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Yellow Cake Recipe

This classic yellow cake recipe is full of flavor and moisture, making the perfect layer cake. It uses the reverse creaming method, which combines the dry ingredients with the butter first, making an extra velvety texture. It pairs great with Swiss meringue buttercream, ermine frosting, or easy chocolate buttercream.slice of yellow cake with chocolate frosting

Yellow cake is considered the "classic" American vanilla cake. It is the standard to which all other cakes are held. Why do you think that is? Probably because the best cake you ever ate was most likely a "yellow cake". The yellow is not a secret ingredient, it's just extra yolks! The rich color and flavor come from using whole eggs and a few extra yolks so those literally make this cake "gold". 

Table of contents

Ingredientsbowls of ingredients for yellow cake on a table

Eggs are an important ingredient in any cake recipe, but in this cake, there are whole eggs and additional yolks. The yolk contributes protein, some fat, flavor, and emulsifying lecithin. Emulsifiers hold water and fat together, so adding extra egg yolks to the batter enables the batter to hold extra liquid, and more liquid will hold more sugar. Thus creating a very moist and delicious cake!

Cake flour allows this rich cake to still keep its light texture and tight crumb, which makes it perfect to hold a heavier frosting, like chocolate fudge frosting. They balance each other so well in flavor and texture, which makes them a perfect pairing. All-purpose flour can be used as well, however, the final texture of the cake will be different. It will have a looser crumb with a more coarse-looking texture. Pro-tip - If you're in the UK, search for Shipton Mills soft cake and pastry flour or flour that has a protein level of 9% or less.

Butter emulsifies so well with the sugar and liquid, and it keeps the cake light and not feeling too heavy like oil would. Butter is solid at room temperature, so this cake has enough structure to hold up with filling and stacking cake layers.slice of yellow cake coming out of a whole cake

Tips for Baking From Scratch

  1. Weigh your ingredients to avoid cake failure. Using a kitchen scale for baking is super easy and gives you the best results every single time. 
  2. Make sure all your cold ingredients are room temperature or slightly warm (butter, milk, eggs, to create a cohesive batter. Curdled batter causes cakes to collapse. 
  3. Need more help with making your first cake? Check out my how to decorate your first cake blog post. 
  4. Make your own pan release (cake goop!) The best pan release ever! 
  5. Chill your cakes before frosting and filling. You can cover a frosted and chilled cake in fondant if you wish. This cake is also great for stacking. I always keep my cakes chilled in the refrigerator before delivery for easy transportation

How to Make a Yellow Cake

Make the yellow cake layers first, and be sure to give yourself enough time for them to chill. I like to flash-freeze them for an hour and decorate them on the same day I'm going to serve, but you can also freeze them and decorate them the next day.

Making Yellow Cake Layers

  1. Preheat the oven to 335º F/168º C - 350º F/177º C and prepare two 8-inch pans or three 6-inch cake pans with cake goop or another preferred pan release.spreading cake goop on a cake pan with a pastry brush
  2. It is important to use warm ingredients so that everything incorporates correctly. Add the eggs to a bowl of warm water (in the shells) for 5 minutes, heat the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds, and leave the butter out for a few hours, or cut it into cubes and microwave for about 10 seconds. finger pressing an indent into butter
  3. Separate your eggs and egg yolks by cracking each egg on the table and using your thumbs to divide the shell into two pieces. Move the yolk back and forth and allow the whites to fall into a bowl. hand separating egg yolks and white
  4. Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, milk, vanilla, and vegetable oil in a medium bowl and set it aside. adding a bowl of oil to egg yolks and milk
  5. Place the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. This can also be made with an electric hand mixer in a large mixing bowl.dry ingredients in a large glass bowl
  6. Slowly add your softened butter in chunks and mix on medium speed until the batter resembles coarse sand.hand holding mixed butter and dry ingredients
  7. Add ⅓ of your egg/milk mixture to the flour mixture while mixing on low speed until just moistened. This part is crucial, be careful not to add too much liquid.adding liquid ingredients to a stand mixer bowl
  8. Increase the mixer to medium speed (setting 5 on Kitchen Aid mixer) and whip for 2 minutes until it has thickened and lightened in color. It should look like soft-serve ice cream. If you do not let the batter mix fully, you will end up with short, crumbly cakes. 
  9. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. 
  10. While mixing on low speed, slowly add in the rest of your wet ingredients to the fluffy cake batter, stopping to scrape the bowl one more time halfway through. Mix until the liquids are fully combined in the batter.adding liquid ingredients to a stand mixer bowl
  11. Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.cake pans full of yellow cake batter
  12. Bake for 30 minutes and then check your cakes. If they are still jiggly in the center bake for another 5 to 8 minutes. If they are almost set, bake for another 5 minutes or until the center springs back when you touch it, or a toothpick comes out clean. Bake time can vary depending on the size and shape of the cake pans you use.hands with pot holders holding a hot cake pan
  13. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 15 minutes or until the pan is just barely warm. Then, turn them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.flipping a cake out onto a cooling rack
  14. Wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze if you're decorating the next day. Or if you're decorating the same day, I like to put mine into the freezer (unwrapped) and on the cooling rack to flash chill for one hour so I can begin frosting.

Making Chocolate Fudge Frosting

  1. Add the chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and corn syrup to a measuring cup or bowl.pouring corn syrup into a bowl of chocolate
  2. Melt the chocolate mixture together in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds and stir and then heat in 10-second increments and stir until it is fully melted and smooth. Let the chocolate mixture cool, but not harden. mixing a bowl of chocolate with a spatula
  3. Mix the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle on high speed for about 1 minute until light and fluffy.spatula of chocolate frosting mix
  4. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and mix it until it's combined.pouring a bowl of chocolate to a bowl of frosting
  5. The frosting can be used immediately on the cake, or covered with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 3 days. If you plan to keep it longer, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. bowl of chocolate frosting

Decorating the Yellow Cake

  1. Trim the domes off of the yellow cake layers.hand removing the dome from the top of a yellow cake
  2. Then trim and dark edges and bottoms off the cakes. This is optional but makes for pretty slices. trimming the brown edges off of a cake
  3. Place the first layer of cake down on your cardboard cake round. one layer of yellow cake with chocolate frosting on a cardboard round
  4. Fill it with about one and a half cups of chocolate frosting and spread it with an offset spatula to the edges of the cake. spatula spreading chocolate frosting on a cake
  5. Place the second layer of cake on top of the filled layer. second layer of yellow cake stacked
  6. Add a large dollop of frosting to the top of the cake and gently spread the frosting out and around the sides of the cake. If the frosting is too soft, place it in the fridge for a few minutes to set up. spreading chocolate frosting on top of a cake
  7. Apply a thick second coat of frosting to the exterior of the cake. Push waves in the frosting with your spatula to create a rustic finish. spreading chocolate frosting onto the outsides of a cake
  8. The cake can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, then store the cake in the fridge or freezer.yellow cake in chocolate frosting on a cake plate 

FAQ

What is the flavor of yellow cake? 

Yellow cake is a rich vanilla cake. The richness of the cake comes from the extra yolks, which amplifies the vanilla flavor from the extract that is added to the batter. 

Can I use this cake to stack? 

Yes, this is a very sturdy cake and will stack nicely in a tiered cake. The chocolate frosting can be soft, so make sure you take proper steps to support your cake if stacking it. You can also use this under fondant.

Can I make this into a sheet cake? 

Yes, this easy cake recipe bakes well in any shape pan you choose. It would be a perfect cake as a sheet cake for a barbecue or potluck.

Does yellow cake taste like white cake?

The flavor of yellow cake, white cake, and vanilla cake are all very similar. The main difference is that white cake uses only egg whites and yellow cake has extra egg yolks that give it a beautiful color. 

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Recipe

slice of yellow cake with chocolate frosting
Print Recipe
4.80 from 73 votes

Yellow Cake Recipe

The best yellow cake recipe from scratch that pairs perfectly with any buttercream or frosting, but especially with creamy chocolate fudge frosting. The perfect birthday cake combination that everyone is excited to eat for any special occasion!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Decorating time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 cups
Calories: 1404kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Equipment

  • 2 8" x 2" cake pans

Ingredients

Yellow Cake Recipe

  • 14 ounces cake flour
  • 12 ounces granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 ounces unsalted butter softened
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 3 large egg yolks room temperature
  • 8 ounces whole milk warmed
  • 2 ounces vegetable oil
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Fudge Frosting Ingredients

  • 16 ounces unsalted butter 2 cups, softened
  • 8 ounces powdered sugar 2 cups
  • 3 ounces cocoa powder 1 cup
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 6 ounces corn syrup ½ cup
  • 2 ounces coffee ¼ cup
  • 1 teasoon vanilla extract
  • 12 ounces semisweet chocolate 2 cups
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Yellow Cake Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 335º F/168º C - 350º F/177º C and prepare two 8-inch pans or three 6-inch cake pans with cake goop or another preferred pan release.
  • It is important to use warm ingredients so that everything incorporates correctly. Add the eggs to a bowl of warm water (in the shells) for 5 minutes, heat the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds, and leave the butter out for a few hours, or cut it into cubes and microwave for about 10 seconds. 
  • Separate your eggs and egg yolks by cracking each egg on the table and using your thumbs to divide the shell into two pieces. Move the yolk back and forth and allow the whites to fall into a bowl. 
  • Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, milk, vanilla, and vegetable oil in a medium bowl and set it aside. 
  • Place the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. This can also be made with an electric hand mixer in a large mixing bowl.
  • Slowly add your softened butter in chunks and mix on medium speed until the batter resembles coarse sand.
  • Add ⅓ of your egg/milk mixture to the flour mixture while mixing on low speed until just moistened. This part is crucial, be careful not to add too much liquid.
  • Increase the mixer to medium speed (setting 5 on Kitchen Aid mixer) and whip for 2 minutes until it has thickened and lightened in color. It should look like soft-serve ice cream. If you do not let the batter mix fully, you will end up with short, crumbly cakes. 
  • Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. 
  • While mixing on low speed, slowly add in the rest of your wet ingredients to the fluffy cake batter, stopping to scrape the bowl one more time halfway through. Mix until the liquids are fully combined in the batter.
  • Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
  • Bake for 30 minutes and then check your cakes. If they are still jiggly in the center bake for another 5 to 8 minutes. If they are almost set, bake for another 5 minutes or until the center springs back when you touch it, or a toothpick comes out clean. Bake time can vary depending on the size and shape of the cake pans you use.
  • Let the cakes cool in the pan for 15 minutes or until the pan is just barely warm. Then, turn them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
  • Wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze if you're decorating the next day. Or if you're decorating the same day, I like to put mine into the freezer (unwrapped) and on the cooling rack to flash chill for one hour so I can begin frosting.

Making Chocolate Fudge Frosting

  • Add the chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and corn syrup to a measuring cup or bowl.
  • Melt the chocolate mixture together in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds and stir and then heat in 10-second increments and stir until it is fully melted and smooth. Let the chocolate mixture cool, but not harden. 
  • Mix the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle on high speed for about 1 minute until light and fluffy.
  • Add the cooled chocolate mixture and mix it until it's combined.
  • The frosting can be used immediately on the cake, or covered with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 3 days. If you plan to keep it longer, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. 

Decorating the Yellow Cake

  • Trim the domes off of the yellow cake layers.
  • Then trim and dark edges and bottoms off the cakes. This is optional but makes for pretty slices. 
  • Place the first layer of cake down on your cardboard cake round. 
  • Fill it with about one and a half cups of chocolate frosting and spread it with an offset spatula to the edges of the cake. 
  • Place the second layer of cake on top of the filled layer. 
  • Add a large dollop of frosting to the top of the cake and gently spread the frosting out and around the sides of the cake. If the frosting is too soft, place it in the fridge for a few minutes to set up. 
  • Apply a thick second coat of frosting to the exterior of the cake. Push waves in the frosting with your spatula to create a rustic finish. 
  • The cake can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, then store the cake in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

    1. Weigh your ingredients to avoid cake failure. Using a kitchen scale for baking is super easy and gives you the best results every single time.
    2. Make sure all your cold ingredients are room temperature or slightly warm (butter, milk, eggs) to create a cohesive batter. Curdled batter causes cakes to collapse.
    3. Need more help with making your first cake? Check out my how to decorate your first cake blog post.
    4. Make your own pan release (cake goop!) The best pan release ever!
    5. Chill your cakes before frosting and filling. You can cover a frosted and chilled cake in fondant if you wish. This cake is also great for stacking. I always keep my cakes chilled in the refrigerator before delivery for easy transportation.
    6. Use the leftover egg whites for Swiss meringue buttercream, white cake, or macarons. 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 1404kcal | Carbohydrates: 154g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 86g | Saturated Fat: 52g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 289mg | Sodium: 636mg | Potassium: 647mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 104g | Vitamin A: 2177IU | Calcium: 164mg | Iron: 5mg

Blog

Wedding Cake Trends 2018: The Collaboration

Wedding Cake Trends 2018 - A Collaboration

A wedding cake trend is ever-evolving. Sometimes you can see them coming from a mile away and other times they seem to come from out of nowhere! 2017 was filled with some trends that won't die (rustic cakes, naked cakes, metallics) and some that took the internet by storm (geode cakes, marble cakes).

2018 wedding cake trends

Predicting cake trends can be vital to snagging those high-end clients this season! The hard part about predicting cake trends is you have to see what brides are asking for now and see what they might be asking for in a few months.

THEN you have to actually make a cake that represents that trend because guess what, brides will not order a cake that they can't see. And we all know how much we hate making another Pinterest cake designed by someone else.

While researching upcoming trends for tutorials, I became so inspired by all the beautiful colors, textures and themes, I just wanted to make them all! But really, if I'm honest, there are far more talented cake decorators out there who specialize in not only wedding cakes but these particular styles that happen to be trendy.

I thought wouldn't it be fun if those cake decorators designed a cake around the trend with no clients to tell them how. Just pure inspiration! The cakers dream.

So that's what we did!

Please enjoy the following Ten Wedding Cake Trends from 15 top cake decorators in the industry based on our predicted cake trends for 2018. These definitely are not ALL the cake trends coming up in 2018, every day new trends are popping up!

cake trends

This collaboration is featured in the latest issue of Cake Masters Magazine! 

