For Everett James—Dream big, baby boy.

CONTENTS

Introduction

IT’S A SWEET LIFE

REACH FOR NEW HEIGHTS

Why Layer Cakes?

How to Use This Book

A WELL-LAYERED PANTRY

Ingredients

Tools of the Trade

CAKE MAKING AND DECORATING 101

Baking and Pastry Techniques

How to Frost a Cake

More Simple Finishes

Piping Bag Finishes

Piping Techniques

The Final Touches

SWEET STAPLES

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Salted Caramel Sauce

Dark Chocolate Ganache

Classic Cakes

Neapolitan Cake

The Birthday Cake

Strawberry Shortcake

Red Velvet Cake

Boston Cream Pie

Lemon Supreme Cake

French Opera Cake

Black Forest Cake

Brooklyn Blackout Cake

Chocolate Cakes

Ultimate Candy Bar Cake

Mocha Spice Cake

Peanut Porter Cake

Chocolate Matcha Cake

Chocolate Hazelnut Praline Crunch Cake

Peanut Butter Lover’s Chocolate Bombe

Red Currant Chocolate Cake

Cookies and Cream Cake

London Fog Cake

Chocolate Coconut Cake

Casual Cakes

Honey Apple Cake

Lemony Zucchini Cake

Honey Fig Cake

Gâteau aux Framboises

Sweet Tea Cake

Peach Spice Cake

Apricot Carrot Cake

Espresso Walnut Cake

Blood Orange Thyme Cake

Hummingbird Cake

Whimsical Cakes

Rainbow Sprinkle Cake

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Oatmeal Cookie Cake

Mango Coconut Cream Cake

Banana Cream Cake

Blueberry Pancake Cake

Orange Passion Fruit Cake

S’mores Cake

Banana Split Ice Cream Cake

Strawberry Confetti Cake

Adventurous Cakes

Raspberry Stout Cake

Lavender Olive Oil Cake

Butterscotch Bourbon Cake

Pink Peppercorn Cherry Cake

Banoffee Tiramisu Cake

Yuzu Citrus Cake

Coconut Mojito Cake

Riesling Rhubarb Crisp Cake

Red Wine Blackberry Cake

Pumpkin Vanilla Chai Cake

Holiday Cakes

Chocolate Pomegranate Cake

Golden Champagne Celebration Cake

Strawberry Rose Valentine Cake

Lemony Carrot Cake

Caramel Apple Cake

Pumpkin Pie Cake

Pecan Pear Crunch Cake

Winter Peppermint Cake

Gingerbread Coffee Toffee Cake

Bittersweet Chocolate Orange Spice Cake

BONUS

Three-Tier Wedding Cake

Mix and Match

Acknowledgments

Sources

Index of Searchable Terms

INTRODUCTION

It’s a Sweet Life

WHENEVER ANYONE ASKS ME how I got started baking, there’s an expectation for me to describe myself with flour-dusted chubby cheeks, a mini apron, and admiring eyes watching my grandmother bake from heirloom recipes in a cinnamon-scented kitchen. This was not the case. It wasn’t until my last year of college that I made my first cake, with canned frosting and a plastic zip-top piping bag, but I have always wished for a more enticing story.

However, if I really think about it, food and cooking have always been an influential part of my family and culture. I come from a family with diverse backgrounds. My father’s strong German roots and Midwestern upbringing mixed with my mother’s Hawaiian ancestry and Puerto Rican flair resulted in a colorful and creative household for both me and my older brother. Driving many of my parents’ stories and teachings were lessons of ambition, community, and cuisine.

Even though I don’t have the coveted memories of baking with Grandma as a child, her culinary influence found its way into many of my recipes anyway. Rich in culture but not in purse, my maternal grandmother was an original DIY-er, not because it was trendy, but because she had to be. She cooked, sewed, taught herself how to reupholster furniture, and balanced a job while being a mom with a husband attending night school. Although they were not exceedingly wealthy, my grandparents were very generous. The neighborhood kids knew that if they showed up to the house in the afternoon, my grandmother would make them a treat. She saved the good ingredients for special occasions, leaving my mom with many memories of cookies made with orange extract because it was cheaper than the pure vanilla. But with birthdays came homemade, deep-fried corn dogs and extravagant cakes—giving my mom and her siblings something to look forward to.

