had a light bulb moment and thought of Bubble Tape Bubble Gum! It’s already pink and nearly the perfect width for a mini heart cookie cutter. I rolled out the gum just a little bit with my rolling pin and easily cut out these little hearts with a cookie cutter from Hobby Lobby. You’ll then want to add the hearts to the cake while the frosting is chilled but not frozen. They’ll stick on perfectly! I also used the Wilton 1M tip for the dollops on top of the cake.

Valentine’s Cake #3: Classic White Cake with Metallic Heart Cake Toppers

If you’re like me, you love the look of simplicity. For this cake, I decided to keep it as simple as possible. I went with a vanilla buttercream and topped it with gold hearts from My Mind’s Eye. The soft pink cake stand is from Orson Gygi.

Valentine’s Cake #4: Pink Velvet Cake with Raspberry Buttercream

My next set of cakes includes my new Pink Velvet Cake with Raspberry Buttercream. This cake is made up of tender pink velvet (vanilla-based) cake layers and is filled with raspberry buttercream and fresh raspberries.

This ombre look is one of my go-to designs because it’s simple and hides imperfections. Click HERE to check out one of my video tutorials over on YouTube on how to create this look.

Valentine’s Cake #5: Buttercream Hearts

This next look is achieved by using a small round piping tip and three colors of buttercream.

It’s an easy overlapping technique that I showed Brooke how to do today on The Place. Here’s a look:

Valentine’s Cake #6: Stenciled Lip Cake

Second to the bubble gum hearts, this next cake is another favorite for Valentine’s Day. I made my own stencil of lips on acetate paper and then used edible luster dust to stencil the lips onto the cake. The key to making this work and not ruining the buttercream is to stencil on a frozen cake. You also don’t need a lot of the dust. A little goes a long way.

Valentine’s Cake #7: XOXO Cake

Last, but not least, is my XOXO cake. I used red and pink buttercream with the Wilton #32 tip to pipe on the XOXO on the sides of the cake and the braid on top.

I hope you find one of these 7 cute and easy Valentine’s cake ideas to be a new favorite! For more tips and recipes on all things cake, follow me on Instagram @cakebycourtney.

The post 7 Cute and Easy Valentine’s Cake Ideas first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post 7 Cute and Easy Valentine’s Cake Ideas appeared first on Cake by Courtney.

White Chocolate Peppermint Cake

The first cake I shared with Brooke and Brittany was my new White Chocolate Peppermint Cake. This cake is so delicious and with some crushed peppermint candies and mini red ornaments, it’s a breeze to decorate.

For instructions on how to decorate this cake, check out the video below.

Buttercream Wreath

You’ve seen me do a lot of the buttercream braiding lately, and it’s not stopping any time soon! I’m obsessed! This time, however, I gave it a little twist by adding some green food gel to my vanilla buttercream to create a wreath out of the braid look. I then added red chocolate peppermint candies for berries.

You can watch a demo of the braid technique, along with instructions for the chocolate trees you’ll see below in this next segment.

Chocolate Trees

I love this next decorating idea. These white chocolate trees are so simple and so classy. I used white candy melts with just a touch of green food gel to get this muted green color. To make these darling trees, you just need some candy sticks, white chocolate, a piping bag and parchment paper. The full instructions are in the video above.

Rosemary Trees

Last but not least, these wintery evergreens are made by pacing rosemary stems upside down. That’s it! How simple is that?! I also got these cute wood deer from Meri Meri.

To see how I strategically place the delicate “trees” into the cake, take a look at the final segment from the show.

Happy baking!!!

The post Christmas Cake Decorating Ideas first appeared on Cake by Courtney.

The post Christmas Cake Decorating Ideas appeared first on Cake by Courtney.