You might even see a few tutorials

(Click the pink arrow to go to the next wedding cake trend post)

Course Preview

Sewing Machine Cake Tutorial

Skill level: Intermediate

Guest cake decorator Shannon Patrick Mayes returns to show off this amazing sewing machine cake tutorial. Shannon takes the popular sewing machine cake design a step further by making a vintage Singer sewing machine with a gravity-defying sewing needle, edible EVERYTHING, tons of details and details.

This cake is sure to please the sewing enthusiast in your social circle and the edible fabric can be adjusted and customized to many different designs and projects.

1:28:26 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to sculpt a vintage sewing machine out of cake
  • Learn how to create edible fabric and measuring tape
  • Shannon's tips on how to get a gravity-defying cake structure
  • Learn how to create an edible spool of thread and pin cushion
  • How to get a machined look to your fondant for the sewing machine

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Making tape measure 0:10
  2. Making edible fabric 1:38
  3. Making a pin cushion 3:55
  4. Making buttons 7:32
  5. Making pins & spool 8:29
  6. Cleaning up fabric & tape 12:44
  7. Demolding the spool 15:22
  8. Finishing pin cushion 19:48
  9. Making spool thread 25:25
  10. Making the structure 29:16
  11. Carving the cake 42:11
  12. Crumbcoating the cake 50:53
  13. Applying the fondant 55:23
  14. Adding machine seams to fondant 1:10:41
  15. Making final details 1:12:40
  16. Applying final details 1:20:51

Paid Video

Sewing Machine Cake

Skill level: Intermediate

Guest cake decorator Shannon Patrick Mayes returns to show off this amazing sewing machine cake tutorial. Shannon takes the popular sewing machine cake design a step further by making a vintage Singer sewing machine with a gravity-defying sewing needle, edible EVERYTHING, tons of details and details.

This cake is sure to please the sewing enthusiast in your social circle and the edible fabric can be adjusted and customized to many different designs and projects.

1:28:26 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to sculpt a vintage sewing machine out of cake
  • Learn how to create edible fabric and measuring tape
  • Shannon's tips on how to get a gravity-defying cake structure
  • Learn how to create an edible spool of thread and pin cushion
  • How to get a machined look to your fondant for the sewing machine

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Making tape measure 0:10
  2. Making edible fabric 1:38
  3. Making a pin cushion 3:55
  4. Making buttons 7:32
  5. Making pins & spool 8:29
  6. Cleaning up fabric & tape 12:44
  7. Demolding the spool 15:22
  8. Finishing pin cushion 19:48
  9. Making spool thread 25:25
  10. Making the structure 29:16
  11. Carving the cake 42:11
  12. Crumbcoating the cake 50:53
  13. Applying the fondant 55:23
  14. Adding machine seams to fondant 1:10:41
  15. Making final details 1:12:40
  16. Applying final details 1:20:51

Course Preview

Shark Cake Tutorial

Skill level: Intermediate

This shark cake looks like it's about to swim right up to you and take a bite! Featuring a gravity-defying structure, flexible edible seaweed and Jell-O water. Sculpt a 3D shark out of cake, learn to paint details and make sugar eyes! All your guests will be wondering how this is really a cake!

1:14:44 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to sculpt a realistic shark out of cake
  • Learn how to create edible sugar shark eyes
  • How to create seaweed and an awesome ocean water effect on top of cake
  • Learn how to create gravity-defying shark fins
  • How to hand-paint the shark for a stunning effect

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Making the Structure 0:14
  2. Building the shark board 2:39
  3. Bulking the shark underside 5:34
  4. Prepping the cakes 7:14
  5. Carving down the cake 9:53
  6. Creating the shark tail 14:16
  7. Covering cake with ganache 19:16
  8. Adding sea bed cake 22:16
  9. Building water supports 24:09
  10. Making edible shark eyes 27:14
  11. Making shark fins 27:40
  12. Applying buttercream 31:21
  13. Paneling the shark 32:32
  14. Making the shark mouth 38:49
  15. Making the gills 43:16
  16. Making eye sockets 44:30
  17. Adding the teeth 45:33
  18. Adding the eyes 49:41
  19. Adding the fins 50:47
  20. Painting the shark 54:20
  21. Making water layer 1:02:33
  22. Making the seaweed 1:05:17
  23. Removing the supports 1:09:24
  24. Finishing touches 1:10:17

Paid Video

Shark Cake

Skill level: Intermediate

This shark cake looks like it's about to swim right up to you and take a bite! Featuring a gravity-defying structure, flexible edible seaweed and Jell-O water. Sculpt a 3D shark out of cake, learn to paint details and make sugar eyes! All your guests will be wondering how this is really a cake!

1:14:44 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to sculpt a realistic shark out of cake
  • Learn how to create edible sugar shark eyes
  • How to create seaweed and an awesome ocean water effect on top of cake
  • Learn how to create gravity-defying shark fins
  • How to hand-paint the shark for a stunning effect

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Making the Structure 0:14
  2. Building the shark board 2:39
  3. Bulking the shark underside 5:34
  4. Prepping the cakes 7:14
  5. Carving down the cake 9:53
  6. Creating the shark tail 14:16
  7. Covering cake with ganache 19:16
  8. Adding sea bed cake 22:16
  9. Building water supports 24:09
  10. Making edible shark eyes 27:14
  11. Making shark fins 27:40
  12. Applying buttercream 31:21
  13. Paneling the shark 32:32
  14. Making the shark mouth 38:49
  15. Making the gills 43:16
  16. Making eye sockets 44:30
  17. Adding the teeth 45:33
  18. Adding the eyes 49:41
  19. Adding the fins 50:47
  20. Painting the shark 54:20
  21. Making water layer 1:02:33
  22. Making the seaweed 1:05:17
  23. Removing the supports 1:09:24
  24. Finishing touches 1:10:17

Blog

Modeling Chocolate Recipe

Modeling chocolate is made from melted chocolate and corn syrup to make a flexible, moldable, delicious clay

How to make fool-proof modeling chocolate! Whether it's candy melts, white chocolate, dark chocolate or you want to use glucose instead of corn syrup. We've got all the ratios, recipes, tips and techniques for success every time.

modeling chocolate

Modeling chocolate is what you wish play-doh tasted like when you where a kid. It's yummy to eat, you can color white modeling chocolate with regular food colors or you can use dark chocolate to make darker colors like black.

When I first heard of modeling chocolate I was super nervous to even give it a try. For some reason chocolate really intimidates me! But once I made it, I wondered why it took me so long to give it a try.

What is modeling chocolate used for?

Modeling chocolate is super versatile and used for a lot of things in the cake decorating industry. I personally use it a lot for sculpting realistic faces because it works very much like clay. You can build it up, smooth out the seams and it holds details really well. After the face is sculpted I can then add the face to a bust cake.

Modeling chocolate is also really great to model figures with, make chocolate flowers, bows or pretty much any type of decoration. Some people even use it to panel cakes.

Here's a little video I made a few years back of using modeling chocolate over a chocolate skull mold to make a realistic face.

Modeling chocolate recipe

This is the modeling chocolate recipe I have been using for years. It's very dependable and easy to make because of the candy melts. Candy melts are basically fool-proof chocolate. You don't need to temper them and they are easy to work with.

modeling chocolate recipe

I melt down my candy melts in the microwave. I start with 1 minute and then go in 30 second increments stirring in between. White chocolate melts VERY easily so be careful to melt in short bursts or you will burn it and there's no coming back from that.

make modeling chocolate

After my candy melts are melted, I warm up my corn syrup for 15 seconds. Just to make it a little bit easier to pour out of the container. This also makes it easier to incorporate into the chocolate because if your corn syrup is really cold, it will make the chocolate it touches really harden faster than the rest of the chocolate so you'll get lumps.

How to get smooth modeling chocolate

The secret to making perfect modeling chocolate is not to over-stir. You want to mix until all your corn syrup is incorporated and there are no wet streaks but stop as soon as it starts to seize up and look like soft serve ice cream. If you keep stirring expecting it to get harder, the opposite will happen. You'll notice some oil will start to seep out and separate. This is the cocoa butter.

modeling chocolate recipe

The best thing to do in this instance is stop mixing, let thing cool down and slowly incorporate it all back together. You might have to physically smoosh some bits of cocoa butter in the end to get it smooth.

Once the chocolate is at the ice cream stage, go ahead and pour it onto some plastic wrap and let it "half set". This is the secret to getting the perfect modeling chocolate every time. I flatten my mixture down so it sets fairly evenly. You can put it in the fridge to make it set faster or let it sit on the counter.

Once it's mostly firmed up but still flexible, you can then knead it until it's smooth. I usually let it set for even longer to firm up before using.

dark modeling chocolate

Something to remember. When your chocolate is FULLY set it will be HARD. You'll think it's totally broken and you messed it up. You didn't! Modeling chocolate is always really hard when it's been sitting for over 24 hours. Just pop it in the microwave for about 10 seconds to soften it up and knead it until it's pliable again.

What is the ratio of chocolate to corn syrup for modeling chocolate

modeling chocolate

For this recipe I am using roughly a 4:1 ratio which is four times as much chocolate as corn syrup. This results in a fairly sturdy modeling chocolate which I prefer for most projects. You will have to adjust your ratio depending on the type of chocolate you are using.

Candy Melts - 4:1 - 16 oz chocolate - 3.5 oz corn syrup
White chocolate - 4:1 - 16 oz chocolate - 4 oz corn syrup
Dark chocolate - 2:1 - 16 oz chocolate - 8 oz corn syrup

The process for making the modeling chocolate is the same

How to color modeling chocolate?

Believe it or not there is no special food coloring required to color modeling chocolate. Modeling chocolate already has liquid in it (corn syrup) so adding more won't hurt. I like to use artisan accents food coloring because it is highly concentrated or you can use regular gel food colors like americolor.

coloring modeling chocolate

Most of my modeling chocolate ends up skin colored. To make skin color I like the ivory food color from americolor. Sometimes I add in some warm brown if I want the skin to be a bit darker. Of course the color combination it up to your preference.

For really dark colors like black, I would recommend starting with dark chocolate so you don't have to add a lot of color to get it dark. I always let my chocolate rest after adding color because it's always really soft.

How do you use modeling chocolate?

So a lot of people struggle with modeling chocolate at first because they want to use it like you use fondant. It's not the same. It is very sensitive to the heat of your hands. I will see students in my class mindlessly softening the chocolate in their hands while they think about where to put it and before you know it, you've got mush.

For most of my bust cakes, I use modeling chocolate over a solid chocolate skull mold to make the face as anatomically correct as possible. The chocolate works much like clay and allows me to get really realistic results like in my squid contessa timelapse. Check out my tutorial on how to sculpt a face on a chocolate skull.

how to use modeling chocolate

Modeling chocolate is meant to be place onto a cake and smoothed with a tool or modeled quickly on the top of the table. Mike McCarey says in his craftsy classes, let the table hold the chocolate for you. Wise words because if you try to hold that chocolate, you're gonna end up with a mess.

I prefer to use this yellow clay tool, fondly named my magic tool, for smoothing out chocolate. Keeps my fingers from getting messy and my hands from making the chocolate too hot.

What the difference between modeling chocolate and fondant?

One question I get a lot is can you use modeling chocolate the way that you use fondant. The answer is kinda. You can definitely make little details and accents out of modeling chocolate much like the way you use fondant but it doesn't have the stretch like fondant does. So if you want to cover your cake in modeling chocolate you have to panel it.

modeling chocolate figure

Is modeling chocolate edible?

Ok this is just a weird question. Of course it's edible! And it's quite delicious! Much more delicious than fondant if you ask me.

Modeling chocolate is a great alternative for people who don't like fondant.

Can you make modeling chocolate with glucose?

I have heard that you can make modeling chocolate with glucose the same amount as corn syrup but you may find that your chocolate is too crumbly because it's not exactly the same thing. If you find that your modeling chocolate is setting too quickly or is too firm, then up your recipe by an ounce until you get the right consistency. You can always re-melt it, add in my syrup and let it set again. No need to throw away your experiments.

Where to buy modeling chocolate

Ok so truth be told, I haven't made my own modeling chocolate in years! Not since my friend Nathalie invented this amazing modeling chocolate called Hot Hands. You might have guessed, it's specially formulated to resist the heat of your hands. She's based in San Diego CA so she knows hot!

Once I used this amazing chocolate in one of my classes I was hooked! I now exclusively use Hot Hands because it's sooooo smooth, super firm and great for sculpting and if you have hot hands (like me) even better. If you're a member of my online school Sugar Geek Show then you get an exclusive discount as well.

How to fix crumbly modeling chocolate

Ok, so I've been getting a lot of questions about modeling chocolate being dry and hard the day after you make it. Modeling chocolate is HARD when it sets. That's one of the good things about it! So if you have left your modeling chocolate to dry overnight, it's probably really hard the next day. Same thing if you buy modeling chocolate. 

You always have to knead your modeling chocolate before you use it. Knead about 1 cup at a time. It's easier that way. I put mine in the microwave for no more than 10 seconds just to warm it a bit. Especially on a hot day. At first, it's really crumbly and dry. Just keep smashing it together with your hands, work out any lumps with your fingers. 

I will literally smash the modeling chocolate into the table with the palm of my hand to work out lumps and get it smooth. After a couple of minutes, it will be smooth again. 

how to fix crumbly modeling chocolate

Want to see how to make modeling chocolate? Check out this very old video from forever ago but still does a good job of showing the steps to making perfect, fail-proof modeling chocolate. Sorry about the weird music. I was still learning lol.