Almost all of my memories from my maternal grandfather’s side of the family revolve around food. Fittingly, my great-grandfather first came to Hawaii from the Philippines to work at a sugar mill. My grandfather was born and raised in a tiny rural village on the North Shore of Oahu. Although he left the islands at age eighteen and raised his family in California, our Hawaiian roots run oceans deep. With three small kids, he went to night school and worked toward becoming a civil engineer in order to fly them all back to Hawaii each summer. My parents kept this tradition alive, and I plan to teach my children about their culture rich in food, family, and tradition.

Although my brother and I are the hapa (half-Caucasian) cousins, every time we visit Hawaii we quickly fall into the island rhythm. You may be thinking umbrella drinks and resort pools, but my Hawaii is another story. My summers were made up of eating Kahuku watermelon at the local beach, haupia (coconut pudding) pie, salty skin, sunburns, and potluck dinners spent in the carport because no one had air-conditioning. I learned hula from my cousins and would string leis with my aunties—all while sharing stories, laughs, and memories of how our family came to be. The island life explains my appetite for passion fruit- and mango-inspired desserts, but it also taught me a lot of respect for unique flavors and unfamiliar foods.

My father’s side of the family is much different. He was born to affluent, well-educated parents working in the motor vehicle industry of Detroit’s heyday. The photos of his childhood home, the extravagant holiday parties, and my paternal grandparents’ elaborate seven-tier wedding cake were picture-perfect. And while everything seemed flawless, they had more than their fair share of tragedy. My grandmother passed away when my dad was only a teenager. While I never had the chance to meet her, I did inherit her entrepreneurial spirit. She graduated from the University of Michigan in the 1940s before founding her own company. I thought I was ambitious when I started the Frosted Cake Shop when I was twenty-four, but that does not compare to how brilliant my grandmother was in business. While this part of our family history is tragic, had it not been written this way, my father may not have accepted a job across the country, where he met my mother.

Beyond my annual experiments decorating Christmas cookies as a kid, I only went into the kitchen to practice pirouettes and tap routines on the hardwood floor. While I had the dedication to spend hours each day at the ballet barre, I never had the patience for baking or any interest in cooking. However, I was being immersed in different types of food and global cuisine without even realizing it. My dad traveled a lot for work and found it important to introduce us kids to different cultures. In Tokyo we discovered chestnut paste “noodles,” in Sydney I first tried Turkish delight, and at Harrods Department Store in London I was mesmerized by the fruit-shaped marzipan. These influences gradually seeped into my culinary toolbox, but it wasn’t until college that I started using them to manipulate ingredients and create my own flavor pairings.

The only entertaining television programs that aired between my college classes and dance team practice were cooking shows. I started watching and thought, “I can do that.” I began writing down recipes and testing them out on my roommates. As it turns out, I was pretty good at it. The first cakes I ever made were for Christmas in 2005. With finals approaching, none of us had the time, money, or insight to go out shopping for thoughtful gifts. Instead, I bought my first set of cake pans and planned to make individual cakes for my friends. I used boxed cake mix and canned frosting, and steadily wrote their names in icing with a piping bag made from a plastic zip-top bag. There was something special about those cakes. My roommates and I were already pretty close, but as we sat digging into the chocolate frosting, laughing, and relishing one another’s company before winter break, I saw the power that cake had on community and knew that it was the start of something new.

With rich family ties rooted in food, coupled with the discipline of my ballet background, I suppose it’s no coincidence that I found passion in pastry. Requiring a similar level of dedication and attention to detail, cake design became my new creative outlet after I quit dancing. While many of my peers were becoming doctors, therapists, and nurses, I was playing with buttercream and sugar. I quickly became “that girl” with the cookies, cupcakes, and pastries at any celebration, holiday, or even weeknight gathering. I took the night shift at a local bakery, filling and icing layer cakes, before pursuing my dream to start my own custom cake boutique.

I opened the Frosted Cake Shop in Sacramento, California, in 2008, where I serviced an array of loyal clients, weddings, and community events. With only the help of my family and husband, it was pretty much a one-woman show. The business was small and intimate, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I enjoyed working with my clients from concept to completion and seeing what joy cake can bring to someone’s life. I will always cherish the rewarding memories of giddy brides seeing their cakes for the first time.

Today, I feel very fortunate to have lived such an enriched life and am grateful for all of the people and places that shaped my culinary point of view. My frugal side has pushed me to creatively develop new recipes from ingredients already in my pantry that I would not normally pair together. On the other hand, the opportunity to travel has helped me discover the luxurious and exotic flavors used in some of my recipes, like the tin of matcha powder I picked up in Tokyo, hardly even knowing what it was used for.

