Well, we made it out of the deep freeze and are beginning to thaw out! ChiBURRIA (@dsanders) you are going to have to try harder than that to keep us down. Let’s celebrate this weekend with this Chocolate Double Layer Cake with Raspberry Sparkling Rose’ Buttercream! It’s practically jort weather so let’s embrace it with sprinkles, lots of sprinkles and cake, lots of cake. Gotta fuel up before the vortex rears its ugly head again!
I made this cake for a friend’s birthday. Yes, a full-grown human. I thought it would be fun to take us back to our childlike wonderment and fun of our birthdays of yore. Party hats, unicorn favor bags and skin firming cream (all full-grown humans can use a good firming cream).
We just had a little get together at the birthday girl’s place to celebrate. I think we need to approach more things sometimes through the eyes of a child, like birthdays! They should be celebrated at any age and if you’re me, you celebrate a birthday month. With all the seriousness going on in the world right now, nothing like a little escapism with your friends (and a chambong)!
For this cake, I wanted the whimsical look and colors of the popular unicorn cakes that are all the craze with the kiddos. However, for my unicorn cake, its flavors are all grown up! A rich, deep chocolate flavor and super moist (I know, sorry, it’s a completely necessary adjective). This was achieved using special dark cocoa powder, combo of granulated sugar with brown rice syrup and the addition of buttermilk. This six-inch double layer cake is decadent, delightful and will tantalize your senses. To frost this baby, I made a raspberry puree that I incorporated into my all-time fav, Swiss Meringue Buttercream! Because it was a party and a celebration, I added sparkling rose to the buttercream along with some sparkling wine extract to give it that extra zing!
It just isn’t a birthday party without the party hats! Love these, ordered them of Amazon.
Adorable drinking Unicorn favor bags, had to have some Unicorn poop to go in the bags and my favorite skincare line Amala!
What else are you going to top off a pillow of creamy, light as air, raspberry sparkling rose’ buttercream with? Just a little gold leaf, no big deal, you know, because we fancy!
So, embrace your inner child, celebrate your birthdays, wear the party hat and don’t forget the favor bags (and the skin firming cream)!
Enjoy,
Diane
- For the Cake:
- 1 and ⅓ cups AP flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ½ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temp
- ¼ cup brown rice syrup
- 2 eggs room temp
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ brown sugar
- ¼ cup buttermilk room temp
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ¾ cup whole milk room temp
- 1 tsp. instant espresso
- ⅓ cup hot water
- Raspberry Puree:
- 1 8oz package of fresh raspberries
- 1 lemon - juice and zest
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- Raspberry Sparkling Rose' Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ cup raspberry puree
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. sparkling wine extract
- ¼ cup sparkling rose'
- 4 sticks of unsalted butter cut into tablespoons – room temp
- For the Cake:
- In a medium bowl combine the flower, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, espresso and set aside.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line two 6 inch round cake pans with parchment rounds and spray and lightly flour and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine, the milk, buttermilk and vanilla extract and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter until light and fluffy about 3 minutes.
- Slowly add the sugar and beat to combine, about five minutes. Scrape down side of bowl as needed.
- Add the brown rice syrup and combine until incorporated.
- Next add the eggs one at a time and beat until fully combined.
- Add one third of the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.
- Next add half of the liquid mixture and beat until combined.
- Add another third of the dry and beat to incorporate.
- Next pour in the rest of the liquid and beat until combined.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over mix. Stir in the hot water.
- Fill each of the cake pans evenly with batter. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out with an only a few moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool in pans on wire rack. Remove from pans after 10 minutes to cool completely on rack.
- For the Puree:
- In a small saucepan, add all the ingredients and stir over medium heat. Let heat and break up for about 10 10 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce has thickened and raspberries have all burst. Strain into a bowl to remove seeds and set aside. Can also be made a week ahead of time and stored in airtight container in the fridge.
- For the Frosting:
- Separate whites from yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Pour sugar in bowl with the egg whites.
- Place bowl over, not touching, a pot with simmering water.
- Whisk constantly until sugar has completely dissolved around 160 degrees. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can tell it’s done when you rub a little of the mixture between your fingers and it is completely smooth with no graininess. Should take about 10 minutes.
- Then return bowl to stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Begin beating the eggs and sugar until whites are glossy and stiff peaks have formed.
- The bowl should be cool to the touch, this will take around 10 minutes.
- Next switch to the paddle attachment and beat on medium high speed.
- Add the butter slowly one piece at a time to incorporate. The mixture will look like it’s curdled, keep mixing, that is normal.
- Mix until frosting is smooth and shiny.
- Add in the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
- Add the prosecco and sparkling wine extract and mix to incorporate. Mix in the raspberry puree.
- Frost the Cooled Cake:
- Slice off the tops of the cake so they are even and flat. Place one cake round on a cake circle and add about a cup of frosting to the top of cake and smooth the frosting over. Add the second cake round on top and place another cup or so of frosting on top and smooth over and down sides of cake and frost a crumb coat over entire cake. Place in the crumb-coated cake in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
- Remove cake from fridge and finish decorating entire cake to a smooth finish using and off-set spatula and scraper. Carefully add sprinkles of choice generously to top of cake and down the sides. Fit a large pastry bag with large tip of choice, I used a Wilton 1M to pipe larger horizontal mounds around the entire edge.
- Store covered in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- Enjoy!
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