Buttercream Cake - Water Lily

I am continuing to practice my buttercream piping skill. This time is with water lily.

Simple Soft Bun (牛奶软面包）

Simple buns using bread machine.

Ingredients

Bread Flour - 2 and 3/4 cup (400 g)
Sugar - 5 TBSP (80 g)
Salt - 1 tsp (4 g)
Active Dry Yeast - 1.5 TBSP (15 g)
Milk - 1 cup and 1 TBSP (260g)
Egg - 1 (40 g)
Butter - 3 TBSP (40 g)
Yield 12 buns for one baking sheet

Steps

1. Put all ingredients in bread machine and set to "Dough" setting.

2. After bread machine cycle is complete, take out dough and divide into 12 portions. Let them rest for 10-15 minutes.

3. Shape into soft bread shape ad put on baking sheet to let it rise again.

4. After the bread volume double, sift some bread flour on. Optionally you can cut a cross on top.

5. Preheat oven to 350°F, and bake bread for 13-15 minutes.

6. Cool bread on cookie cooling rake and store in sealed bag or container. 

Chocolate Flower Cake

Every girl is like a flower. My friend's daughter turned 18 and her favorite color is lavender, so I made this chocolate flower cake from cake blog for her birthday.

Ingredients

8" cake - this is a chocolate mousse cake
White Chocolate

Purple gel color
Purple Sixlets

Buttercream for assembly, tinted purple to match the petals

Steps

1. Use a black Sharpie to draw triangles on parchment paper in various sizes. These triangles will serve as a guide for creating your chocolate petals. I used three sets of triangles, approximately 2, 3, and 4 inches long. I planned to use 5, 6, 7 petals for each layer, respectively, to make total 18 petals. I also planned for an extra petal for each size just in case one breaks during assembly.

2. Melt white chocolate in a small heatproof bowl, over double boiler, and tint it with food color.

3. Flip the pieces of parchment paper over before spreading on the chocolate. Use a small icing spatula to spread melted chocolate onto the triangle template. Work from the tip to the base of the triangle, leaving lines and ridges in the melted chocolate. The base of the triangle will be the outer edge of your petal. Spread the chocolate in a rounded, messy way, not in a solid line. This will give you more of a petal-y look.

4. While the petal is still wet, place it into a bowl to give it shape. Use tape to help hold the petal into place while it dries. Repeat with the rest of your petals.
5. Once petals are completely set, peel away the parchment paper. 

6. Fill a piping bag with buttercream, and use it to attach the largest petals in a circle on the top of the cake, then attached a second layer of smaller petals on top of the first layer, and then the smallest petals. Once petals are in place, pipe some buttercream in the center and attach some sixlets.

White Chocolate Mirror Cake

Ingredients

Any 8" cake will do. I used Chiffon cake

Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting
White chocolate - 8 oz

Sugar - 1 cup

Cold water - 1/2 cup

Water - 1/4 cup

Light corn syrup - 1/2 cup

Sweetened condensed milk - 1/2 cup

Gelatin - 5 tsp

Food color - any combinations

Glitter - optional, I added a little black disco dust

Steps

1. Bake the cake and frost it with buttercream. Keep refrigerated until ready to pour glaze.
2. Bloom gelatin with 1/2 cup of water and set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Heat the water, sugar, and condensed milk in a saucepan. Bring it just to a boil and turn off the heat. Stir in the vanilla and bloomed gelatin until it is fully dissolved.
4. Place chocolate chips in a large heat proof bowl. Pour hot mixture over chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes.

5. Once chocolate has softened, use an immersion blender to smooth mixture. Pour mixture through a sieve to remove any remaining lumps.

6. Divide glaze into different bowls and tint them with different colors. Allow glaze to cool to 90°F (32°C) before pouring. Watch this video on how to pour the glaze. 

7. Let the glaze drip for 5 minutes, cut the drips off from under the cake plate, and place onto a serving plate. Pipe buttercream borders around the base of cake.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

I have struggled with piping flowers with buttercream. Now with Swiss meringue buttercream, piping becomes much easier. Also this buttercream can keep its form at room temperature very well. 

Ingredients

6 egg whites
1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 and 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cubed, slightly softened
Pinch of salt
This is enough to frost an 8" cake. If you want to pipe decorations, you should make at least 50% more.

Steps

1. Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.

2. Place bowl over a pan of simmering water to create a double-boiler. Whisking constantly, heat the egg mixture until it registers 160°F on a candy thermometer. Carefully transfer the bowl onto the stand mixer.
3. Using the whisk attachment, beat the egg white mixture on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes until the bowl is no longer warm to the touch and the meringue is fluffy, glossy and holds a stiff peak.
4. Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, slowly add cubed butter and mix until incorporated. If the buttercream appears soupy, try placing it in the refrigerator for about 10 to 15 minutes then mixing again.

Christmas Stencil Cookie

These were the egg free sugar cookie with the egg free royal icing. I experimented with stencils this year. Stencil worked best on iced cookie. So the cookies were coated with royal icing with flood consistency. The icing for stencil should be with piping consistency.

Merry Christmas!

Yellow Cupcake

This is a classic rich, tender, buttery yellow cupcake recipe.

Ingredients

All-purpose flour - 1 and 1/4 cups
Baking powder - 1 and 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Unsalted butter - 6 TBSP at room temperature
Large eggs - 2 at room temperature
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Whole milk - 1/3 cup
Cupcake topping: Buttercream or others

Yield: 12 Cupcakes

Steps

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In another bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk in 2 additions, beating on low speed until just combined. Beat on medium-high speed until no traces of flour remain, about 30 seconds; do not overbeat.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18-20 minutes.

4. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

5. Frost the cupcakes with the buttercream or other toppings and serve.