I now live in Vancouver—an international city with dozens of different types of cuisine and specialty food shops within a two-block radius of my doorstep. Whether I am cooking a meal for my husband and our son, Everett, or working on a new dessert, the wide array of spices and fresh ingredients from around the world at my fingertips generates unlimited inspiration for new recipes. It is my hope that the recipes here encourage you to think outside the (cake mix) box when it comes to your own cake creations.

Reach for New Heights

Layer cakes are the ideal vehicle for both creative expression and deliciousness. Whether you are an experienced baker or a complete novice, Layered can help you take your creations to the next level. Throughout this book, I serve up plenty of inspiration and essential information for making impressive layer cakes at home.

WHY LAYER CAKES?

Layer cakes are composed of cake, filling, and frosting to create well-balanced, delectable desserts. The multiple components of a layer cake provide the opportunity to add a variety of textures within a single cake and to blend different complementary flavors together to create something both simple and complex—something artisanal. Ranging from textured buttercream to pure, rustic finishes, and even those covered in sprinkles, layer cakes are the perfect canvases for an array of decorations and a chance to add a bit of drama to one’s dessert. With all the different kinds of cakes, buttercreams, ganaches, and garnishes, just think of the countless combinations you can make!

Beyond being sweet and delicious, layer cakes are a symbol of celebration. It is a layer cake with swooping frosting on which children blow out candles on their birthdays, that happy couples slice into on their wedding day, and that one parades into a dinner party with, turning heads with each step. Velvety layers of yellow butter cake smothered in fluffy fudge frosting bring back memories of youth, and a slice of decadent, almost sinful chocolate cake shared with a loved one keeps romance alive.

And let’s face it—everyone loves a layer cake. Eating it, baking it, admiring sky-high layers of it elegantly frosted in buttercream. I’m talking two-, three-, and even up to six-layer confections adorned with edible decorations and candied garnishes—the sugar-clad flights of fancy that are wrongly assumed to be out of reach for the home baker. Layered empowers you to create awe-worthy cakes in your own kitchen. It covers classic to contemporary baking techniques, industry tips and tricks, and new, innovative flavors that make you wish your birthday came more than once a year. It’s time to toss the cake mix and canned frosting and reach the height of your cake-baking potential!

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Layered is intended to inspire and challenge experienced bakers as well as guide eager amateurs toward making their own bakery-style cakes. The cake and frosting recipes have been strategically paired to create exquisite flavor combinations, but I strongly encourage each reader to make the recipes his or her own. (See this page for more pairing inspiration.) While there is still some science necessary for baking the perfect cake, feel free to play with flavors and experiment with different textures. Mix and match the decorating techniques and edible garnishes to create custom cakes to celebrate any occasion.

Throughout the book, you will find a variety of tips and tricks from my years spent as a pastry chef and cake-maker. Baker’s notes, shortcuts, decoration ideas, and suggested uses for extra ingredients are sprinkled over the pages to enhance the baking experience.

In the end, baking should be fun! Confidence is key, but with the right knowledge and a little bit of practice, the possibilities are truly endless. This book is not just pretty pictures and delicious flavors, but also the stories they tell. It is about selecting just the right recipe with a special recipient or occasion in mind, hand-picking the finest ingredients and sharing your hard work with people you care about. It is not about spreading the frosting flawlessly on the first try, but about turning an ordinary day into a celebration. Making cakes is more than putting sweets in our bellies; it’s what the process says when you present someone with a homemade, decorated cake. In this way, a thoughtfully prepared layer cake speaks its own language. When other words or actions cannot express how much you care, say it with a layer cake!

After my husband (who has become well versed in all things baking over the years) glanced over the first draft of recipes for this book, he looked at me quizzically and asked, “How did you come up with all of these?” This opened a can of worms, as I launched into memories about each and every recipe. The following pages are full of those stories and the tips and techniques you need to make the cakes your own.

A Well-Layered Pantry

INGREDIENTS

To make layer cakes with excellent flavor, it is important to pay close attention to your ingredients and the ways they should be used within a recipe. Using the wrong flour or using cold butter when it is supposed to be softened can result in vastly different textures and can quickly compromise the structure of your cake. Here, you can find an overview of many of the ingredients used throughout the book. Most of them are probably already in your pantry, but I’ve noted how each should be treated for baking, when you should splurge on high-quality items like premium chocolate and real vanilla beans, and why I find it important to keep a spare jar of instant espresso powder and a few lemons in my kitchen at all times.