 

Recipe

modeling chocolate
Print Recipe
4.92 from 101 votes

Modeling Chocolate

A modeling chocolate recipe that has no lumps, is smooth and easy to work with. Can be made from candy melts or real chocolate. Used by the pros.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time3 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 lbs
Calories: 5548kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

White Modeling Chocolate (from melties)

  • 16 oz white candy melts
  • 4 oz corn syrup (or glucose) Warmed for a few seconds until about body temperature
  • Few drops gel food coloring If you plan on coloring, if not, leave out

Modeling Chocolate (from real chocolate)

  • 6 oz corn syrup
  • 16 oz chocolate (any kind)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Melt candy melts in a plastic or microwave-safe bowl in the microwave or stove-top sauce pan.
    Measure out chocolate and corn syrup
  • Warm corn syrup and add food coloring. Remember that your final product will be lighter than the color of your corn syrup. You can also add color later if you want.
    Combine your chocolate and syrup in deep slow strokes
  • Fold mixture together with a spatula until mixture starts to seize and resembles soft serve ice cream.
    Place chocolate melts and chips in heatproof container and melt in microwave
  • It is important to not over-mix or your modeling chocolate will get oily.
    Mix chocolate and syrup but don't overmix otherwise it will get oily
  • Wrap in plastic and let set until chocolate is firm but still pliable. Usually a couple of hours depending on how hot it is in your room.
    Pour chocolate and syrup onto piece of plastic wrap
  • Unwrap chocolate and knead until smooth, smashing any hard lumps with your fingers.
    Knead modeling chocolate where it is mostly firm but still bendable
  • Re-wrap chocolate and place back in plastic wrap to set up until hard.
    Rewrap chocolate and place back in plastic wrap to set up until hard

Notes

Your chocolate will be hard every time you to to use it and you will need to re-heat it a few seconds (5-15 depending on your microwave) before each use.
Do not over-heat or it will get too soft and you'll have to wait for it to harden up again before you can use it.

Nutrition

Calories: 5548kcal | Carbohydrates: 760g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 301g | Saturated Fat: 179g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 656mg | Potassium: 2612mg | Fiber: 25g | Sugar: 719g | Vitamin A: 135IU | Vitamin C: 2.3mg | Calcium: 1049mg | Iron: 13.6mg

How to make fool-proof modeling chocolate! Whether it's candy melts, white chocolate, dark chocolate or you want to use glucose instead of corn syrup. We've got all the ratios, recipes, tips and techniques for success every time.

 

Blog

Coconut Custard Recipe

Coconut custard makes a great filling for coconut cake or pairing with fresh berries

This is a rich and creamy coconut custard that is made from scratch using real coconut milk! A delicious filling for my coconut cake, cupcakes, a filling for pies or for serving with fresh fruits and berries on top of your breakfast pancakes.

coconut custard recipe

The base of coconut custard is pastry cream which is just cream thickened with egg yolks like you would a lemon curd. I don't love the taste of pastry cream all on its own so I usually cut it with some whipped cream. This gives you Chantilly Cream or Diplomat which is what I use for my cream tart recipe.

How to make coconut custard

Making coconut custard is pretty easy if you follow these simple steps

  1. Heat your coconut milk in a sauce pan until simmering. Whisk constantly to prevent burning
  2. Whisk together your eggs, sugar, milk and cornstarch in a large heat proof bowl and set aside. 
  3. Pour ⅓ of your hot milk into the egg mixture and whisk to combine. 
  4. Slowly pour in the rest of your hot milk and whisk to combine. Add in your extracts. 
  5. Return mixture to the saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking constantly until mixture thickens. 
  6. Pour into a heat-proof container and cover with plastic wrap (make sure plastic is touching the surface of the custard) and place in the fridge to cool overnight before using. 

creamy coconut custard made from coconut milk

Easy coconut custard recipe

If you aren't interested in making your custard from scratch, I have an easy recipe for you. You can buy a box of coconut instant pudding mix and it's basically the same thing. Whip up ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream with a few tablespoons of powdered sugar (to your taste) and throw in a teaspoon of vanilla. Fold the heavy whipping cream into the completely cooled vanilla pudding and you have yourself an easy version of this recipe.

Recipe

coconut custard recipe
Print Recipe
4.89 from 72 votes

Coconut Custard Recipe

Coconut custard is a great filling to use in your cakes, cupcakes, pie fillings or simply paired with some fresh fruits and berries
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16 oz
Calories: 597kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

  • 13.5 oz unsweetened coconut milk Ours comes in a can
  • 2 oz Whole milk or water for dairy free option
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoon coconut extract
  • 5 large egg yolks room temperature
  • 3 oz sugar
  • 3 tablespoon cornstarch
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Pour coconut milk into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, whisking constantly so it doesn't burn.
  • Whisk together the yolks, sugar, milk and cornstarch in a large bowl and set aside.
  • Add ⅓ of your hot milk to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Don't add all the milk or you could curdle the eggs.
    Slowly whisk the rest of the warm milk into the egg mixture then return the mixture to the pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened.
  • Scrape the mixture into a bowl and whisk in coconut and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.
  • Optional: Fold in ¼ cup stabilized whipped cream for a lighter texture once mixture is cooled.

Nutrition

Serving: 4oz | Calories: 597kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 377mg | Sodium: 67mg | Potassium: 373mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 630IU | Vitamin C: 2.4mg | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 2.3mg

how to make coconut milk custard

 

Cake

Speckled Easter Cake

Moist layers of fresh coconut cake filled with coconut cream and decorated with a speckled pink buttercream frosting! This creative cake could not be easier to make but looks so beautiful as a centerpiece for your Easter dessert table.

A pretty Easter cake is one of the few holiday cakes I never get tired of making. It might be because I have so many special memories of Easter when I was a kid. My dad is originally from New Zealand, he met my mother in Hawaii so you might say they kind of loved the beach.

Every Easter we would go to the coast and set up a tent (yes a real-life tent and sleeping bags and the whole bit).

rabbits at cape kiwanda beach

The most magical part? This particular campground is naturally overrun with tons and tons of local rabbits! Everywhere you look, little bunnies hop around. Most are very tame too from years of campers feeding them special treats.

When we would wake up the next morning, the Easter bunny had always arrived and hidden easter eggs all over the campground! In the crooks of the beachy pines, under the corner of the tent, even under the picnic table. My favorite treat was always the little speckled eggs with chocolate on the inside.

easter cake

So basically to me... the Easter bunny is real and he lives at Cape Kiwanda.

Making An Easy Easter Cake

This cake is made with my toasted coconut cake recipe. It's a little different than typical cake recipes because you whip up the egg whites and then fold them into the batter, resulting in a very light cake texture. You don't have to toast the coconut if you want a whiter inside but I love the taste of toasted coconut too much to pass up!

After I bake my cakes, I let them cool for ten minutes on a baking rack then wrap them in plastic wrap while warm to seal in moisture. I will then chill them overnight to let the butter firm up before filling and frosting or you can freeze them for an hour if you're in a hurry.

Chilling makes the cakes easier to handle but makes sure you let the cakes come to room temperature before you bite in. No one likes to eat cold butter.

easter cake

To fill my cakes, I decided to go with a coconut custard filling. This is fairly easy to make but if you're in a pinch, you could always purchase a box of coconut pudding from your grocery store and that would work just as well. Whip up some heavy whipping cream and fold it into the pudding and you've got yourself some yummy filling for your coconut cake!

Other tasty fillings that would work just as well would be freshly whipped coconut milk sweetened with some powdered sugar. Whipped cream, lemon curd, berry curds or even pineapple filling (piña colada cake anyone?)

coconut custard recipe

To fill my cake, I make a dam with my easy buttercream so that the soft custard doesn't leak out. I make my custard filling about ¼" thick. 

Once filled, I do a quick crumb coat in the fridge to firm things up for about 30 minutes then get ready for the fun part, decorating!

Decorating the Easter Cake

For the frosting, I went with a simple easy buttercream. I colored my buttercream with a few drops of electric pink and two drops of ivory to get a nice natural strawberry pink color. I layered on the buttercream and smoothed it out with a bench scraper and an offset spatula. A turntable also makes this part a lot easier.

You don't need many cake decorating tools when you first start out but a scale, bench scraper, offset spatula and a blow torch (ok maybe you don't NEED that but's nice to have) are key.

speckled easter cake

Next comes the fun part! Mix a one teaspoon of cocoa powder into one tablespoon of vanilla extract. Dip a stiff brush into the mixture, pull back on the bristles and SPLATTER that stuff all over the sides of the cake! So fun! I was a little hesitant at first but soon I was having a blast making the speckled pattern all over the pink surface.

A note: I did place my cake onto a cake board from cake boards avare which is pre-covered and easy to wipe off the surface. Make sure whatever cake board you put your cake onto you can easily clean up the splatters later. A nice white plate would even do.

easter cake

To top off my cake, I went with some dollops of buttercream and covered them with some more toasted coconut to make little "nests". I then used some candy eggs to press into the buttercream. So simple and fun! 

Need some extra goodies to go along with the cake? I made some coconut caramel easter egg nests from Self Proclaimed Foodie.

For more Easter treats, you have to try my fun and playful Bunny Butt Cake! For something a little more understated, my Pink Velvet Cake adds a soft pop of color to your table. This Carrot Cake With Pineapple Recipe is always a favorite, or these Carrot Cake Bars are great if you want something easy to slice and serve.

Want more info on how to frost and fill a cake? Watch my tutorial on how to decorate your first cake

Click on this image to go to the how to decorate your first cake tutorial

 

Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator

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Cups of Batter Needed

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Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.

Recipe

pink speckled cake with easter eggs on top
Print Recipe
5 from 5 votes

Speckled Easter Cake

Moist layers of fresh coconut cake filled with coconut cream and decorated with a speckled pink buttercream frosting! This creative cake could not be easier to make but looks so beautiful as a centerpiece for your Easter dessert table.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 545kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Equipment

  • Stand mixer with whisk and paddle attachment

Ingredients

Coconut Cake Ingredients

  • 11 oz AP flour (all purpose)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 oz unsalted butter room temperature
  • 14 oz granulated sugar
  • 4 oz vegetable oil
  • 5 large egg yolks room temperature
  • 5 large egg whites room temperature
  • ¼ tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoon coconut extract
  • 8 oz buttermilk room temperature
  • 6 oz sweetened flaked coconut toasted until lightly browned
  • 1 oz sweetened flaked coconut toasted (for garnish)

Coconut custard filling

  • 13.5 ounces unsweetened coconut milk one can
  • 2 ounces milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons coconut extract
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 3 ounces sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 4 ounces heavy whipping cream to fold in later

Easy Buttercream Frosting

  • 16 ounces unsalted butter softened
  • 16 ounces powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 ounces pasteurized egg whites
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2-3 drops electric pink food coloring
  • 1 drop ivory food coloring
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract for the speckle
  • ½ teaspoon cocoa powder for the speckle
  • 6 candy easter eggs for decoration
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Coconut Cake Instructions

  • NOTE: It is SUPER IMPORTANT that all the room temperature ingredients listed above are room temperature and not cold so that the ingredients mix and incorporate correctly. 
  • Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350ºF/176ºC. Prepare three 6"x2" round cake pans (or you can use two 8"x2" cake pans) with cake goop or another preferred pan release.
  • Spread your coconut flakes evenly onto a cookie sheet pan and bake for 2-3 minutes or until they JUST start to turn brown around the edges. Stir the coconut and bake for 1-2 minutes more until lightly golden. Watch closely or it could burn. Remove from the oven and let cool.
  • Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. 
  • Add the oil, coconut extract and vanilla extracts to your buttermilk
  • Place egg whites in a mixing bowl with the whip attachment. Whip on med-high. Add in cream of tartar. Whip until firm but moist peaks form. Set aside
  • Add butter to stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat at medium-high speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar, beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white, about 3-5 minutes.
  • Add egg yolks, one at a time to the mixture, beating well after each until combined.
  • With the mixer at the lowest speed, add about a third of the dry ingredients to the batter, followed immediately by about a third of the milk, mix until ingredients are almost incorporated into the batter. Repeat the process 2 more times. When the batter appears blended, stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
  • Fold in your whipped egg whites and toasted coconut gently.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Smooth the tops with a rubber spatula. Bake cakes until they feel firm in the center and a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs on it, about 25-30 minutes.
  • Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto the rack and pop cakes out of pans. Cool completely before frosting.

Coconut custard filling

  • Pour coconut milk into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, whisking constantly so it doesn't burn.
  • Whisk together the yolks, sugar, milk and cornstarch in a large bowl and set aside.
  • Add ⅓ of your hot milk to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Don't add all the milk or you could curdle the eggs.
  • Slowly whisk the rest of the warm milk into the egg mixture then return the mixture to the pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened.
  • Scrape the mixture into a bowl and whisk in coconut and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.
  • Whip your heavy whipping cream until thick and then fold into your cooled custard before filling your your cake

Easy buttercream frosting

  • Place egg whites and powdered sugar in a stand mixer bowl. Attach the whisk and combine ingredients on low and then whip on high for 5 minutes 
  • Add in your butter in chunks and whip with the whisk attachment to combine. It will look curdled at first. This is normal. It will also look pretty yellow. Keep whipping. 
  • Let whip on high for 8-10 minutes until it's very white, light and shiny. 
  • Add in your food coloring
  • Switch to a paddle attachment and mix on low for 15-20 minutes to make the buttercream very smooth and remove air bubbles. This isn't required but if you want really creamy frosting, you don't want to skip it. 

Video

Notes

Watch this video on how to make the yummiest toasted coconut cake ever!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 545kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 138mg | Potassium: 151mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 822IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg

 

 

Paid Video

Tiger Cake

Skill level: Intermediate

Learn to make a sculpted tiger cake that's all cake! Yep, even the mouth. Liz shows you how to stack, carve, get the right proportions, and make realistic details like teeth, sugar eyes and cocoa butter painting.

