A couple of weekends ago, prior to all of this Christmas madness got rolling, we celebrated my adorable niece’s baptism! My SIL asked me to bake a cake, just like I did for my nephew a few years back, and I was SO excited to make a kids cake again. 🙂
I arrived early to help set up, but baby girl was not ready to face the world that morning, and her big brother shared her sentiments, so both were a little fussy. Eventually both of them came around, and it ended up being a really lovely afternoon. Who can be grumpy when there’s cake around? 🙂
Technique
This is actually one of the easiest cakes I’ve ever made. I made three layers of a delicate white cake (that I tweaked slightly by tinting it pink with beet food coloring and adding almond extract), torted and filled it with my favorite buttercream, then arranged delicate fondant flowers on top. I created the flowers by cutting out tinted fondant with a tiny Wilton flower cutter, then shaping it with a small fondant ball tool, and adding a small pearl dragee to the center. To arrange the flowers, I created a paper cross template, lightly traced its outline in the icing, and placed the flowers around the outline. To finish the cake, I tinted some icing a delicate pink, then piped a scallop around the bottom of the cake using a large star tip (Ateco 829)
I love this design, and think it could just as easily be used for a first communion, for a little boy in blues or greens, a teen’s confirmation cake in bright colors, or an Easter cake in delicate pastels!
Sources
Icing
Buttercream Icing (Mayhem in the Kitchen!)
Embellishments
Wilton Sugar Pearls in pastels
Satin Ice Fondant in White Buttercream
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup shortening I used Spectrum brand
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 cups cake flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon almond extract
- 6 egg whites
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Beat butter and shortening on medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugar and beat well.
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Combine flour, baking powder, and salt, and add to butter mixture alternately with milk and water. Beat on low until blended after each addition. Add extracts and mix gently.
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In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into the batter, about 1/3 of the mix at a time.
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Bake in greased and floured 9" rounds or a lined cupcake tin for 16-20 minutes at 350.
Recipe adapted from Southern Living, May 1999
Hello! How long did it take you to make all the flowers, and how many of them did you have to make? Thanks!