BUTTER

Unless otherwise specified, butter for baking should always be unsalted. It is easier to control the salt content of a recipe when it is added separately, plus a salty buttercream is not always appetizing. Most recipes call for softened, room-temperature butter. It should be malleable but not separated. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, remove butter from the refrigerator thirty to sixty minutes prior to use to soften it.

CHOCOLATE

If you are looking to splurge, go for the good chocolate. I am not talking a bag of chocolate chips off the grocery store shelf, although sometimes that can be sufficient. If you decide to use a premium chocolate, then I recommend purchasing chocolate disks in bulk or large blocks of milk, semisweet, or bittersweet chocolate. I prefer Callebaut brand for my personal baking needs.

For a deeper, fudgier taste in frostings or glazes, look for unsweetened Dutch-processed or alkalized cocoa powder—meaning it has been treated to neutralize the cocoa’s natural acidity. Unless otherwise stated, use unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder.

For white chocolate, I recommend a premium brand, especially in recipes for white chocolate ganache, like my Mango Ganache and Matcha Ganache (this page and this page).

CREAM CHEESE

As with butter, cream cheese should also be used at room temperature, although it typically requires less time out of the refrigerator to become soft, just ten to fifteen minutes. Cream cheese should be of the full-fat variety, unless otherwise specified.

EGGS

The quantities for eggs in these recipes are based on large eggs. I always recommend organic or free-range eggs, when available.

Many of the recipes call for just the egg yolk or just the egg white, so store whichever is not being used for later use. In order to keep the structure of whipped egg whites from being compromised, remember to keep the egg whites pure and to not let any drips of yolk fall back in.

Eggs, like the rest of the ingredients, should be room temperature when being used in a cake recipe.

FLAVORINGS

Unless otherwise specified, always use pure extracts and fresh citrus juices. Many recipes call for vanilla, almond, and peppermint extracts, and their imitation counterparts do not carry the same flavor profiles. A high-end vanilla extract can go a long way, as can fresh-squeezed lemon juice.

Citrus zests can add a flavorful punch to any recipe. When mixed with sugar, the rubbing action helps release their natural oils and flavors. Be sure to only zest the thin outer layer of the fruit and leave the bitter white pith behind. When specified in a recipe, vanilla bean paste is highly recommended over vanilla extract. The paste contains real vanilla bean seeds and is one of my favorite ingredients to use. It’s one of those ingredients that can really step up your yellow cake or buttercream game. You may substitute pure vanilla extract if the paste is unavailable to you.

I always keep a jar of instant espresso powder on hand. Coffee and espresso help enhance the flavor of chocolate in most recipes, and you’ll find yourself reaching for the jar more often than you think. If you do not have instant espresso powder available to you, you may substitute instant coffee, but it is not as rich in flavor, so you many need to increase the amount by as much as 25 to 50 percent.

FLOUR

Not all flours are created equal, so be sure to note what type a recipe calls for. For the most part, different types of flour cannot be substituted for one another.

All-purpose flour is more common in sturdier cakes. It contains more protein than cake flour and is used in more-forgiving cakes such as chocolate, carrot, and other oil-based batters. Cake flour is required for more tender, delicate cakes. It is in nearly all the butter-based cakes in this book and cannot be substituted unless otherwise specified.

A few of the recipes in this book call for specialty flours like almond, whole wheat, and spelt. Luckily, these can now be found fairly easily at regular grocery stores. They add an extra element of flavor and/or texture, but can usually be substituted.

To measure flour, use the scoop-and-sweep method. First, aerate the flour in its container by briefly mixing the contents with a whisk. Then scoop flour into the measuring cup until it is slightly overflowing. Level off the flour with a knife by swiping the blade across the top edge of the cup.

LEAVENING AGENTS

We are trying to bake sky-high cakes here, so pay close attention to the ingredients that are going to make your cakes rise.

Baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable. Baking soda is usually called for in recipes with chocolate, buttermilk, or citrus to react with and balance the acidic elements of these ingredients.

LIQUIDS

Liquids can provide fat used to lubricate gluten in dry ingredients and are necessary for structure and texture development. When a recipe calls for milk, use whole milk.