2:04:36 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to make a sculpted tiger cake that's all cake (no rice cereal treats)
  • Learn how to create a gravity-defying open mouth
  • Liz Marek's technique to create realistic fur textures
  • How to create realistic sugar eyes, ears, whiskers, teeth and tongue
  • Learn how to paint striking colors using cocoa butter

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Making the structure 0:17
  2. Stacking the cake 2:28
  3. Tip for cardboard rounds in sculpted cake 4:50
  4. How to place skewers 5:53
  5. Carving the cake 11:30
  6. Making cake pop dough 15:44
  7. Defining the snout 16:18
  8. Defining the fur 16:57
  9. Defining top of head 18:10
  10. Carving eye sockets 20:20
  11. Defining furry peaks 25:35
  12. Crumbcoating the cake 28:42
  13. Making tiger eyes 31:47
  14. Insetting black fondant 36:19
  15. Covering with fondant 37:50
  16. Adding fur texture 43:13
  17. Defining sides of head 46:44
  18. Defining brow 48:46
  19. Defining muzzle area 50:40
  20. Adding the ears 54:30
  21. Placing the eyes 57:47
  22. Defining the eye socket and eye lids 1:00:27
  23. Refining the nose 1:07:21
  24. Adding the teeth and tongue 1:13:24
  25. Finishing the muzzle 1:22:37
  26. Adding chest fur 1:26:00
  27. Adding cheek fur 1:28:29
  28. Adding fur to top of head 1:31:13
  29. Coloring with cocoa butter 1:33:19
  30. Mixing your own cocoa butter colors 1:36:17
  31. Painting the tiger 1:38:46
  32. Painting the stripes 1:44:47
  33. Painting highlights 1:55:25
  34. Adding whiskers 1:57:03
  35. Decorating the cake board 1:59:43
  36. Final touches 2:03:23

Course Preview

Tiger Cake Tutorial

Skill level: Intermediate

Learn to make a sculpted tiger cake that's all cake! Yep, even the mouth. Liz shows you how to stack, carve, get the right proportions, and make realistic details like teeth, sugar eyes and cocoa butter painting.

2:04:36 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to make a sculpted tiger cake that's all cake (no rice cereal treats)
  • Learn how to create a gravity-defying open mouth
  • Liz Marek's technique to create realistic fur textures
  • How to create realistic sugar eyes, ears, whiskers, teeth and tongue
  • Learn how to paint striking colors using cocoa butter

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Making the structure 0:17
  2. Stacking the cake 2:28
  3. Tip for cardboard rounds in sculpted cake 4:50
  4. How to place skewers 5:53
  5. Carving the cake 11:30
  6. Making cake pop dough 15:44
  7. Defining the snout 16:18
  8. Defining the fur 16:57
  9. Defining top of head 18:10
  10. Carving eye sockets 20:20
  11. Defining furry peaks 25:35
  12. Crumbcoating the cake 28:42
  13. Making tiger eyes 31:47
  14. Insetting black fondant 36:19
  15. Covering with fondant 37:50
  16. Adding fur texture 43:13
  17. Defining sides of head 46:44
  18. Defining brow 48:46
  19. Defining muzzle area 50:40
  20. Adding the ears 54:30
  21. Placing the eyes 57:47
  22. Defining the eye socket and eye lids 1:00:27
  23. Refining the nose 1:07:21
  24. Adding the teeth and tongue 1:13:24
  25. Finishing the muzzle 1:22:37
  26. Adding chest fur 1:26:00
  27. Adding cheek fur 1:28:29
  28. Adding fur to top of head 1:31:13
  29. Coloring with cocoa butter 1:33:19
  30. Mixing your own cocoa butter colors 1:36:17
  31. Painting the tiger 1:38:46
  32. Painting the stripes 1:44:47
  33. Painting highlights 1:55:25
  34. Adding whiskers 1:57:03
  35. Decorating the cake board 1:59:43
  36. Final touches 2:03:23

Cake

St. Patrick's day cake

This St. Patrick's Day cake is so fun to make and features some of my daughter's favorite things, chocolate and color! St Patrick's Day is a time to get together and celebrate with friends (and everyone pretends they are irish) which can be a lot of fun! This cake is perfect to bring to a get-together, bake up for the family dinner or just make for fun!

St. Patrick's day cake made with green velvet cake, custom sprinkles and your own edible glitter

For this cake, I converted my red velvet cake recipe to a green velvet by replacing the red food coloring with green. I left the cocoa powder in the recipe but cut it in half (1 tablespoon instead of two) so that the color was not quite as dark. You could also use my chocolate Guinness Cake recipe.

For a brighter green, leave the cocoa powder out.

I love the riche, natural green color of this green velvet cake. The taste is really amazing and pairs really well with easy buttercream or of course cream cheese frosting.

How to make custom St. Patrick's day sprinkles mix

I love making sprinkles mixes! It's kinda my new obsession. Yes I am fully aware that I am really late to the trend on this one but I get it now. Making your own sprinkles mixes is so fun! Many places like Michaels actually sell sprinkles by color so it makes it really easy. I got myself some shamrocks, a couple different sizes of non perils, sugar pearls and some green crystal sugar. I of course had to take this opportunity to make some edible glitter too!

St Patrick's Day Sprinkles Mix

Combine all the sprinkles together and put them in a shallow dish to coat your cake and catch the sprinkles that fall off.

How to make green edible glitter

Follow the directions for my edible glitter recipe but instead of blue shine I used green shine. You could also use food coloring with pearl sheen if you have that available. Spread it out, let it dry and grind it up.

St Patricks Day Cake Green Velvet

How to make your St. Patrick's Day cake

  • I crumb coat the cake with buttercream colored with some yellow and green food color. I like to use artisan accents chameleon chocolate colors because they are oil based and better for coloring buttercream. Let the cake chill until it's firm. Then I put the final coat of buttercream on and smooth it out with a bench scraper.
  • Next we need to semi-freeze the cake so it's easier to pick it up to put the sprinkles on it. I accidentally froze mine a little to much so I ended up having to put another thin coat of buttercream onto the cake so that the sprinkles had something to "squish" into.
  • Put the sprinkles onto the top of the cake first so that your hand doesn't get all buttercream-y.
  • Now pick up your chilled cake and put one hand on the top and the other hand on the bottom and roll the cake in the sprinkles. I let the cake literally sit on the sprinkles so they push into the buttercream
  • You might have to occasionally skootch the sprinkles back into the middle.
  • I finished my cake with a few dollops of buttercream and some gold chocolate coins. You can also make some matching cupcakes if you need more servings for something like your kids school party or a larger get-together.

I hope you enjoyed this St Patrick's day cake tutorial! If you tried it, let me know, I'd love to see it!

Want more colorful velvet cake info? Check out my other blog post on all things white velvet cake and how to get custom colors.

Liz

Recipe

St Patricks Day Cake Green Velvet
Print Recipe
5 from 5 votes

St. Patrick's Day Cake

This green velvet cake is so fun to make for St Patricks Day or any other holiday where you need a pretty green cake that also tastes amazing! Adapted from my very popular red velvet cake recipe. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 cups
Calories: 811kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

  • 12 oz AP flour
  • 14 oz Granulated Sugar
  • 2 teaspoon natural (not dutched) cocoa powder I like Hershey's Special Dark
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 oz vegetable oil
  • 8 oz buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 4 oz unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1-2 teaspoon yellow food coloring
  • 1 teaspoon green food color

Easy Buttercream Frosting

  • 1 cup pasteurized egg whites
  • 2 lbs unsalted butter
  • 2 lbs powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Cake Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F and prepare two 8" cake pans with cake good or preferred pan spray
  • Whisk up eggs with oil, buttermilk, vinegar and melted butter and food coloring until combined and set aside.
  • Place dry ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer and mix for a few seconds to combine
  • Add wet ingredients into your dry and mix on medium high for about a minute until combined
  • Pour into cake pans and bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Cool and chill before frosting

Buttercream Instructions

  • Place egg whites and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl with the whisk attachment. Whisk to combine. Add in butter in small chunks then vanilla and salt. Whip on high until light and fluffy and white. Optional: switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low for 15-20 minutes until all air bubbles are gone. 

Nutrition

Calories: 811kcal | Carbohydrates: 111g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 664mg | Potassium: 134mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 68g | Vitamin A: 625IU | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 3mg

Blog

White Velvet Buttermilk Cake

White velvet cake is a soft, delicate cake with a hint of buttermilk and vanilla

slice of white velvet cake with ermine frosting on a plate with a silver fork

White velvet cake is red velvet's pretty little sister. Red velvet cake has been around for ages and probably one of the most popular cake flavors of all time. But not everyone want's to eat red food coloring or maybe they have special dietary requirements that don't allow them to eat red food dye. Whatever the reason, options are always good.

A lot of people wonder if you can just leave out the red food color and get white velvet and the answer is yes, kinda. You also need to leave out the cocoa powder. All the things that make red velvet cake delicious can be left in.

sidenote... the more I spell the word "velvet" the weirder it looks... velvet. velvet VELVET. Starts to look wrong.

But anyway...

What is white velvet cake?

White velvet cake is basically red velvet without the red. It's a buttermilk cake base that results in a VERY soft, fluffy and moist cake. If you leave out all the color and the cocoa powder you have yourself a nice white velvet cake. Neat huh. The buttermilk gives this southern inspired cake it's rich and velvety texture.

Traditional red velvet cake has a little bit of cocoa powder in it. Some will tell you that red velvet is actually chocolate cake (wrong) or that it's just white cake with red food color added (so wrong). The cocoa powder does add a little bit of flavor to the cake but not enough to call it chocolate so when you leave it out, it doesn't affect the flavor that much.

red velvet cake

What's so great about white velvet?

So one of the BEST things about this recipe, in my opinion, is the texture. The crumb is soooo soft and well... velvety! I love how it looks when you cut it. Soft and pillowy. It's like magic!

What Is Buttermilk?

Buttermilk is basically fermented milk that has gone sour. I know it sounds weird but it actually tastes amazing in baked goods. The tanginess in buttermilk adds a great flavor and the acidity in buttermilk actually breaks down gluten so baked goods are more tender than if you used regular milk. 

I mean, there's a reason recipes like "buttermilk pancakes" and "buttermilk" biscuits always seem better than just... pancakes. Ya know?

Don't have any buttermilk? You can make it! Add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar to 1 cup of regular milk, stir and let it sit for about 10 minutes. You'll see the milk begin to thicken and curdle. Voila. Homemade buttermilk. 

white velvet cake with ermine frosting

How does white velvet cake taste like?

White velvet cake tastes so amazing BECAUSE of the buttermilk! It just adds a little tang and zip that for some reason your tastebuds just love.

The crumb is super fine like my white cake recipe or my vanilla cake recipe and is definitely a great cake for flavor to just bake up for a special occasion.

What frosting goes with white velvet cake?

The traditional frosting that goes with velvet cake is ermine frosting. Ermine frosting is made by cooking sugar with a bit of flour and then whipping it into softened butter. 

Ermine frosting is super creamy, not too sweet and tastes amazing with white velvet cake. In my opinion it tastes very similar to a swiss-meringue buttercream but without the eggs so it's a nice alternative if you have an egg allergy. 

white velvet cake with ermine frosting

How do you make blue velvet cake?

To make blue velvet cake, simply add in 1 oz of electric blue food color (for a light blue cake) or royal blue food color (for darker blue) to the base white velvet recipe.

For a more natural blue, add 1-2 teaspoon of natural cocoa powder ( not dutched. I like Hershey's special dark) The cocoa powder will tone down the bright blue just a little so it's not so VIVID and make a nice natural blue. Or if you want a really bright blue you can leave the cocoa powder out.

Blue velvet is a great cake for gender reveals, birthday cakes or just because blue velvet is awesome.

blue-velvet-cake

Can you can make velvet cake with different colors?

Yes! If you want a different color of velvet cake then simply replace the food color with any other color you like. You can do a white velvet rainbow, ombre or go with neon. The color possibilities are endless!

velvet cake

I made this lovely green velvet cake for st patricks day! I added in the cocoa powder for a more natural shade of green and used 1 oz of leaf green americolor food color gel.

green velvet cake

What about black velvet cake?

Ok so TECHNICALLY I have another recipe called black velvet cake that does not use this velvet cake base. Why? Because it's really a chocolate cake. It doesn't have any buttermilk in it, vinegar or food coloring! So why even bother calling it black velvet?

Well it's got a nice velvet-y texture. In the future I may experiment further with a true black velvet recipe working from the base velvet recipe but upping the cocoa powder. Too many cake ideas, so little time.

Try my vanilla cupcakes that have the same velvet texture as this white velvet cake, thanks to the reverse creaming method.

Rainbow Cake
Green Velvet Cake
Pink Velvet Cake
Black Velvet Cake
Red Velvet Cake

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Recipe

white velvet cake recipe
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4.87 from 730 votes

White velvet buttermilk cake recipe

White velvet cake gets it's flavor and velvety texture from buttermilk. A moist, tender cake that is great for any special occasion. This recipe makes two 8" round cakes about 2" tall. Serves 24
Bake at 335F for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out cleanly. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 cups
Calories: 208kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer
  • Whisk Attachment
  • Paddle Attachment

Ingredients

White Velvet Cake Ingredients

  • 14 oz cake flour
  • 13 oz granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 5 oz egg whites room temperature
  • 4 oz vegetable oil
  • 10 oz buttermilk room temperature or slightly warm
  • 6 oz butter unsalted and softened
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla

Ermine Frosting Ingredients

  • 14 oz granulated sugar
  • 3 oz flour
  • 16 oz whole milk
  • 16 oz unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • NOTE: It is SUPER IMPORTANT that all the room temperature ingredients listed above are room temperature and measured by weight so that the ingredients mix and incorporate correctly.
    Heat oven to 335º F/168º C — 350º F/177º C. I tend to use lower setting to prevent my cakes from getting too dark on the outside before the inside is done baking.
  • Prepare two 8"x2" (or three 6") cake pans (with a little leftover batter) with cake goop or preferred pan spray. Fill your pans about ¾ of the way full of batter. 
  • Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of .a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Mix 10 seconds to combine. 
  • Combine ½ cup of the milk and the oil together and set aside. 
  • Combine the remaining milk, egg whites and vanilla together, whisk to break up the eggs and set aside. 
  • Add your softened butter to the dry ingredients and mix on low until mixture resembles a coarse sand (about 30 seconds). Add in your milk/oil mixture and let mix until dry ingredients are moistened and then bump up to med (setting 4 on my kitchenaid) and let mix for 2 minutes to develop the cakes structure. If you don't let your cake mix on this step your cake could collapse. 
  • Scrape your bowl and then reduce speed to low. Add in your egg white mixture in three batches, letting the batter mix for 15 seconds between additions. 
  • Scrape down the sides again to make sure everything has incorporated then pour into prepared pans. Bake 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out cleanly but the cake has not begun to shrink yet from the sides of the pan. 
    IMMEDIATELY TAP PAN FIRMLY on countertop once to release the steam from the cake. This stops the cake from shrinking. 
  • Let cakes cool for 10 minutes inside the pan before flipping them out. The cake will shrink a bit and that is normal. Flip onto a cooling rack and let cool fully. I chill my cakes before handling or you can wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them to trap moisture in the cake. Thaw on the countertop while still wrapped before frosting. 

