Sarahs Birthday Cake

Like the title says this is the cake I made for the birthday of my friend Sarah.
Really she did me a favor letting me make the cake. I wanted to try fondant for some time and this was the perfect opportunity for that.

I'm rather satisfied with the outcome of my first trial. It's by far not perfect but I coverd all the flaws quite well with the flowers and butterflys.
Working with fondant was messy. At the end there was powder sugar all over the floor.
I'm not going to write down the recipe for the fondant. Becaus I didn't change it and I sure as hell didn't make it better. And considering that there is a how-to video on the side I consulted it's really better this way.

The cake has four layers. It alternates between vanilla sponge and chocolate cake layers.
As a result it was rather big, more than enough for 12 to 14 people. And it was really heavy, a few kilos at least. I had to transport it from Wiesbaden to Mainz on the bus. I'm glad the way I had to travel by foot was short. It sure wouldn't have been fun otherwise.

Everybody liked the cake. It was a little to sweet if you eaten it with the fondant. But all things considered I think it was a success.

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Sarahs Birthday Cake

Raspberry Curd

40 g butter
300 g raspberris, frozen
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1. Let the berries thaw.
2. Beat the egg yolks lightly.
3. Put the butter in a sauce pan and let it melt by average heat.
4. Add the raspberries, the egg yolk, the sugar and salt to the butter and bring everything to a boil. Mash the berries while you cook them.
5. Boil the berries for about 10 minutes, to thicken the mixture. Stir constantly.
6. Take the sauce pan of the stove. Afterwards sift the curd through a fine sieve.
7. Let the curd cool to room temperature.
8. Squeeze out one or two lemons. Add the juice to the curd, depending on how sour you want it.
9. Cover the curd with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least 3 hours. In the fridge the curd can be stored for a few days.

Chocolate Frosting

500 g bittersweet chocolate
200 g milk chocolate
480 g whipping cream
200 g butter, soft

1. Chop the chocolate and put it in a big bowl.
2. In a sauce pan bring the whipping cream to a light boil.
3. Pour the whipping cream over the chocolate. Make sure that all the chocolate is covered. Leave it for 5 minutes and stir it afterwards. The entire chocolate should be melted.
4. Let the ganache cool down to room temperature.
5. Beat the butter until it's light and fluffy.
6. Add the butter to the ganache and mix it well.

Chocolate Batter

1 cup warm water
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp wine vinegar or vinegar essence, diluted
1 tsp vanilla aroma

1. Grease the baking pan with butter or use cooking spray.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/375°F.
3. Sift the flour, the sugar, the baking soda and salt together.
4. Mix the water to the cocoa.
5. Add the cocoa, the oil and the vanilla to the flour and blend everything together.
6. Add the vinegar and mix it well.
7. Pour the batter into the baking pan.
8. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes.
9. Put the pan on a cooling rack and leave it for 20 minutes. Release the cake from the pan and let it cool on a cooling rack.

Sponge Batter 

220 g flour
30 g cornstarch
1 cup milk
6 egg whites
395 g sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
170 g butter, cut into small cubes
2 tsp vanilla aroma

1. Grease the baking pan with butter or use cooking spray.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/360°F.
3. Sift the flour, the cornstarch, the sugar, the baking powder and salt together.
4. Combine the milk, the egg whites and vanilla and beat it lightly.
5. Add the butter to the flour mixture and beat it with the hand mixer until it reaches a sandy consistency.
6. Add 1/3 of the milk mixture and mix it for about 1 minute.
7. Repeat the process twice with the remaining milk.
8. Pour half of the batter into the baking pan.
9. Bake it for 20-25 minutes.
10. Put the pan on a cooling rack and leave it for 10 minutes. Release the cake from the pan and let it cool on a cooling rack.
11. Repeat the process with the remaining batter.

To Assemble

1. Cut the chocolate cake base into two parts.
2. Put one chocolate cake base on a plate. Spread some of the chocolate cream on top. With a spoon pour some curd onto the cream.
3. Place one sponge cake base on top. Spread some of the chocolate cream on top. With a spoon pour some curd onto the cream.
4. Place the seconde chocolate cake base on top. Spread some of the chocolate cream on top. With a spoon pour some curd onto the cream.
5. Place the last cake base on top. With a spoon pour some curd onto the sponge cake.
6. Cover the whole cake with the chocolate cream. Coat it evenly.
7. Cover and decorate the cake with fondant.
8. Store the cake in the fridge. Serve it at room temperature.

Bon appétit!!