Buttermilk is often used; be careful when substituting since the other ingredients may depend on its acidity to develop properly. Using sour cream provides the perfect balance of fat and acidity for some recipes. Milk, buttermilk, and sour cream should all be at room temperature before being added to a cake batter.

Heavy cream is often used to create frostings and fillings. For whipped cream, be sure that the heavy cream contains at least 35 percent milk fat. For best results, heavy cream should be chilled before being whipped.

OILS

Instead of butter, oils are sometimes used to coat flour proteins to create supermoist cakes. The recipes in this book call for grapeseed oil, but other neutral oils like vegetable, canola, or safflower may be used instead. Unless otherwise called for, do not substitute olive oil or it will change the flavor of the cake.

SALT AND SPICES

Although you may think salt does not belong with sweets, it helps enhance other flavors. Use fine grain (kosher or sea) salt in cake recipes and flake or fleur de sel as a garnish.

Most spices are used ground, unless otherwise specified. Whole or freshly grated spices typically provide a more intense flavor. Ground spices have a long shelf life, but you might want to splurge for a new jar if a spice has been sitting in your cupboard for the past couple of years or so.

SUGAR

Cakes are sweet, so of course you can expect to find sugar in most recipes. Most call for granulated white sugar. Confectioners’ sugar, or powdered sugar, is used in many frostings and should always be sifted after being measured using the scoop-and-sweep method (see “Flour”). I love the addition of brown sugar in different recipes, from spice, chocolate, and buttermilk cakes to even buttercream. Muscovado sugar is an unrefined cane sugar and should only be used in recipes that call for it, due to its high moisture level and stronger molasses flavor. Be sure to firmly pack brown sugars when measuring.

SWEETENERS

In addition to sugar, many recipes call for sweeteners like molasses, honey, light corn syrup, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup. Not only do these ingredients provide sweetness but also they add different layers of flavor to a recipe.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

In addition to basic baking and cake-making equipment like utensils, mixing bowls, and an oven, there are some more specific tools that will help you create the cakes in this book. Not all of them are completely necessary, but they will make achieving your cake goals easier.

BALLOON WHISK

This all-purpose whisk is the best choice for whipping cream, beating eggs, making pastry cream, and most of your other whisking needs.

CAKE BOARDS

Cake boards are essential for stability when building tiered cakes. You can usually find them at your local craft or hobby store. Keeping a variety of different-size cake boards on hand may make transporting cakes much easier. They are available in different finishes, plain and greaseproof.

CAKE PANS

The cakes in this book have been baked in 6-inch (15-cm), 8-inch (20-cm), and 10-inch (25-cm) round cake pans, with sides that are 2 inches (5 cm) tall. Square pans of the same size are larger in volume and should not be used as a substitution for round pans. A few cakes have been baked in a rectangular cake pan measuring 10 by 15 inches (25 by 38 cm). A 9 by 13-inch (23 by 33-cm) pan will suffice, but may require a slightly longer baking time. Rectangular cake pans should have sides that are at least 2 inches (5 cm) tall, as opposed to 1-inch (2.5-cm) sides that are typically found on standard sheet and jelly-roll pans.

CAKE RING

A cake ring is similar to a cake pan, but without a bottom. Several recipes call for a 6-inch (15-cm) cake ring to cut out rounds of cake or to help build layers.

CANDY THERMOMETER

A candy thermometer is necessary in several recipes, especially when boiling sugar or heating egg mixtures. A trained eye and experience may get you fairly far, but a candy thermometer is essential when noted.

ELECTRIC STAND MIXER

Nearly all the methods and instructions in this book that require mixing are based on using a stand mixer. A hand mixer may be used, but mixing times and speeds may vary. Plus, a stand mixer frees up both hands, which is helpful when you’re making things like meringue that require pouring one ingredient into another while mixing.

FINE-MESH SIEVE

A fine-mesh sieve is often used as a strainer in a variety of recipes, including flavored simple syrups, curds, and purees. A large fine-mesh sieve is my preferred tool for sifting dry ingredients.

GEL FOOD COLORING

Gel varieties are typically more concentrated than liquid food coloring. They yield more vibrant results while using less quantity. When tinting cake batter or frosting, I recommend gel coloring to minimize the amount of liquid added.

ICING COMB

An icing comb is used for creating different textures and buttercream finishes. It comes in metal or plastic and can be found in the cake decorating section of your local craft or hobby store.