Ermine Frosting Instructions

  • Whisk together your flour and sugar in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Cook for about 2 minutes to toast the flour. 
  • Slowly add in your milk, whisk to combine and bring your heat to medium-high. Whisk continuously until mixture is thickened and pudding like. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool. 
  • Add your butter to the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk on high until light and fluffy. Slowly add in your cooled flour mixture one spoon at a time as you whip. Incorporating slowly insures a smooth buttercream. 
  • Add in your vanilla and salt until everything is creamy and then you can frost your cooled cake. 

Video

Notes

IMPORTANT: Make sure all your ingredients are at room temp and you're using a scale to measure. Substituting ingredients may cause this recipe to fail. (see notes at the bottom of the recipe)
Important Things To Note Before You Start
1. Bring all your ingredients to room temperature or even a little warm (eggs, buttermilk, butter, etc) to ensure your batter does not break or curdle. 
2. Use a scale to weigh your ingredients (including liquids) unless otherwise instructed (Tablespoons, teaspoons, pinch etc). Metric measurements are available in the recipe card. Scaled ingredients are much more accurate than using cups and help ensure the success of your recipe. 
3. Practice Mise en Place (everything in it's place). Measure out your ingredients ahead of time and have them ready before you start mixing to reduce the chances of accidentally leaving something out.
4. Chill your cakes before frosting and filling. You can cover a frosted and chilled cake in fondant if you wish. This cake is also great for stacking. I always keep my cakes chilled in the refrigerator before delivery for easy transporting. 
5. If the recipe calls for specific ingredients like cake flour, replacing it with all purpose flour and cornstarch is not recommended unless specified in the recipe that it’s ok. Substituting ingredients may cause this recipe to fail. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 111mg | Potassium: 60mg | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 335IU | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 0.2mg
 

Blog

Freeze Dried Strawberry Cake Recipe

Strawberry cake from scratch made with freeze dried strawberries makes for a cake full of flavor and a tender crumb

During my strawberry cake recipe experiments, I tested out a strawberry cake from scratch recipe using freeze dried strawberries. I honestly did not think this cake would turn out at all but I was surprised by the texture and the flavor that came through. The thing I liked most about this cake is that it cuts really cleanly making for some nice slices so I have decided to also include this recipe in my "successful strawberry cake recipes" list because it's a really great option for professional cake decorators who don't want to use fresh strawberries but still want all the flavor.

freeze dried strawberry cake recipe from scratch

The differences between fresh strawberry cake and freeze-dried 

This strawberry cake from scratch had a totally different type of flavor than the cake made with fresh strawberries. More tart, like a ZING to it. The crumb is very fine and there are no visible pieces of fruit in the batter. Not necessarily a good thing or bad thing but makes for some very nice cake slices.

strawberry cake from scratch

The other thing I noticed is the color was a little bit lighter pink. This is probably due to the fact that when you bake fresh strawberries, the flesh tends to turn brown. Even when you're using a strawberry reduction. The lemon juice helps a little with the browning problem but doesn't get rid of it completely.

I think the process of freezing those little berries actually helps preserve the color as well.

How does freeze dried strawberry cake taste?

The strawberry cake recipe from scratch has a crumb that is very tender and soft although not quite as moist as the fresh strawberry cake recipe which made it a winner in my book. But as far as easy goes, this one is a snap. Just grind down your strawberries into flavor dust and add in with the dry ingredients.

No muss. No fuss.

I paired my strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream but used more ground up freeze-dried strawberries in place of the puree. The nice thing about that is that again, there are no fresh fruit lumps in the frosting so you're able to get a very smooth outer layer of frosting.

strawberry cake from scratch

I topped this cake with water ganache colored with pink food coloring from Artisan Accents which actually works really great for coloring SMBC and chocolate because both are oil based!

Which is best? Freeze-dried or fresh strawberries?

So whatever tastes best to you is what you should go with. Not everyone can get freeze dried strawberries in their area so that might not be so great of an option if that is the case. The other thing is they are a little expensive. Mine cost about $4 from target for 1oz which was enough to make one strawberry cake but if you where making more, the cost might be too much. Make sure you factor that in when you're pricing your cakes out for your clients.

Overall I think this is a great option for strawberry cake and worth a try!

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(based on 2" tall cake pan)

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Choose number of pans

Cups of Batter Needed

8 cups

Cups of Frosting Needed

5 cups

Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.

Recipe

freeze-dried strawberry cake
Print Recipe
4.92 from 84 votes

Freeze dried strawberry cake recipe

Strawberry cake made with freeze dried strawberries makes for a cake full of flavor and a tender crumb that is perfect for stacking or carving. This recipe makes three 6"x2" cake rounds or two 8"x2" cakes
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 cups
Calories: 769kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

  • 10 oz AP flour
  • 1 oz freeze dried strawberries ground to a fine powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 8 oz unsalted butter room temp
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 10 oz granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • zest 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon strawberry extract
  • 6 egg whites room temp
  • 8 oz milk room temp
  • 2 oz vegetable oil
  • 1 drop pink food coloring
  • 1 drop red food coloring
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • NOTE: It is SUPER IMPORTANT that all the room temperature ingredients listed above are room temperature and not cold so that the ingredients mix and incorporate correctly. 
  • Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350ºF/176ºC.
  • Add butter to stand mixer and beat at medium-high speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar, beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white, about 3-5 minutes. Add the egg whites approximately two at a time, beating 30 seconds between.
  • Place freeze dried strawberries in a spice grinder or food processor and pulse until they become a fine powder. It may be necessary to sift the strawberry powder to ensure that there are no large pieces remaining.
  • Whisk the flour, sifted strawberry powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest in a medium bowl.
  • Combine the milk, oil, vanilla extract, strawberry extract and food coloring in a separate medium bowl.
  • With the mixer at the lowest speed, add about a third of the dry ingredients to the batter, followed immediately by about a third of the milk mixture, mix until ingredients are almost incorporated into the batter. Repeat the process 2 more times. When the batter appears blended, stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Smooth the tops with a rubber spatula. Bake cakes until they feel firm in the center and a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs on it, about 35-40 minutes.
  • Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto the rack and pop cakes out of pans. Cool completely before frosting.

Nutrition

Calories: 769kcal | Carbohydrates: 90g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 476mg | Potassium: 347mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 1005IU | Vitamin C: 57.8mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 3.3mg

Freeze Dried Strawberry Cake Recipe

Cake

White Cake Recipe From Scratch

This is the perfect classic white cake recipe. Light and fluffy, moist and full of flavor. There is a joke in the cake world that white is not a flavor, it's actually a vanilla cake. But a white cake is not just white. Let's dive into what makes the perfect, best white cake recipe.

close up of a slice of white cake with white buttercream in between the layers

Quick Glance at the Recipe: White Cake Recipe

  • Recipe Name: White Cake Recipe
  • Why You'll Love It: Soft, fluffy white cake with a delicate crumb and bright white color that's perfect for decorating.
  • Time and Difficulty: 15 minutes - Intermediate difficulty
  • Main Ingredients: All-purpose flour, egg whites, butter, sugar, milk, baking powder
  • Method: Traditional creaming method with egg whites added to whipped butter and sugar.
  • Texture and Flavor: Light, tender crumb with a subtle vanilla flavor and moist interior.
  • Quick Tip: Wrap the cakes while still warm and flash chill them to lock in moisture.
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My Experience With White Cake

There's a running joke in the cake world that "white isn't a flavor." People say it's just vanilla cake without the yolks.

But professional bakers know that white cake really is its own thing.

By removing the egg yolks and using only egg whites, the cake becomes lighter in color and slightly more delicate in flavor. It also produces that bright white crumb that's perfect for wedding cakes and elegant layer cakes.

White cake, vanilla cake, and yellow cake are all closely related recipes, but the way the eggs are used changes the texture, flavor, and color.

White Cake Ingredients

This recipe uses traditional baking ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.

All-purpose flour - Provides structure for the cake. I prefer all-purpose flour here because it gives the cake a slightly stronger crumb that holds up well for layered cakes. If you prefer cake flour, check out my white velvet cake recipe.

Egg whites - Egg whites keep the cake bright white while still adding structure and moisture. You can use fresh egg whites or pasteurized egg whites.

Granulated sugar - Sugar sweetens the cake and helps create a light, fluffy texture when whipped with the butter.

Unsalted butter - Butter adds flavor and richness to the cake. Make sure it's soft so it creams properly with the sugar. If you brown the butter you can make a delicious brown butter cake.

Milk - Milk adds moisture and helps create a soft crumb.

Vegetable oil - Oil keeps the cake moist even after refrigeration.

Baking powder - This gives the cake its lift and light texture.

Salt - Salt balances the sweetness and enhances the overall flavor.

Vanilla extract or clear vanilla - Vanilla adds flavor. Clear vanilla can be used if you want to keep the cake extra white.

What Makes A White Cake?

Many people confuse white cake, vanilla cake, and yellow cake, but the difference mostly comes down to how the eggs are used.

  • White Cake uses only egg whites, which keeps the crumb bright white and gives the cake a delicate texture.
  • Vanilla cake uses whole eggs, which results in a slightly off-white color and a richer flavor.
  • Yellow cake uses egg yolks, which give the cake a deep golden color and a richer, more custardy flavor. Again, people laugh and say that "white" and "yellow" is not a flavor but making an order for "all egg yolk cake" just does not have the same ring to it. It's just a way of describing the cake so we all are on the same page.

White cake and vanilla cake are both commonly used as base recipes for flavored cakes, while yellow cake is traditionally paired with chocolate frosting or chocolate ganache.

The names might sound simple, but they're just shorthand so bakers know exactly what type of cake they're working with.

close up of a slice of white cake
White Cake
close up of a slice of vanilla cake
Moist Vanilla Cake
slice of yellow cake with chocolate frosting
Yellow Cake

How To Make A White Cake Step-By-Step

Remember to always bring your cold ingredients to room temperature and use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients. I use "ounces" for my measurements because it's easier to mis en place everything out. If you prefer metric, you can switch the measurements on the recipe card below.

putting cake goop into cake pan
  1. Preheat your oven to 335ºF (168ºC) and prepare two 8" x 2" cake pans with cake goop or your preferred pan release.
milk, vanilla, and oil in a measuring cup
  1. Combine the warm milk, oil, and extracts, and set them aside.
dry ingredients being whisked together in a glass bowl
  1. In a separate bowl, whisk together: flour, baking powder, and the salt and set it aside.
creamed butter and sugar int he bottom of a clear bowl
  1. Place the soft butter into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth.

    While mixing on low, Sprinkle in your sugar, and then let it whip on high until light and white (about 5 minutes) until lightened in color and very fluffy.
hand pouring a container of egg whites into a glass bowl
  1. While mixing on low, add the egg whites one at a time (roughly) to the butter mixture and let them fully combine after each addition before adding the next. If your egg whites aren't at room temperature, you can microwave them for a few seconds. Be careful not to cook them! Cold egg whites will curdle the batter. 

    Mix until smooth.
mixing liquid ingredients into dry ingredients in a stand mixer
  1. Add ⅓ of your dry ingredients to the egg/butter mixture and mix on low until just combined.

    Then add in ½ of your liquids, then dry, then liquids, and the rest of your dry.

    Let mix until they are just combined. 
cake batter being poured into cake pans
  1. Add the batter into prepared cake pans and bake them at 335º F for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center. 
oven mitts lifting a cake pan off of a cake layer
  1. Let the cakes cool for fifteen minutes, then turn out the cakes onto a cooling rack. Wrap the cakes while they are still warm and place them into the freezer to flash chill. This locks in the moisture. Once the cakes are cool but not frozen, you can then trim off the brown edges of your cakes and frost them as desired. 

How to Make Easy Buttercream Step-By-Step

whipped egg whites and sugar
  1. Combine pasteurized egg whites and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip the mixture on medium speed until it becomes thick and glossy.

    This creates the base for the easy buttercream.
stand mixer whisking easy buttercream
  1. Begin adding softened butter one piece at a time while mixing on medium speed.

    At first, the mixture may look curdled or separated. This is completely normal.
easy buttercream in a stand mixer with whisk attachment
  1. Mix in the vanilla extract and salt. Then whip on high until light, fluffy, and no longer tastes like butter.
bowl of easy buttercream in stand mixer with a paddle attachment
  1. Optional: Switch to the paddle attachment. Mix the easy buttercream on low for several minutes to remove air bubbles and achieve the smoothest possible texture.


Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator

Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.

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(based on 2" tall cake pan)

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(based on 2" tall cake pan)

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Choose number of pans

Cups of Batter Needed

8 cups

Cups of Frosting Needed

5 cups

Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.


Watch: How To Decorate A Cake Step-by-Step

Before you start decorating, watch the video below where I show you every step of decorating a cake from start to finish. Seeing the process in action makes it much easier to follow along

- Liz Marek.

Start Learning Now
smiling woman holding a decorated cake in her hands

Recipe

close up of a slice of white cake
Print Recipe
4.88 from 1448 votes

White Cake Recipe

A white cake recipe that is light, fluffy, full of flavor and easy to make! A great base recipe for any baker that can be adapted to other recipes.
This recipe makes enough batter for two 8"x2" round cakes or three 6"x2" tall cakes
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time28 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 cups
Calories: 589kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

White Cake Recipe Ingredients

  • 10 oz milk room temp
  • 2 oz vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract use clear for a whiter cake
  • 14 oz AP flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 8 oz unsalted butter room temp
  • 14 oz sugar
  • 6 large egg whites fresh not boxed at room temp

Easy Buttercream Frosting

  • 8 oz pasteurized egg whites room temperature
  • 32 oz powdered sugar
  • 32 oz unsalted butter room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

White Cake Recipe Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 335ºF and prepare two 8"x2" cake pans with cake goop or another preferred pan release.
  • Combine milk, oil and extracts and set aside
  • Combine your flour, baking powder and salt and set aside
  • Place butter in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and cream until smooth. Sprinkle in your sugar and then let whip on high until light and white (about 5 minutes)
  • Add the egg whites one at a time (roughly) to the butter mixture while mixing on low and let fully combine after each addition before adding the next. If your egg whites aren't at room temperature you can microwave them for a few seconds. Be careful not to cook them! Cold egg whites will curdle the batter. 
  • Add in ⅓ of your dry ingredients to the egg/butter mixture and mix on low until just combined. Then add in ½ of your liquids, then dry, then liquids and the rest of your dry. Let mix until just combined. 
  • Add batter into prepared cake pans and bake at 335º F for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center. 
  • Let cool ten minutes then turn out cakes onto a cooling rack. Wrap warm and place into the freezer to flash chill. This locks in the moisture. Once cool but not frozen you can then trim off the brown edges of your cakes and frost as desired. Chill cake. 

