just a smidgen

Pretty in Pink Tomboy Cake

Tomboy Cake

The cover of Miette’s Recipe Book has been taunting me for weeks.

The scalloped edges of the book was all it took for this bibliophile to lay down her debit card.

Could there be a prettier book to display in her kitchen?

And how delightful to discover that

Miette means..

Crumb

{ sigh }

♥

Tomboy Cake 7 

Could there be a prettier cake than their

Pretty in Pink Tomboy Cake?

Perhaps, but this one was a stunner with it’s soft pink frosting swirled over a dense moist double chocolate layer cake.

♥

She’s called their

Tomboy Cake

Tomboy Cake 2

the name itself is intriguing..

conjuring up

thoughts of girly feminine pink with rough and tumble sassy

and yet..

she’s also unaffected… adorned with a mere swirl and topped with a simple rose.

Could a cake live up to all this visual enchantment?

It did.. and more.

It just might be worth buying those special cake pans and the little rose for the next time I make this layer cake!

♥

IMG_7976

♥

They use a technique that is new to me, where the batter is run through a sieve to eliminate lumps.

This ensures less mixing which means a lighter crumb.

About those cake pans, Miette recommended using two 6″ pans that have straight sides.
I’m considering purchasing a set since they would eliminate the awkward “waistline” formed when the sides of a layer cake form a slight slant inwards at the middle.

Nonetheless, we forged boldly on, using my two 9″ pans and ended up with a dulcet two layer cake.
I didn’t have the courage to cut them into four.

I don’t think it took anything away from the end result, after all, the flavor was what we were after.

And that Buttercream Frosting, if one follows their instructions and helpful tips, you’ll end up with the fluffiest,
sturdiest Buttercream you’ve ever made.

I loved using cooked fresh raspberries to both flavor and tint the icing a pretty pink color. But the next cake could have a completely different Buttercream.. hmmm, maybe Baby Blue?

♥

Tomboy Cake
 
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Ingredients
  • 1½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1¼ cups (4 1/2 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp kosher salt
  • 2 ounces 70 percent cacao chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup water, boiling
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2¼ cups sugar
Instructions
  1. Generously butter two 6-by-3-inch regular or contour cake pans and then dust with sifted cocoa powder. Tap out the excess cocoa. I used 9" round cake pans and lined the bottoms with wax paper and then butter and dusted with cocoa powder.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Put the chocolate in a large pyrex or heatproof bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Whisk until the chocolate melts, then let the mixture cool for about 15 minutes.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla then set aside.
  6. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs on high speed until light and foamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce to low and slowly add in the oil, whisking until combined, about 30 seconds. Raise the speed to medium and whisk until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds longer.
  7. Reduce the speed back to low and slowly pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Then also slowly add in the buttermilk and vanilla mixture. Finally, add the sugar and whisk until the batter is smooth and liquid, about 2 minutes.
  8. Remove the mixing bowl and add the sifted dry ingredients and fold together until just incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in. The batter may have lumps, but stop mixing.
  9. Pour the batter through a medium-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl. Press a rubber spatula against the sides and bottom of the sieve to push through as much batter as possible. Discard the remaining lumps. Pour the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake until a tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
  10. Transfer to wire racks and let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. When the cakes are just cooled enough to touch, carefully run an offset spatula around the edges of the pans to loosen the cake, then invert them onto the racks and remove the pans.
  11. Let cool for about 20 minutes longer then wrap completely in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour before icing. They may be refridgerated for up to 3 days.
Assembly
  1. Using a 1M or 2D Star Tip, fill with raspberry buttercream frosting. Pipe a small bit to hold the cake in place on your cake stand. Center your bottom cake layer in place with the top side down. Tip your icing bag on a 90 degree angle and pipe all the way around the outside edge of the bottom layer. Then spiral inward to the center, going round and round to make an even layer of icing. Using a small offset spatula, smooth the inside of the icing, leaving the outside edges untouched.
  2. Center and place the second layer on top, right side up. Again, pipe around the outer edge of the top layer then spiral inward until you reach the center. Use an offset spatula to smooth the top icing layer but leaving the edges untouched.
  3. Pipe with a petal tip or buy a small flower to decorate the center if you wish.
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Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
 
Print
Ingredients
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 5 large egg whites
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar
  • 3 cups (1 1/2 lbs) butter, unsalted and at room temperature
  • 2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Raspberry Juice
  • 2 cups fresh raspberries, rinsed
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp water
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together the sugar and water. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Cook without stirring, until the sugar mixture reaches 238 degrees F, about 5 to 10 minutes. It's best not to leave it unattended.
  2. Meanwhile, crack the egg whites and cream of tartar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk the egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
  3. Turn the mixer to medium-low and slowly pour in the syrup until fully incorporated. Make sure you pour carefully down on low speed, away from you and close to the sides of the bowl so it doesn't hit the whisk attachment and splatter hot syrup. Alternatively you could use a large spoon to add the syrup. Raise the speed to high, and whisk until soft peaks form. Then beat until the mixture is cool to the touch, about 5 to 10 minutes or 65-70 degrees F. My frosting took a lot longer to cool but make sure you do this or your buttercream won't firm as it will melt the butter in the next step.
  4. Once the meringue is cool enough you can begin adding the butter. Reduce the speed to medium and drop in the butter, only 1 tablespoon at a time, ensuring each is incorporated before adding another. The mixture may lose volume and begin to seem curdled. Turn the mixer back to high and continue to add pieces of butter, making sure each is completely combined before adding more. Make sure you only add one tablespoon at a time. It may seem tedious but it is another important step in ensuring your frosting has the right consistency. When all of the butter has been added, the frosting should be smooth and thick. Add the vanilla, one tablespoon at a time and mix. If making raspberry flavor, cook as written below and then mix into the buttercream.
Raspberry Buttercream
  1. To make raspberry juice, in a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine 2 cups fresh raspberries, 2 tablespoons water, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Cook, gently stirring the berries to help them break down, until the berries are liquefied, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain into a heatproof bowl through a fine-mesh sieve. Let cool to room temperature before adding to the buttercream.
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This cake also slices up quite nicely.

Tomboy Cake Slice

I highly recommend this book. The additional information regarding freezing cake layers, options for cocoa powder and detailed steps for each recipe make this one so helpful, even when baking recipes from other books.

PicMonkey Collage

Alas, I was not “hired” nor compensated for this review, I just loved it and wished to share it with you. I think it would make a great birthday or Christmas present.

Tomboy Cake CG

Love, Smidge 5

 

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