ICING SMOOTHER OR METAL BENCH SCRAPER

To create smooth frosting finishes and crisp buttercream edges, a metal bench scraper or metal icing smoother is essential. Many icing combs have a flat side, so if you find one in that style, it can do double duty for both smooth and combed finishes.

KITCHEN SCALE

For more accurate measurements, use a kitchen scale and the listed metric quantities, especially in recipes with chocolate.

MEASURING CUPS

A full set of flat-rimmed metal or plastic dry measuring cups is important to have in any working kitchen. Be sure to measure liquid ingredients in a liquid measuring cup—usually glass or clear plastic, with the measurements marked on the side and a spout for pouring.

MEASURING SPOONS

Like measuring cups, a full set of measuring spoons is also important. Baking requires very exact measurements, and the difference between even ½ and ¾ teaspoon could make or break a recipe.

METAL SPATULAS

Metal spatulas come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Straight spatulas can be handy for applying frosting to the outside of cakes and a multitude of other tasks. I personally prefer offset spatulas of all sizes. A small offset spatula is great for creating even layers of filling within a cake or for frosting smaller cakes. A medium offset spatula is great for frosting larger cakes. Either a medium or large offset spatula may be used to lift and transport cakes from a turntable or cake board to a serving dish.

OVEN THERMOMETER

It is essential to know if your oven is calibrated to the correct temperature. It is definitely worth investing in a small oven thermometer to know what temperature your oven actually bakes at, if there are hot or cool spots within the oven, or if it loses heat easily once the door opens. Knowledge is power in this situation, so you can adjust the temperature or bake times accordingly.

PARCHMENT PAPER AND/OR PARCHMENT ROUNDS

Parchment paper is handy in almost any kitchen. You may find yourself using it to dry garnishes on, create piping bags with, and to line cake pans.

PASTRY BAGS

There are advantages to both disposable plastic pastry bags and canvas ones. I typically use smaller disposable bags for messy or small tasks like piping borders and keep a variety of canvas pastry bags for larger jobs like filling a cake or creating particular buttercream finishes. That way, I am not constantly needing to refill the bag and keep air bubbles to a minimum.

PASTRY BRUSH

A pastry brush is great for brushing syrups and sauces onto cake layers for extra flavor and moisture. One with plastic, silicone, or natural bristles will be sufficient.

PIPING TIPS

These small tools can add big drama to your cake designs. Piping tips come in a huge range of shapes and sizes. Smaller varieties are typically used for piping borders, while large piping tips can be used to fill cakes and create particular buttercream finishes. The designs throughout this book use round, star, and petal tips in various sizes.

RUBBER SPATULAS

I find myself constantly reaching for rubber spatulas for an array of tasks. They are great for scraping down bowls, folding batters, and pretty much all mixing. The heat-resistant silicone ones are great for work being done on the stovetop.

SERRATED KNIFE

A long serrated knife is helpful for “torting” cakes, that is, splitting a cake into multiple layers. I also use a serrated knife when chopping chocolate off a large block for ganache and glazes.

SIFTER

Dry ingredients and confectioners’ sugar need to be sifted before heading into a recipe. While I prefer to use a fine-mesh sieve, a sifter certainly also does the trick.

TURNTABLE

If you plan on making and frosting several layer cakes, then a turntable is definitely a good investment. A turntable will help you achieve a variety of frosting finishes, especially super-smooth sides and swirls.

VEGETABLE PEELER

A vegetable peeler is not only good for peeling carrots but also for creating chocolate curls.

ZESTER

A good citrus zester is great for collecting all the essential flavors of a fruit while leaving the bitter pith behind. I personally love my Microplane and use it for both sweet and savory dishes daily.

Cake Making and Decorating 101

While there are endless lessons to be learned in regard to baking and pastry, here are some of the methods I find most important for creating a perfect cake. Many of the following will appear throughout the book, and I recommend understanding these terms and processes before getting started. This chapter also covers how to stack and frost a layer cake—the building blocks to creating any of these showstoppers. Additionally, I will explain how to create many of the textured finishes showcased in the photos throughout the book.

BAKING AND PASTRY TECHNIQUES

Creaming

IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, creaming the butter and sugar in a recipe just might be the most important step. If you are looking for a soft, tender texture in your velvety butter cakes, then listen up. Creaming is the process in which softened butter and sugar are mixed together to perfection.

