HYDRANGEA CAKES
Try this HYDRANGEA CAKES recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this HYDRANGEA CAKES recipe, or contribute your own.
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 10 1/2 oz granulated sugar (1 1/2 cups)
- 10 1/2 oz cake flour (2 2/3 cups)
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 fl oz egg whites (see note below)
- 6 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
- gel food coloring (i used americolor electric purple, regal purple, sky blue, and soft pink)
- for the buttercream:
- 6 fl oz pasteurized liquid egg whites (3/4 cup)
- 24 oz powdered sugar (6 cups)
- 1/2 spsalt
- 24 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
- gel food coloring (i used americolor electric purple, regal purple, sky blue, and soft pink)
- Carbohydrate 934.684187589277 g
- Cholesterol 2007.33263609629 mg
- Fat 759.623895619385 g
- Fiber 5.07364001529011 g
- Protein 45.5559916319639 g
- Saturated Fat 476.124765428178 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (2404g)
- Sodium 443.870705753056 mg
- Sugar 929.610547573987 g
- Trans Fat 56.9253608848446 g
- Calories 10650 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line six 4-inch cake pans with parchment rounds, and spray the parchment and pan sides with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine the sugar, cake flour, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for about a minute to combine the dry ingredients.
- Lightly whisk together the egg whites together with a quarter of the milk and the vanilla extract, and set aside for now.
- Add the remaining ½ cup milk and the softened butter to the large mixing bowl and mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for a minute and a half.
- Add the egg white mixture in three batches, mixing for 20-30 seconds after each addition, until you have a smooth batter. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and give the batter a few more stirs to make sure everything is incorporated.
- Divide the batter into 4 even portions, and color one purple, one blue, and one pink. Leave one portion white.
- Use a spoon to scoop spoonfuls of the batters and plop them in a random pattern in the prepared cake pans. Fill them about halfway full—each pan should have about 7 oz of batter.
- Bake the cakes at 350 F for 30-35 minutes, until the sides just start pulling away from the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then gently turn them out and let them cool completely.
- Combine the whites, powdered sugar, and salt in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix everything together on low speed, until the sugar is moistened and no dry patches remain.
- Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, then turn the mixer to medium speed. Beat on medium for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, turn the mixer to medium-low and start adding the softened room temperature butter, 1-2 tablespoons at a time. Once all of the butter is incorporated, add the vanilla extract and mix it in.
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides once more. Turn the speed to medium and beat the buttercream for 10 minutes.
- Place the cakes on small cake cardboard rounds, and set one on a cake turntable. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut it into 3 layers.
- Spread a layer of white buttercream between each layer, and cover the top and sides with a thin layer of frosting. Repeat with the other cakes, so they are all layered and covered with a thin coat of frosting.
- Divide the remaining buttercream into smaller bowls. Leave some white, and color the rest different shades of blue, purple, and pink.
- Fit a piping bag with a large star tip. To make multi-colored flowers, lay out a piece of plastic wrap about 16 inches long.
- Spread a rectangle of frosting on the plastic wrap, about 10 inches by 6 inches. Take a second color of frosting and spread it on top of the first.
- Roll the frosting over itself to make a cylinder. Grasp the ends of the plastic wrap in each hand, and twirl it quickly so the frosting is burrito-shaped and the ends of the plastic are tightly twisted.
- Snip off one of the plastic wrap “tails” and insert the frosting cylinder into the piping bag, snipped-side down.
- Pipe big, messy stars all over the cake. Layer them on top of each other so they don’t look too neat.
- Repeat until all of the cakes are decorated. For the best taste and texture, serve them at room temperature.
My Hydrangea Cake Adventure: A Baker's Journey
Baking has always been my happy place, a quiet sanctuary where flour dusts my anxieties away and the sweet scent of vanilla fills the air, replacing stress with serenity. Today's adventure? Hydrangea cakes! The idea sparked during a recent trip to a botanical garden. The delicate blooms, in their myriad of purples, pinks, and blues, inspired these vibrant cakes. I envisioned a creation as beautiful and captivating as the flowers themselves, and the journey to achieve that vision is a story worth sharing.
The recipe, a labor of love, involved precise measurements and a delicate balance of ingredients. The batter, a symphony of flour, sugar, and eggs, transformed into a fluffy cloud as I whipped it with the mixer. I added the food coloring, transforming the plain batter into a rainbow of hues, each shade echoing the vibrant colors of the hydrangeas I'd so admired. The baking process was a thrilling dance between anticipation and patience, each cake emerging from the oven as a tiny masterpiece. Cooling and layering these delectable little cakes demanded utmost care, but as they slowly took shape I found the simple task utterly soothing and meditative. The buttercream, another journey of its own, was light as air. The final decorating was a joyful burst of creativity. Using different shades of my carefully prepared frosting in my piping bag to create the hydrangea blossoms was simply delightful. The result? Cakes that truly captured the essence of those exquisite flowers, a testament to the power of inspiration and the art of baking.
The journey wasn't always smooth sailing. There were moments of frustration, of course – a slightly burnt edge on one cake, a frosting that took a bit longer to whip to perfection than anticipated. But these challenges simply added to the experience. Every little setback taught me something new about baking, about patience, about resilience. It reinforced a lesson that baking, like life, is full of unexpected curves, but the end result, the sweet satisfaction of a job well done, is always worth the effort. The beautiful vibrant cakes I proudly presented were not just a testament to my skills but also a reflection of my perseverance and my love for the art of baking.
I have always believed that baking is more than just creating edible delights; it's an art form that has the power to connect us with memories, people, and even nature, as in this case. The process has a therapeutic effect and always proves an enjoyable experience. To see these hydrangea cakes take shape was incredibly fulfilling. Not only did I manage to capture the beauty of the flowers, but I also managed to create delicious cakes that my family and friends thoroughly enjoyed. This is baking at its finest: simple, creative, and deeply satisfying.
More than simply a recipe, this endeavor taught me the significance of embracing the process, the beauty of imperfection, and the incredible rewards of combining passion, patience, and a dash of creativity. The hydrangea cakes were more than just cakes; they were a celebration of a journey, a testament to my pursuit of perfection and an ode to the enduring magic of baking.
The final product? A breathtaking display of edible hydrangeas, a colorful testament to hours of dedicated effort, and a taste sensation to boot. The light and airy buttercream, the moist and tender cakes, the delicate sweetness... it was a symphony of flavors and textures. It was simply perfect, a delectable reminder of the joy of creating something beautiful and delicious with my own two hands.