Easy Buttercream Frosting

  • Combine egg whites and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl with the whisk attachment. Whisk to combine on low then whisk on high, adding in your butter in small chunks, vanilla and salt. Turn mixer up to high and whip until light, fluffy and white. 

Gold Drip

  • Melt chocolate and water in the microwave and whisk until smooth. Add in a couple drops of food coloring. Let cool to about 90 degrees before attempting to drip over the chilled cake. Once chocolate is set, you can combine the everclear and gold dust to make a paint and paint the drip. 

    *note: this is a non-toxic gold dust

Video

Notes

Important Things To Note Before You Start
1. Bring all your ingredients to room temperature or even a little warm to ensure your batter does not break or curdle. 
2. Use a scale to weigh your ingredients (including liquids) unless otherwise instructed (Tablespoons, teaspoons, pinch etc). Metric measurements are available in the recipe card. Scaled ingredients are much more accurate than using cups and help ensure the success of your recipe. 
3. Practice Mise en Place (everything in it's place). Measure out your ingredients ahead of time and have them ready before you start mixing to reduce the chances of accidentally leaving something out.
4. Chill your cakes before frosting and filling. You can cover a frosted and chilled cake in fondant if you wish. This cake is also great for stacking. I always keep my cakes chilled in the refrigerator before delivery for easy transporting. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 589kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 125mg | Potassium: 111mg | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 1100IU | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 0.9mg

Blog

WASC Cake Recipe

This WASC cake recipe is a tender and moist cake that is perfect for white wedding cakes. It's firm enough to stack and cover in fondant but if you're looking for something to carve, you might want to try my white cake recipe.

WASC-cake-recipe

What does WASC stand for?

WASC stands for white almond sour cream cake. WASC cake recipe has been used for years and adapted many times. I made this recipe many years ago back after reading a thread on Cake Central before I knew how to bake a cake from scratch. The funny thing is by adding all these ingredients, you're basically making a cake from scratch! The only thing you don't have to worry about is the mixing method which can be tricky at first but is easy enough to learn with a couple of tries.

The good thing about WASC is that it's easy to make, is fairly mistake-proof and tastes pretty good and is an easy way to make a boxed cake taste more like a scratch cake recipe.

WASC cake is a tender cake and needs to be fully cooled before you ice it with buttercream.

What is the best box mix to use for WASC?

I prefer Duncan Hines classic white cake mix. Duncan Hines, in my opinion, has the best tasting box mix to start with.

how to make box mix taste homemade

If you need more information on how to make your first cake, check out my full tutorial. In this tutorial, I show you not only how to make this WASC cake recipe, I also show you how to trim your cake layers, fill your cake evenly with buttercream and create a smooth finish.

Other tutorials that might be helpful for you

How to get sharp buttercream edges

How to cover a cake in fondant

Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator

Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.

Choose a pan type

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Cupcake Tin Size

Choose number of pans

Cups of Batter Needed

8 cups

Cups of Frosting Needed

5 cups

Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.

Recipe

WASC cake recipe
Print Recipe
4.87 from 425 votes

WASC Cake Recipe

A doctored cake mix that is well-used by bakers all over the world that produces a delicious white cake that tastes almost like scratch. This recipe makes three 6"x2" cake rounds or two 8"x2" cake rounds
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 cups
Calories: 747kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 box white cake mix I like duncan hines
  • 5 oz AP flour 1 cup (spooned into cup, not scooped)
  • 7 oz granulated sugar 1 cup
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 9 oz sour cream 1 cup room temp
  • 4 oz melted butter ½ cup
  • 8 oz milk 1 cup room temperature
  • 4 large egg whites room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

WASC CAKE INSTRUCTIONS

  • The instructions for this cake are super easy. Basically, put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix it on medium speed for 2 minutes!
    Voila! Cake batter is ready. Pour batter into two prepared 8" pans and bake at 350ºF for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. It's ok to bake your cakes for longer if you're using larger pans.

Video

Notes

1. Don't worry about any of the ingredients on the back of the box, just use the ingredients listed in the recipe. 
2. This recipe makes enough batter for three 6"x2" cakes or two 8"x2" cakes (round). 
3. This recipe makes 40 cupcakes with about 1.25 ounces of batter per cupcake tin. 
4. You can replace 4 egg whites with three whole eggs if desired, it will just not be as white. 
5. Check out my doctored box versions for chocolate, strawberry, or red velvet cake! 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 747kcal | Carbohydrates: 120g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 895mg | Potassium: 162mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 70g | Vitamin A: 710IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 239mg | Iron: 2.7mg

Course Preview

Sweet Magnolia Cake Tutorial

Skill level: Intermediate

This month's guest instructor is the one-and-only Sara Weber of Sara's Sweets in Austin, Texas.

Sara brings us a dosey of a cake design, complete with saucer magnolias, rustic wooden fence planks, a bee-utiful bee bas relief design and a botanical watercolor flower illustration tying several techniques into one seamless cake.

2:07:01 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to make magnolia sugar flowers, leaves and floral arrangements
  • Learn how to create a rustic wooden plank design that mimics a fence
  • Sara's technique to transfer a botanical flower illustration onto a cake tier
  • How to create a bas relief design using several different molds

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Making the magnolia centers 1:59
  2. Making the stamens 4:30
  3. Dusting the center 7:48
  4. Adding pollen 8:22
  5. Making the buds 11:27
  6. Making Magnolia petals 17:41
  7. Making Magnolia leaves 25:59
  8. Dusting the petals 33:55
  9. Steaming the petals 42:21
  10. Dusting the leaves 45:07
  11. Dipping the leaves 47:20
  12. Dusting the buds 49:55
  13. Flower assembly 52:15
  14. Assembling the leaves 57:32
  15. Making the wooden planks 59:12
  16. Creating the wood grain 1:08:18
  17. Coloring the wood 1:10:37
  18. Attaching planks to cake tier 1:13:36
  19. Transfer images to cake tier 1:18:24
  20. Painting watercolor flowers 1:22:43
  21. Making the bee bas relief 1:34:16
  22. Tips for working with bas relief 1:40:44
  23. Applying bas relief to cake tier 1:44:06
  24. Assembling the tiers 1:46:48
  25. Bringing bas relief down 1:50:32
  26. Watercolor wash 1:52:36
  27. Adding the final shine 1:55:15
  28. Adding flowers 1:56:16
  29. Adding the bees 1:59:52
  30. Adding moss 2:01:40

Paid Video

Sweet Magnolia Cake

Skill level: Intermediate

This month's guest instructor is the one-and-only Sara Weber of Sara's Sweets in Austin, Texas.

Sara brings us a dosey of a cake design, complete with saucer magnolias, rustic wooden fence planks, a bee-utiful bee bas relief design and a botanical watercolor flower illustration tying several techniques into one seamless cake.

2:07:01 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to make magnolia sugar flowers, leaves and floral arrangements
  • Learn how to create a rustic wooden plank design that mimics a fence
  • Sara's technique to transfer a botanical flower illustration onto a cake tier
  • How to create a bas relief design using several different molds

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Making the magnolia centers 1:59
  2. Making the stamens 4:30
  3. Dusting the center 7:48
  4. Adding pollen 8:22
  5. Making the buds 11:27
  6. Making Magnolia petals 17:41
  7. Making Magnolia leaves 25:59
  8. Dusting the petals 33:55
  9. Steaming the petals 42:21
  10. Dusting the leaves 45:07
  11. Dipping the leaves 47:20
  12. Dusting the buds 49:55
  13. Flower assembly 52:15
  14. Assembling the leaves 57:32
  15. Making the wooden planks 59:12
  16. Creating the wood grain 1:08:18
  17. Coloring the wood 1:10:37
  18. Attaching planks to cake tier 1:13:36
  19. Transfer images to cake tier 1:18:24
  20. Painting watercolor flowers 1:22:43
  21. Making the bee bas relief 1:34:16
  22. Tips for working with bas relief 1:40:44
  23. Applying bas relief to cake tier 1:44:06
  24. Assembling the tiers 1:46:48
  25. Bringing bas relief down 1:50:32
  26. Watercolor wash 1:52:36
  27. Adding the final shine 1:55:15
  28. Adding flowers 1:56:16
  29. Adding the bees 1:59:52
  30. Adding moss 2:01:40

Blog

Water Ganache Recipe

Water ganache is just water and melted chocolate and makes the best drips!

Water ganache is ganache made with water instead of cream. The taste is still just as good but with no added dairy. You might make water ganache for a few reasons. Maybe you ran out of cream, maybe you have cottage laws in your area that prevent you from using fresh dairy. Maybe you're looking to make a vegan version of ganache. Whatever your reasons are, water ganache acts just the same as regular white chocolate ganache and is great for making those pretty drip cakes.

 

water ganache recipe

 

A long time ago, back when I was still Artisan Cake Company, I blogged about a very straight-forward recipe called water ganache for my heart of gold drip cake. I mostly made it just to show that ganache can be made with any type of liquid, not just water.

Even though people saw with their own eyes that you can make ganache with water, I would still get that question, "doesn't water seize the chocolate?"

So I decided to make a video demonstrating how cream actually acts very much like water in that it is mostly water with a very small amount of fat. If you were to add a little bit of cream to some melted chocolate it would seize up just as if you added a little water to the melted chocolate. The way you make it into "ganache" is by adding more water so that the liquid to chocolate ratio is correct.

How to make your drip cake gold

You can paint over ganache with metallic luster dust mixed with everclear or lemon extract or you can color your ganache with candy coloring made especially for adding color to chocolate. I like to add some yellow, orange and a touch of black to my chocolate to make a dirty brown color that resembles the tones of gold so if I miss a spot while painting, you can't really tell. Make sure you let your drip set in the fridge until firm before painting.

I like to use everclear because it is a high proof alcohol and evaporates very quickly, leaving behind a very high shine. Make sure when you are combining your alcohol with the metallic dust, you only add enough liquid to make a thick, paint-like consistency. If you add too much liquid you will not get good coverage. Also make sure the type of dust you are using is a high-shine. I like the super gold from truly mad plastics which is non-toxi and has the best shine in my opinion.

If you are looking for fully edible metallics check out the gold from rainbow dust metallics or edible artist decorative paints metallics.

gold drip cake tutorial

Pink strawberry drip cake

I recently experimented with making strawberry buttercream using dehydrated strawberries for flavoring and really like the finish it gave my strawberry cake. I thought what better way to finish this off than with a pretty pink drip. I hardly ever color anything with just one color. To get this nice natural strawberry pink, I used pink chameleon colors from artisan accents with a touch of yellow. Doesn't it remind you of melting strawberry ice cream? Yum!

 

pink white chocolate ganache drip

How to make a white chocolate ganache drip

The traditional way of making a ganache is to heat the cream until it is about to boil and then pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for about 5 minutes. The cream softens the chocolate which you can then whisk and combine together to make ganache. This works really well with milk or dark chocolate but not as well with white chocolate ganache. The reason is that white chocolate isn't actually chocolate. It's just cream, sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla and in some cases other ingredients that act as stabilizers.

So if you where to use the same ratio of cream/white chocolate then your ganache would never set and would be very soupy. Some people say that a 4:1 ratio (four times as much white chocolate as cream) works but I prefer even less liquid for a drip.

  • To make your white chocolate ganache all you have to do is measure out 6 oz of white chocolate (I prefer Guittard white chocolate wafers but wilton candy melts will also work great. Just avoid using white chocolate chips because they do not melt very well) and 1.5 oz of heavy whipping cream.
  • Melt your white chocolate in a glass bowl either over a double boiler or in a microwave until softened. For me it was about a minute.
  • Add in your heavy cream (room temp or warmed slightly in the microwave) and stir to combine and all chocolate is melted
  • At this point you can color your ganache
  • Wait until your ganache has cooled to about 95 degrees before you try to pipe it over your chilled cake or the drips might run too far down your cake.

 

how to pour white chocolate ganache drip onto a cake

How do you do a white chocolate ganache drip on a cake?

Some people like to use a spoon to put the ganache onto the cake but I find that I have more control if I use a piping bag or a bottle. You could even use a plastic bag with the tip cut off if you really had to. The key to making the ganache drip look really good to alternate big drips with little drips. This makes a really pretty pattern and looks very natural.

Once you get drips all the way around the cake, you can fill in the center with more ganache and then smooth it out with a spatula, completing that seamless drip look.

Easy drip cake ganache recipe using water

The process for making ganache with water instead of cream is basically the same. The only difference is you want to use slightly less water than cream. For my recipe, I use 6oz of Guittard white chocolate wafers and 1 oz of warm water and then stir until combined. I still let it cool to 90 degrees before piping. This is technically a 6:1 ratio so when it sets, it is very firm.

You could also use this ratio to make a white chocolate ganache for the outside of the cake.

You can color your water ganache the same way we colored the ganache made with cream. Store ganache in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for up to a year. Cakes that have ganache on them do not need to be refrigerated.

How to make a dairy-free water ganache

White chocolate (even melties) contain dairy. If you want your ganache to be 100% dairy-free then you would need to use dairy-free white chocolate. 

You can watch this video tutorial on how to make the different types of ganache for drip cakes including how to paint the drip gold.

Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator

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Cups of Batter Needed

8 cups

Cups of Frosting Needed

5 cups

Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.