First, everything (including the mixing bowl and paddle attachment) needs to be room temperature before getting started. For many of the cake recipes throughout this book, you start by beating the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and increase the speed to medium-high. Continue to mix for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture has lightened and is pale in color.

During this process, the sugar granules cut into the butter to incorporate small pockets of air. The friction helps the sugar start dissolving and the butter to soften even more. Creamed butter and sugar distribute throughout the batter more evenly. Do not skip this important step. Once you start adding more ingredients, you can’t go back.

Folding

FOLDING IS A PARTICULAR TYPE OF MIXING that is generally used to combine two mixtures or ingredients that are vastly different in weight and density. It is often used to incorporate lighter mixtures, like whipped egg whites, without deflating them.

To fold, use a large rubber spatula. For whipped egg whites, place them on top of the cake batter. Push the spatula down the side of the mixing bowl until you hit the bottom. Fold the batter from the bottom of the bowl up and over to the top of the bowl. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Continue to gently but deliberately fold the ingredients together until the mixture is homogenous. Use this method when folding whipped cream as well.

The folding method may also be seen as the final step of mixing a particular cake when adding items like nuts or chocolate chips to prevent overmixing the batter.

Whipping Egg Whites

EGG WHITES SHOULD BE WHIPPED with a completely clean whisk. Be sure the egg whites are free from fat or any drips of egg yolk and the equipment is grease-free, or the whites may not hold air as well. Whip egg whites until stiff peaks just begin to form, but before they start to clump and separate. They will collapse over time, so be sure to whip them up fresh just before use.

Whipping Cream

AS MENTIONED IN THE “INGREDIENTS” SECTION (this page), be sure to use chilled heavy cream that is at least 35 percent milk fat. Depending on what the recipe calls for, whip the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to either soft or medium-stiff peaks. Overwhipped cream will begin to separate, appear granulated, and start to turn into butter.

For best results where whipped cream is used as a filling or frosting, whip the cream just before serving. Alternatively, whipped cream may be stored separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator before assembly. Gently rewhip it by hand before use. Assembled cakes with whipped cream will need to stay refrigerated until 30 minutes before serving to prevent spoilage, so be sure to plan accordingly.

Using a Double Boiler

A DOUBLE BOILER is a double-decker pan/pot system that is used to warm ingredients over simmering water, which acts as indirect heat. It can be purchased as a specific set or easily made with a medium saucepan under a heatproof mixing bowl: Fill the bottom pan with a few inches of water and place the mixing bowl on top. The bowl should sit snugly in the pan but never touch the water. Place it on the stove over medium heat and bring the water to a simmer. Most of the recipes that call for a double boiler are for melting chocolate. This method may also be used for heating other delicate mixtures, like those with eggs, to keep them from scrambling.

Reverse or “Two-Step” Cake Method

YIELDING SIMILAR RESULTS to the creaming method, this technique is used for creating a cake that is light in texture with a fine crumb. In the reverse method, the dry ingredients and butter are combined first, with the fat coating the flour particles. Then the egg whites are incorporated into the batter. Since there is quite a bit of liquid involved, as in the Neapolitan Cake (this page), slowly adding in the egg whites and milk makes a more even mixture with a stable structure.

This method can be a bit less forgiving, so be careful not to overmix the final batter. Instead, add the liquids very slowly.

Tempering

THIS TECHNIQUE IS USED to incorporate two mixtures that are different temperatures. Most of the recipes that call for tempering involve mixing together hot cream and room-temperature eggs. To prevent the eggs from cooking too quickly or scrambling, a small amount of the hot liquid is whisked into the eggs to slowly raise the temperature of the eggs before combining all the contents.

Checking for Doneness

THE BAKE TIMES FOR THE CAKES in this book are given as a range to account for variations in actual oven temperatures, the placement of cake pans within the oven, humidity, etc. To make sure a cake is done baking, here are a few easy testing methods:

BY TOOTHPICK: Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, then remove it. If the toothpick comes out clean or with few crumbs, then the cake is done baking.

BY SIGHT: The edges of a cake should just barely start to pull away from the cake pan when done baking. For lighter-colored cakes like yellow butter or buttermilk, the tops of the cakes should start to turn golden.

BY TOUCH: For sponge or chiffon cakes, when the surface of the cake is touched with a fingertip, the cake should bounce back.

