Help me make this cake a little more special
October 28, 2018 4:22 PM Subscribe
My partner and their wife are celebrating their 10 year anniversary on Friday. I'm baking them a cake - vanilla sponge, lemon curd in the middle, and a raspberry buttercream frosting. I'm baking/making it on Thursday and assembling it Friday before the party. But I need help with the decorations!
I've got the bake and the flavours down, but I'd like to do something with the decorating to make it a little special. I'm not great at piping, so fussy lacy icing work isn't ideal. What could I do to make this cake look great for these people I love? I would especially love any suggestions of decorations I could make a few days in advance.
I've got the bake and the flavours down, but I'd like to do something with the decorating to make it a little special. I'm not great at piping, so fussy lacy icing work isn't ideal. What could I do to make this cake look great for these people I love? I would especially love any suggestions of decorations I could make a few days in advance.
I think some candied lemon wedges and fresh raspberries would look nice arranged in a nice starburst pattern. You could candy the lemons yourself a few days before.
posted by mai at 4:35 PM on October 28, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by mai at 4:35 PM on October 28, 2018 [8 favorites]
Best answer: I think some freeze dried raspberries in addition to the fresh fruit on top can make the cake look fancier with very little fuss.
Example
posted by FakePalindrome at 4:38 PM on October 28, 2018 [5 favorites]
Example
posted by FakePalindrome at 4:38 PM on October 28, 2018 [5 favorites]
Best answer: I made a very similar cake and placed raspberries along the bottom where the cake meets the platter as well a simple raspberry and candied lemon peel design on top. It was lovely and I received lots of compliments.
posted by stormygrey at 4:54 PM on October 28, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by stormygrey at 4:54 PM on October 28, 2018 [6 favorites]
You could do their initials in crushed nuts, say, almonds or peanuts or walnuts or pistachios.
posted by MovableBookLady at 5:03 PM on October 28, 2018
posted by MovableBookLady at 5:03 PM on October 28, 2018
Ooooh yes, crushed nuts. I love a good multi-textural cake.
Since it's already lemony, you could freeze a lemon then slice it paper-thin with a mandoline as garnish.
You might also be able to find edible flowers at a fancy grocery store, though they're prettier than they are tasty.
posted by tapir-whorf at 5:30 PM on October 28, 2018
Since it's already lemony, you could freeze a lemon then slice it paper-thin with a mandoline as garnish.
You might also be able to find edible flowers at a fancy grocery store, though they're prettier than they are tasty.
posted by tapir-whorf at 5:30 PM on October 28, 2018
I’ve done raspberries around the base or on top in a ring or covering the whole top or in a wild pile on top. Dusting the berries with a small amount to gold dust is pretty too.
posted by Swisstine at 5:43 PM on October 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Swisstine at 5:43 PM on October 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
Lots of fresh raspberries around the edge, small flower arrangement in the center. Use a plastic lid as a base, any florist should be familiar with this idea. Or cover the top with fresh raspberries yum.
posted by theora55 at 5:44 PM on October 28, 2018
posted by theora55 at 5:44 PM on October 28, 2018
Best answer: I'm going to share one of my secret pastry chef tricks.
Make a larger batch of lemon curd the way you usually would until it's time to add the butter at the end--don't add that butter! Instead, wait until the stirred custard has cooled to room temperature(you should stir it often or it will take forever to cool). Once it has cooled to room temperature, add the butter straight from the fridge(cut into pieces about 1 Tablespoon each) and immediately blend with an immersion blender until the butter is fully emulsified(no flecks of butter visible) and refrigerate overnight. You've made a Lemon Crémeux!
After setting overnight, you will end up with a lemon curd that has a texture similar to buttercream that not only tastes richer but also pipes beautifully and holds a line. You could, for example, pipe rosettes around the top of the cake and garnish with halved or quartered candied lemon slices.
posted by nenequesadilla at 7:43 PM on October 28, 2018 [22 favorites]
Make a larger batch of lemon curd the way you usually would until it's time to add the butter at the end--don't add that butter! Instead, wait until the stirred custard has cooled to room temperature(you should stir it often or it will take forever to cool). Once it has cooled to room temperature, add the butter straight from the fridge(cut into pieces about 1 Tablespoon each) and immediately blend with an immersion blender until the butter is fully emulsified(no flecks of butter visible) and refrigerate overnight. You've made a Lemon Crémeux!
After setting overnight, you will end up with a lemon curd that has a texture similar to buttercream that not only tastes richer but also pipes beautifully and holds a line. You could, for example, pipe rosettes around the top of the cake and garnish with halved or quartered candied lemon slices.
posted by nenequesadilla at 7:43 PM on October 28, 2018 [22 favorites]
If you can make a piped rim around the edge of the cake, you can pour a raspberry glaze (raspberry puree simmered with some cornstarch, or raspberry jam diluted with water and heated to pouring consistency) so that makes a pretty top that is also a great smooth surface for writing a congratulatory message on.
posted by aimedwander at 8:38 PM on October 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by aimedwander at 8:38 PM on October 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
raspberry buttercream frosting
raspberry Italian buttercream frosting—I promise, it's worth the effort.
I happen to be making mint buttercream right now (it's cooling in the fridge). You can google recipes and instructions. After some experimenting, I've settled on the following proportions:
5 egg whites for frosting; 8 egg whites for fillings
1.5 - 2 cups sugar (e.g., less if the cake is esp sweet, more if adding cocoa to the frosting)
~1 lb butter
posted by she's not there at 9:03 PM on October 28, 2018
raspberry Italian buttercream frosting—I promise, it's worth the effort.
I happen to be making mint buttercream right now (it's cooling in the fridge). You can google recipes and instructions. After some experimenting, I've settled on the following proportions:
5 egg whites for frosting; 8 egg whites for fillings
1.5 - 2 cups sugar (e.g., less if the cake is esp sweet, more if adding cocoa to the frosting)
~1 lb butter
posted by she's not there at 9:03 PM on October 28, 2018
Best answer: This is a pretty decorating job and doesn't look overly complicated at all. You can purchase those little flower decorations from a cake supply store or you could sub out whatever pretty sprinkles you find. The piping you see doesn't require any special skills and the raspberries and lemons they use for decoration are fresh. If you do use fresh, I would put them on right before presentation to avoid seeping juices.
posted by LKWorking at 7:42 AM on October 29, 2018
posted by LKWorking at 7:42 AM on October 29, 2018
If you can get macarons, I've seen a lot of lovely cakes lately with them turned on their short side and placed around the cake like the spokes of a wheel.
posted by fiercecupcake at 8:22 AM on October 29, 2018
posted by fiercecupcake at 8:22 AM on October 29, 2018
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posted by DarlingBri at 4:27 PM on October 28, 2018