Recipe

how to pour white chocolate ganache drip onto a cake
Print Recipe
4.92 from 82 votes

Water Ganache Recipe

How to make water ganache using water instead of cream. Easy to do and tastes great! Can be used for making drip cakes or let it cool to peanut butter consistency and ice your cakes. 
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
cooling time15 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 7 oz
Calories: 130kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

White Chocolate Water Ganache

  • 6 oz white chocolate I prefer guittard white chocolate wafers
  • 1 oz warm water

Dark Chocolate Water Ganache

  • 6 oz chocolate I use guittard semi-sweet chocolate
  • 1.5 oz warm water
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Instructions

  • Melt your white chocolate in a glass bowl over a double boiler or in the microwave. Do not over-heat
  • Stir in your water until combined and smooth. Add in colorings as desired. 
  • Let cool to 90 degrees before piping onto the cake or if using to frost your cake, let thicken to peanut butter consistency before using. 

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 21mg | Potassium: 69mg | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 0.1mg

You can paint over ganache with metallic luster dust mixed with everclear or lemon extract or you can color your ganache with candy coloring made especially for adding color to chocolate.

Filling

Strawberry Reduction

Strawberry reduction is super easy to make. In a nutshell, you puree strawberries, add a little lemon, salt, and maybe some sugar, and reduce by half over low heat. I typically use it for my strawberry cake recipe, strawberry buttercream, or as a cake filling so I like mine to be a bit thicker. 

Whats In This Blog Post

Whats The Difference Between A Puree and A Reduction?

Strawberry reduction and strawberry puree are not the same thing. A puree is just blended strawberries and is mostly water. For baking we typically need the strawberry flavor to be more intense.

To make your strawberry puree thicker, you're going to want to simmer it for a few minutes. Simmering the mixture reduces the amount of moisture that is in the puree allowing for a stronger strawberry flavor with less liquid. 

The best thing about making a reduced strawberry puree is that it keeps all the flavor of the strawberries without adding extra moisture.

Strawberry Reduction Ingredients

I prefer to use frozen strawberries because frozen fruit is generally picked at the peak of freshness and then frozen. You get the most flavor in frozen strawberries.

If strawberries are in season though and you need to use them up, making puree is a great option. You can freeze leftover puree and defrost as you need it. If you're super talented and know how to can, you can make canned puree. This is definitely on my to-learn list.

When buying fresh strawberries, choose brightly colored, shiny berries that are dry, firm, and plump. They should still have fresh-looking green caps attached. Avoid soft, dull-looking, or shriveled berries. Since strawberries do not ripen after being picked, avoid berries that are partly white as that means they are unripe

How to make a strawberry reduction in 5 easy steps

  1. Defrost your strawberries or chop up your fresh strawberries.
  2. Blend your strawberries in a blender or give them a quick blend using an immersion blender. close up of strawberries in a blender
  3. Add the blended strawberries, sugar, lemon zest, and salt and bring it all to a simmer on medium heat.close up of strawberry reduction ingredients in a saucepan
  4. Reduce the heat to medium-low so it's just barely bubbling and allow the mixture to reduce (40-60 minutes). Stir occasionally to prevent burning. The reduction should look like tomato sauce, not watery. Close up of strawberry reduction on a spoon
  5. Let the strawberry reduction cool before using.

How to store the leftover strawberry reduction

You can store leftover strawberry reduction in the fridge for two days or you can freeze it up to 6 months. Fresh strawberries are very prone to mold so be sure to only leave cakes with fresh fruit fillings at room temperature for no more than 2 hours. Cakes with fresh fruit filling can be refrigerated for two days before consumption. 

Recipe

strawberry reduction in a jar
Print Recipe
4.90 from 57 votes

Strawberry Reduction

Strawberry reduction is a thick strawberry sauce that is perfect for using in baked goods, as a cake filling, or for adding to buttercream.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1.5 cups
Calories: 48kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Equipment

  • 1 Blender

Ingredients

  • 32 oz fresh or frozen strawberries
  • 2 oz sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 pinch salt
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Defrost strawberries if frozen or cut up strawberries if whole.
  • Blend your strawberries.
  • Place strawberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over med heat.
  • Once bubbling, reduce the heat to medium-low and let slowly reduce until berries begin to break up and the liquid is almost gone. This can take between 40-60 minutes depending on how much liquid you have.
  • Occasionally stir the mixture to prevent burning. Transfer to another container and let cool before use. 

Video

Notes

Using fresh or frozen strawberries is ok
You can use more or less strawberries and adjust the sugar to your liking.

Nutrition

Serving: 4ounces | Calories: 48kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

Cake Decorating Basics

Easy Homemade Fondant (LMF)

This homemade fondant recipe can be made in less than 10 minutes and will change your life. I have been making LMF (Liz's Marshmallow Fondant) since 2010, and what sets it apart from regular marshmallow fondant is the addition of a small amount of store-bought fondant. That one extra step adds the gelatin and elasticity that marshmallow alone cannot replicate, so you get a batch that stretches like taffy, covers cakes without cracking, tearing, or elephant skin, and actually tastes delicious. I use this to cover everything from simple birthday cakes to tiered wedding cakes, and it is the recipe that turned my most skeptical clients into fondant converts.

Hands wrapped around a cake covered in blue fondant.

Quick Glance: Fondant Recipe

  • Recipe Name: Homemade Fondant Recipe (LMF)
  • Why You'll Love It: Stretchy, smooth, and actually delicious, this marshmallow fondant covers cakes without cracking, tearing, or elephant skin and costs a fraction of store-bought.
  • Time and Difficulty: 10 minutes | Beginner-friendly
  • Main Ingredients: Marshmallows, powdered sugar, vegetable shortening, store-bought fondant.
  • Method: Melt marshmallows, mix with powdered sugar and shortening, knead in store-bought fondant until smooth and stretchy.
  • Texture and Flavor: Soft, pliable, and taffy-like with a light, sweet vanilla flavor, nothing like the rubbery, bitter fondant you get from the grocery store
  • Quick Tip: Always use cheap store-brand marshmallows - name brands like Jet-Puff are too dense and dry.
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Why This Fondant Recipe Works

  • Marshmallows build the structure. Marshmallows are made of sugar and gelatin, which gives LMF its base elasticity and holds everything together. The sugar keeps it sweet and pliable, while the gelatin is what allows it to stretch without breaking.
  • Store-bought fondant is the secret weapon. Adding a small amount of pre-made fondant is what separates LMF from every other marshmallow fondant recipe. Store-bought fondant contains additional gums and stabilizers that give the finished batch a level of stretch and smoothness that marshmallow fondant alone simply cannot achieve. You are essentially upgrading a cheap product with a homemade one to get the best of both.
  • Cheap marshmallows work better than name brands. Store-brand marshmallows have a softer, airier texture that melts down smoothly and incorporates easily. Name brands like Jet-Puff tend to be denser and drier, which makes the fondant stiffer and harder to work with.
  • Vegetable shortening keeps it from drying out. Shortening coats the sugar molecules and slows down moisture loss, which means your fondant stays soft and workable longer without cracking or developing elephant skin on your cake.
  • Warmth is everything. This fondant performs best when it is warm. Heat relaxes the gelatin structure and makes the dough stretchy and forgiving. Cold fondant tightens up and tears, which is why you always knead it well and reheat before using.

My marshmallow fondant has been my secret weapon for years, and now it can be yours, too.

Fondant Ingredients

Making LMF only requires five ingredients, and most of them are easy to find at any grocery or craft store. Check the notes at the bottom of the recipe card for brand recommendations and substitutions.

Homemade fondant ingredients in bowls on a grey countertop.
  • Marshmallows: Marshmallows are the base of this recipe and do most of the heavy lifting. They are made of sugar and gelatin, which gives the fondant its soft, pliable structure and natural elasticity. Store-brand marshmallows like WinCo, Hy-Top, Aldi, or Campfire work best because they are softer and melt down more smoothly than denser name-brand options like Jet-Puff.
  • Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar is what gives the fondant its body and workable texture. It absorbs into the melted marshmallow mixture and firms everything up into a dough you can knead and roll. You may not need every last bit depending on your climate, so add it gradually and stop when the dough feels smooth and slightly tacky.
  • Store-Bought Fondant: This is the ingredient that makes LMF different from every other marshmallow fondant recipe. Adding Wilton or Satin Ice fondant introduces extra gums and stabilizers that dramatically improve stretch and smoothness. You are essentially using a small amount of a cheap product to upgrade your whole batch into something far better than either one would be on its own.
  • Vegetable Shortening: Shortening coats the sugar molecules and slows down moisture loss, keeping the fondant soft and pliable. It also lubricates your hands and work surface during kneading so the dough does not stick or tear. Do not substitute butter here - the water content in butter can affect the texture.
  • Warm Water: A small amount of warm water helps release the melted marshmallows from the bowl and loosens the mixture just enough to incorporate the powdered sugar smoothly. If you are making a dark-colored fondant, replace one tablespoon of water with one tablespoon of gel food color to get a head start on the color during mixing.

How To Make Fondant Step-By-Step

Before you start, coat your hands and work surface lightly with vegetable shortening. This prevents sticking during kneading and makes the whole process much easier to manage.

Sifting powdered sugar through a sieve over another bowl.
  1. Sift your powdered sugar into a large bowl and set it aside. Sifting prevents lumps in the finished fondant, which can show through on a cake.
White spoon placing vegetable shortening from a small clear bowl into a metal stand mixer bowl.
  1. Place your vegetable shortening into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. You do not need to mix it yet, it will incorporate on its own once the marshmallows go in.
Adding water into melted marshmallows in a red bowl.
  1. Heat your marshmallows in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second bursts, stirring between each burst, until they are completely melted and glossy. They should look like a thick, sticky white lava.
  2. Pour your warm water over the top to help release them from the bowl, then pour everything into the mixer bowl with the shortening.
Close up of marshmallows mixing in a stand mixer bowl with a hook attachment.
  1. Immediately add the melted marshmallows to the stand mixer with the vegetable shortening and the hook attachment.
  2. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and begin adding your powdered sugar one cup at a time. It will look rough and shaggy at first; that is completely normal. Keep adding sugar and mixing until the dough is pulling away from the sides of the bowl and looks smooth and slightly sticky, about 5 minutes.
Hands removing fondant mixture from the hook attachment of a stand mixer with vegetable shortening
  1. Coat your fingers in shortening and pull the fondant off the dough hook. Scrape the mixture out of the bowl and into your remaining powdered sugar.

    This is also the point you would add in food coloring if you want to color your fondant.
Small piece of premade fondant on top of homemade fondant mixture on a white countertop.
  1. Microwave your store-bought fondant for 30 to 40 seconds until it is warm and very soft.
  2. Scoop the fondant mixture out of the stand mixer bowl onto your workbench with extra powdered sugar to prevent sticking.
Hand holding smooth homemade fondant on a white countertop.
  1. Knead everything together until the powdered sugar and store-bought fondant are fully incorporated. You may not need every last bit of powdered sugar, stop when the dough feels smooth, pliable, and slightly tacky but not sticky. If it feels too stiff, microwave the whole batch for 20 to 30 seconds to soften it back up.
Stretched fondant on a white countertop.
  1. Once combined, pull the fondant like taffy, stretching it out and folding it back on itself repeatedly. When it is ready, it will stretch several inches without tearing and feel silky and elastic. If it is still tearing, it needs more heat, microwave for 30 seconds and keep pulling.

To store: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a zip-lock bag at room temperature. LMF will keep for several months. Always reheat and knead well before using again.

Square cake covered in white fondant in a kitchen in a kitchen next to a blue rolling pin.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Using name-brand marshmallows. Brands like Jet-Puff are denser and drier than store-brand marshmallows, which makes the finished fondant stiffer and harder to work with. Stick to WinCo, Hy-Top, Aldi, or Campfire for the best texture and the lowest cost.
  • Not heating the marshmallows enough. The marshmallows need to be completely melted and glossy before they go into the mixer. If there are any unmelted lumps, they will create hard spots in your fondant that show up on the surface of your cake. Heat in short bursts and stir between each one until the mixture is fully smooth.
  • Adding the powdered sugar too fast. Dumping in all the sugar at once causes it to clump and mix unevenly. Add it one cup at a time on the lowest mixer speed and let it fully incorporate before adding more.
  • Skipping the store-bought fondant. This is the step most people want to leave out, but it is the one that makes LMF work. Without it, the fondant will not have enough elasticity and will be more likely to tear when covering a cake. Do not skip it.
  • Using cold fondant. Cold fondant is stiff and will crack or tear as soon as you start rolling it. Always microwave and knead your fondant thoroughly before using it, even if you just made it and it has cooled down. It should feel warm and stretchy before it goes anywhere near a cake.
  • Covering a warm cake. The cake and its buttercream or ganache coating need to be fully chilled and firm before you cover it with fondant. A soft surface will not support the weight of the fondant and you will get bumps, bulges, and sliding.
  • Rolling the fondant too thin or too thick. Too thin and it will tear during application. Too thick and it will look heavy and be hard to get sharp edges. Aim for about ⅛ inch, which gives you enough strength to cover the cake without the fondant looking clunky.
  • Using too much food coloring. Liquid food coloring adds too much moisture and can make your fondant sticky and pocked with tiny holes. Always use gel food coloring, and for deep colors like red or black, add the color during the mixing process rather than kneading it in afterward.

Fondant Recipe FAQs

Why do you add store-bought fondant to a homemade fondant recipe?

I know it seems counterintuitive, but this is the step that makes LMF better than any other marshmallow fondant recipe out there. Marshmallow fondant on its own lacks the elasticity you need to cover a cake cleanly. Store-bought fondant contains gums and stabilizers that dramatically improve how the finished batch stretches and handles. By adding it to your homemade batch you are essentially upgrading a cheap, average product into something far better. Think of it like adding a small amount of high-quality chocolate to a basic sauce. It changes everything.

Why does my fondant keep tearing or cracking?

Nine times out of ten, tearing and cracking come down to temperature. Cold fondant is stiff and unforgiving, so always microwave it until it is warm and knead it well before you start rolling. If it is still tearing after that, it may need more shortening worked in. Cracking on the cake usually means the buttercream underneath was too soft or the fondant was rolled too thin. Aim for ⅛ inch thickness and make sure your cake is fully chilled before covering.

How do I store homemade fondant, and how long does it last?