Sifting

ALL DRY INGREDIENTS AND CONFECTIONERS’ SUGAR should be sifted, preferably with a fine-mesh sieve (see this page), to aerate and eliminate any lumps before use. Sift after measuring. When recipes call for the dry ingredients to be sifted, this includes flours, salt, spices, leavening agents, and cocoa powder—unless otherwise specified. This typically does not include granulated or brown sugars.

Tinting Buttercream

TO TINT VANILLA SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM (this page), add a few drops of gel food coloring (see this page) to the finished buttercream. Mix thoroughly, adding more food coloring until your desired shade is achieved. Tinting buttercream is always optional and can be done with any cake calling for vanilla buttercream.

Preparing Cake Pans

TO PREVENT CAKES from getting stuck in their cake pans, first grease the inside of the cake pan with butter or nonstick spray. Sprinkle with flour and shake the pan around until the inside is covered in a thin layer of flour. Flip the pan over and tap out the excess.

Mise en Place

FOR BETTER BAKING, practice mise en place, or “putting in place.” This refers to having all of your ingredients prepped and measured before getting started. It may seem a bit excessive, but it will make things easier in the long run. Often, time is of the essence, like when making caramel, and you wouldn’t want your sugar to burn while you measure the rest of your ingredients. This will also ensure that you have all of the ingredients that the recipe calls for so you don’t get halfway into a recipe before realizing you don’t have enough eggs.

For me, this also means reading and understanding the instructions from start to finish and making sure my ingredients are the correct temperature. Unless otherwise specified, butter, eggs, and dairy products should be room temperature before starting a recipe. Butter must be softened, but not melted, for creaming with sugar and when being added to meringue to make buttercream. Having all of your ingredients the same temperature makes for a more homogenous, smooth batter.

Cutting the Cake

BEFORE SLICING STRAIGHT into your beautiful cake, score the cake perfectly in half with your knife. From there, score one of the halves into quarters or thirds, depending on the size of your cake. Continue to divide each section in half to create even pieces of cake. If necessary, remove or rearrange garnishes before slicing. Most cakes should be cut with a large chef’s knife. For those cakes with fresh fruit filling or a crunchy element, use a long, serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion. Remember to let the cake stand at room temperature (if applicable) to make cutting smoother. Once cut, gently remove each piece from underneath with an offset spatula. If you are finding it difficult to cut through chilled buttercream or ganache frosting, run the blade of your knife under hot water to slightly warm the metal. The warm blade will help melt and soften the frosting, making it easier to cut through. Wipe your knife with a clean kitchen or paper towel between slices.

Cake Storage

IN GENERAL, cakes may be made in advance and stored separately from their fillings and frostings until ready to assemble. Cake layers may be stored for up five days in the refrigerator and up to one month in the freezer, individually wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap. Let frozen cakes thaw in the refrigerator still wrapped in plastic.

Assembled cakes that need to be stored in the refrigerator should be lightly covered in plastic wrap or in a cake box, away from foods with strong odors. For cakes with unfrosted sides, leave ungarnished and without glaze. Wrap the sides with the plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. When storing leftover cake that has been cut into, press a piece of plastic or parchment directly onto the surface of the cut side of the cake to prevent it from drying out. Cakes are typically best eaten within 48 hours of assembly, but will keep for a number of days after that (see each recipe for specific times). In general, a refrigerated cake should be brought to room temperature before serving by letting it stand for 30 to 90 minutes. Many cakes may be frozen (and when possible this is specified in the recipe), but note that their frostings and appearances may be altered during storage and thawing. To freeze leftovers, chill in the freezer until set (20 to 30 minutes), then tightly wrap the cake in a double layer of plastic and store in the freezer for up to 2 months, unless otherwise specified.

HOW TO FROST A CAKE

Frosting a cake with perfectly smooth sides and a crisp top edge is not a skill reserved for just professionals. Using a few tools and simple tricks, anyone can make a beautifully frosted cake.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

1 baked and cooled cake recipe of choice

Frosting of choice

Filling of choice

Large pastry bag

Round piping tip; ½ to ¾ inch (12 mm to 2 cm) in diameter

Turntable

Cake board

Long serrated knife

Large and small offset spatulas

Rubber spatula

Icing smoother or metal bench scraper

Preparing the Cake

To create a level, stable cake, you must start from the bottom. Not only do you need a delicious, well-structured cake, but the cake layers should also be equal in shape and size. Most cakes are not 100 percent ready to go straight from the cake pan. You will need to “torte” the cakes, or cut them so the layers are flat and the correct height.