Red Velvet Chambord Surprise Heart Cake with Ruffled Frosting
 
 
Ingredients
  • 3 tbsp Wilton Meringue Powder
  • 1/2 cup cold water
optional
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Syrup
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup water
To use later
  • red food gel
  • 1-2 tsp Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur
  • sparkle glitter or stars
  • turn-table
  • bench scraper or off-set spatula
  • icing bags
  • #104 Wilton Icing Tip
  • 1 round 9? white cardboard cake board
Instructions
  1. In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the meringue powder and cold water until you have stiff peaks, about 4-5 minutes.
  2. Mix sugar, corn syrup and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil then remove from heat and cool slightly.
  3. With the mixer on low, slowly drizzly the hot syrup into the beater, mixing well as you pour. Slowly bring the mixer up to High and beat for 4-6 minutes until the frosting is stiff and fluffy.
  4. Add the salt and vanilla extract and mix until blended.
Crumb Coat
  1. Remove the cake from the fridge, and set it on the 9" cake board and then the turn-table if you have one. Then pile a generous 1/2 - 1 cup of frosting on the top layer. Using an off-set spatula, gently smooth the frosting across the top and down the sides of the cake, turning the cake with one hand as you go. Then use the bench scraper or off-set spatula to smooth round the sides. Red cake will show through at this point, but this is fine as you only want a thin layer. Try to get a flat top and a sharp 90° angle between the top and sides. As you go along you will get excess cake on your scraper and spatula, just rub the extra crumby icing off and discard in a second bowl and wipe your tools with a damp cloth and continue on.
  2. Once you have a thin coat, put your cake back into the fridge for 30 minutes to set the crumb coat.
  3. Decorative Frosting
  4. Meanwhile, fit your icing bag with a #104 Wilton icing tip. Once the crumb coat of frosting has set for 30 minutes, bring the cake out of the fridge. Smear a spoonful of frosting on the cake platter and set the cake in the center. Then put the cake and platter back onto the turn-table. *Placing a small piece of non-stick rubber mat/shelf liner or a wet piece of paper towel underneath helps the cake platter not to slide off the turn-table.
  5. Fill your icing back with the frosting. At this point you can practice on a piece of parchment paper. Tip your bag at a 45° angle, with the wider part of the tip touching the cake and the narrower part point out and away from the cake. Squeezing quite hard, move up the cake, the pressure, speed and gravity will create the ruffled effect. Note: This look isn't meant to be "perfect" but looks pretty with irregular ruffles. Stop when you reach the top of the cake and begin again on the bottom, fairly close to the last layer so that each ruffle overlaps somewhat. This goes quite quickly once you get the hang of it.
  6. Once the sides have been done, begin the same process by spinning around the outer layer of the top. Again, the wider part of the icing tip is down near the cake and the narrower tip up and off the cake. Continue around in a spiral until you have an area in the center left for your rose.
  7. Place the mixing bowl back on the stand, add a few drops of red gel food coloring and mix until the desired color is achieved. Blend on low and add 1-2 tsp of Chambord Black Raspberry liqueur. Taste and adjust the amount of liqueur but ensure icing is still stiff.
  8. Using a new icing bag, fill with the pink frosting using the same icing tip #104 and continue the ruffled spiral layers until you reach the center of the pink rose.
  9. Sprinkle over the pink rose with glitter or stars as desired. Slice and Serve!
Recipe by Just a Smidgen at https://justasmidgen.com/2013/01/31/red-velvet-chambord-surprise-%e2%99%a1-cake-with-ruffled-frosting/