Wrap your fondant tightly in plastic wrap, place it in a zip-lock bag, and store it at room temperature. Do not refrigerate it. The moisture in the fridge will make it sticky and affect the texture. Stored properly, LMF will keep for several months. Before using it again, microwave it for 20 to 30 seconds and knead it well until it is warm and stretchy.

How do I color fondant?

Always use gel food coloring, not liquid. Liquid coloring adds too much moisture and can make your fondant sticky or pocked with tiny holes. For light pastel colors, you can knead the color in after the fondant is made. For deep or dark colors like red or black, add the gel color during the mixing process while the marshmallows are still warm. This gives the color time to distribute evenly and prevents you from overworking the fondant trying to knead in a large amount of color later.

Can I make this fondant without a stand mixer?

Yes, you can make LMF by hand, but it is a workout. Mix the melted marshmallows and shortening together in a large bowl, then add the powdered sugar gradually and knead it in with your hands. Make sure your hands are coated in vegetable shortening throughout the process. It will take about 10 to 15 minutes of kneading to get the same smooth, stretchy result you would get from a mixer.

Can I make this fondant without marshmallows?

Yes! My friend Danette developed a version called DKF (Danette's Kosher Fondant) that uses marshmallow fluff instead of regular marshmallows, making it gelatin-free and kosher. It works just as well as LMF and follows a nearly identical process.

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Recipe

Print Recipe
4.96 from 274 votes

Fondant Recipe (LMF)

A fondant recipe that doesn't rip, tear or get elephant skin! A favorite recipe from hobby bakers and professional cake decorators alike!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 lbs
Calories: 1469kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 32 oz powdered sugar sifted (also called icing sugar, confectionary sugar)
  • 16 oz marshmallows WinCo, Hy-Top, Aldi, and Campfire brands work best
  • 20 oz Wilton fondant Satin Ice fondant will also work
  • 2 tablespoon warm water For dark colors, use 1 tablespoon warm water and 1 tablespoon food color gel
  • 4 oz vegetable shortening Also called white vegetable fat, trex, copha
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

How to make fondant

  • Sift the powdered sugar and set aside in a large bowl.
  • Place vegetable shortening in a stand mixer bowl.
  • Heat marshmallows for 40 seconds in the microwave on high (or on stove top). Stir with spoon. 
  • Place marshmallows back into microwave and heat for another 30 seconds (or on stove top). Stir with spoon. 
  • Heat marshmallows (last time!) for 30 seconds in the microwave (or on stove top).
    Marshmallows should be ooey-gooey at this point and ready to be added to the mixer bowl. Pour your water on top of the marshmallows to get them to release from the sides of the bowl. Pour into bowl with vegetable shortening
  • Turn stand mixer on lowest setting (setting 1 on Kitchenaid stand mixers) with dough hook attachment
    Add in half of your sifted powdered sugar, a measuring cup at a time, and let mix for 2 minutes. It will be really rough looking at first
  • Don't stop mixing until it's sticking to the sides of the bowl and looks smooth. Add in another cup of powdered sugar.
  • Pull fondant off the dough hook attachment by putting vegetable shortening on your fingers and pulling it off the hook.
  • Take the soft mixture out of the bowl and put it into the large bowl with the rest of the powdered sugar.
  • Warm the Wilton fondant in the microwave for 40 seconds and add to the large bowl with the powdered sugar and marshmallow mix.
  • Knead until powdered sugar, marshmallows and Wilton fondant is mostly incorporated. You may not use all of the powdered sugar depending on your climate and that is completely fine.
  • Pull fondant like taffy until it is stretchy and smooth. If there are still rough spots or it's tearing, put everything back in the microwave for 30-40 seconds to make it really hot and pull like taffy with shortening on your hands until it pulls without breaking
  • Store in a zip-lock bag at room temperature. Fondant will keep for months in a zip-lock bag. To use again, reheat and knead well until stretchy before each use. You can add color as desired but for dark colors, you should add them during the mixing process or you could get a sticky mess.

Video

Notes

  • To store: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and seal in a zip-lock bag at room temperature. Do not refrigerate. LMF keeps for several months stored this way.
  • To reuse: Microwave for 20 to 30 seconds and knead well with shortening-coated hands until warm and stretchy before rolling.
  • If your fondant is too stiff: Microwave the whole batch for 20 to 30 seconds and pull it like taffy with shortening on your hands until it loosens up.
  • If your fondant is too sticky: Knead in a little more powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
  • For dark colors like black or red: Add gel food coloring during the mixing process while the marshmallows are still warm for the most even color distribution.
  • Coverage: One batch covers approximately a 10-8-6 inch tiered cake when rolled to ⅛ inch thickness.

Nutrition

Calories: 1469kcal | Carbohydrates: 318g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 96mg | Sugar: 287g | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Blog

Mirror Cake Glaze Recipe

A mirror glaze cake is one of those baking moments where science meets literal magic. The first time I poured a traditional mirror glaze over a frozen cake, I swear I stopped breathing for a second. Watching the whole thing turn into a glossy, reflective finish that looked like it came straight from TikTok was so satisfying. And the good news? Even though mirror glaze cakes look complicated, they're actually super doable once you understand the right temperature, the right consistency, and the base of every mirror glaze recipe.

closeup of mirror cake shot from above

I started making mirror glaze cakes long before they blew up on social media, but I'll be honest - the vibrant color options and different looks people make on TikTok and Instagram totally inspired me to play with gel food coloring, cocoa butter variations, and different shade combinations. Whether you're glazing an entremet cake, an eight-inch layer cake, or even a chocolate cake covered in buttercream frosting, the technique is exactly the same: start with a frozen cake, get your glaze to the appropriate temperature, and pour with confidence.

What's In This Blog Post

My Inspiration

My own mirror glaze journey began when I was testing a mousse-covered cake for class and accidentally poured the glaze too warm. The colors combine, the glaze slid right off the sides of the cake, and I ended up with a run-off glaze disaster on my baking sheet. But that failure taught me the biggest difference between a beautiful creation and a sad puddle on parchment paper: temperature. Once I stuck to 90ºF and kept my cake frozen solid, everything changed.

And because I love bright colors, I always experiment with different colors in smaller bowls so I can swirl, drizzle, and layer them over the center of the cake. If you're glazing for the first time, trust me - play with color. A tiny bit of liquid food coloring or a very small amount of gel food coloring makes a huge difference in the final result.

Mirror Glaze Cake Ingredients

  • Granulated sugar - Helps create the shiny reflective finish. Replace with equal parts glucose syrup and sugar if you want a thicker layer of glaze.
  • Sweetened condensed milk - Adds richness and smoothness. Can be replaced with milk chocolate or real chocolate for a different type of glaze.
  • Water - Used to hydrate the gelatin and dissolve the sugar. Cold water works best for blooming gelatin.
  • Gelatin powder - The key ingredient for the outer layer texture. You can use plain gelatin or sheet gelatin.
  • White chocolate - The best results come from high-quality white chocolate. Valrhona is amazing, but any real chocolate works.
  • Gel food coloring - Gives a vibrant color without thinning the glaze. Replace with liquid food coloring sparingly.
  • White food coloring - Helps brighten the whole thing so your glaze color pops.
  • Plastic wrap & airtight container - Important for storing leftover glaze without air bubbles.

Tips & Tricks

Keep your cake frozen. Keep your glaze at 90ºF. And always strain everything to avoid lumps. If you're making this for uploading & non-users on social media, use bright colors and a clean cake board so the whole cake looks flawless. Set your cake on a wire rack over a baking sheet to catch the excess glaze and keep your workspace clean.

And don't rush your pour. Confidence is the secret glazing technique nobody talks about.

Step-by-Step Mirror Glaze Cake Instructions

  1. Heat the sugar mixture
    Add the granulated sugar and the first amount of water to a saucepan. Bring it to a gentle simmer - not a boil - and let it dissolve.
  2. Bloom your gelatin
    Mix the second quantity of cold water and the gelatin powder together and let it absorb for 15 minutes. This step ensures the right consistency.
  3. Prepare your chocolate base
    Combine the white chocolate and sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl.
  4. Add gelatin to the syrup
    Once the sugar mixture is hot (but not boiling), remove from heat and add the bloomed gelatin. Stir until completely dissolved.
  5. Melt everything together
    Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate and condensed milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes so the chocolate can melt, then whisk or use an immersion blender until smooth.
  6. Color your glaze
    Add gel food coloring, white food coloring, or several different colors split into smaller bowls if you want a multi-shade effect.
  7. Strain and cool
    Pass the glaze through a fine strainer to remove air bubbles and lumps. Let it cool to 90 degrees F - this is the most important part.
  8. Glaze your cake
    Place the frozen cake on a circular object or small cake pan turned upside-down on a baking sheet. Pour the glaze over the center of the cake, letting it flow down the sides of the cake until the entire cake is coated.
  9. Finish your edges
    After about 5 minutes, scrape off excess glaze at the bottom with a hot knife or offset spatula.
  10. Serve or store
    Refrigerate until serving. Finished cakes keep their shine for about 24 hours. Store leftover glaze in an airtight container wrapped with plastic wrap touching the surface to prevent a skin from forming.

Final Thoughts

A mirror glaze cake might look like something only professional pastry chefs make, but once you understand the consistency of the glaze and the appropriate temperature, it becomes one of the most fun techniques in baking. You can go minimalist with one glaze color or mix up different colors for a vibrant shade marble effect. Whether you're making this for a special event, your first time experimenting, or just to impress social media, you'll end up with something gorgeous.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much mirror glaze do I need?
This recipe is enough to glaze an eight-inch cake or a small entremet cake with tons of glaze for extra coverage.

Why does my glaze slide off?
Your cake wasn't frozen or your glaze was too warm.

Can I use corn syrup instead of glucose syrup?
Yes - it works great and is the closest substitute.

How do I store leftover glaze?
Pour it into a container, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and refrigerate. Reheat gently to reuse.

Can I glaze a buttercream cake?
Yes, as long as the buttercream frosting is super smooth and the cake is well-chilled.

Want me to turn this into a short-form version, a Pinterest title, or an Instagram caption?

 

Recipe

closeup of mirror cake shot from above
Print Recipe
4.78 from 63 votes

Mirror Cake Glaze Recipe

This mirror glaze cake recipe creates a stunning, glass-smooth finish using white chocolate, gelatin, and condensed milk poured at the perfect temperature over a frozen cake. The result is a vibrant, reflective shine that looks impossibly professional yet is surprisingly easy to master. Perfect for special occasions, viral-worthy bakes, and anyone wanting that dramatic, show-stopping pour.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 cups
Calories: 945kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Equipment

  • 1 Fine Sieve
  • 1 Immersion blender
  • 1 Kitchen Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces Cold Water for the gelatin
  • 20 grams Powdered Gelatin
  • 12 ounces White Chocolate high quality for best results such as Valrhona
  • 5 ounces Water
  • 11 ounces Sugar
  • 7 ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
  • 2 drops White Food Coloring
  • 1 Frozen Cake
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Sprinkle the gelatin into the water and mix to combine. Set it aside to bloom for 15 minutes.
  • Combine the water, sugar, and condensed milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it begins to gently simmer.
  • When the sugar and water mixture begins to simmer (do not boil), remove from the heat and add the bloomed gelatin. Stir until the gelatin has dissolved.
  • Strain this mixture through a sieve to remove any lumps and return it to the saucepan.
  • Pour the hot liquid on top of the chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes.
  • Use an immersion blender to stir the glaze until the chocolate has completely melted.
  • Add the gel food coloring and stir until well-mixed. Pass the glaze through a fine sieve to remove any lumps. Leave the glaze to cool to 90ºF.
  • Once the glaze has cooled to 90º F / 32º C, pour it over the frozen cake which is on top of a cup, sitting on a tray or plate with a edge to catch the drips.
  • Leave the glaze to set for 5 minutes before using a hot knife to remove the drips.
  • Enjoy your cake right away or refrigerate until serving. Keep in mind that glaze loses it's shine after 24 hours so if you're making this for a client make sure you pour the same day as delivery. 

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 2ounces | Calories: 945kcal | Carbohydrates: 156g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 154mg | Potassium: 435mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 155g | Vitamin A: 158IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 316mg | Iron: 0.4mg

 

Course Preview

Black Textures Wedding Cake

Skill level: Intermediate

Haven't you heard? Black is the new black. Dark and moody wedding cakes are all the rage and sure to be a huge trend for 2018.

Even if your bride doesn't want to go full-on black wedding cake, they might want to incorporate some into their design. This black wedding cake tutorial teaches you four stunning textures you can incorporate into your black wedding cake designs.

48:27 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to make a trending black wedding cake
  • Learn how to create lush textures on each tier
  • How to create a beautiful sprinkle mixture from various materials
  • Learn how to create a bas relief design that's sure to stun wedding guests

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Making black buttercream 0:18
  2. Making fuchsia buttercream 2:06
  3. Icing the cakes 3:38
  4. Torching fondant 9:12
  5. Covering a cake in torched fondant 15:04
  6. Covering the cake board 19:22
  7. Frosting the cake 22:49
  8. Making buttercream swirls 24:20
  9. Applying swirls & dragees to the cake 27:28
  10. Making the sprinkle mix 30:30
  11. Applying sprinkles to the cake 32:43
  12. Covering the cake in fondant 36:37
  13. Applying molded fondant design 38:25

Paid Video

Black Textures Wedding Cake

Skill level: Intermediate

Haven't you heard? Black is the new black. Dark and moody wedding cakes are all the rage and sure to be a huge trend for 2018. Even if your bride doesn't want to go full-on black wedding cake, they might want to incorporate some into their design. This black wedding cake tutorial teaches you four stunning textures you can incorporate into your black wedding cake designs.

48:27 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to make a trending black wedding cake
  • Learn how to create lush textures on each tier
  • How to create a beautiful sprinkle mixture from various materials
  • Learn how to create a bas relief design that's sure to stun wedding guests

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Making black buttercream 0:18
  2. Making fuchsia buttercream 2:06
  3. Icing the cakes 3:38
  4. Torching fondant 9:12
  5. Covering a cake in torched fondant 15:04
  6. Covering the cake board 19:22
  7. Frosting the cake 22:49
  8. Making buttercream swirls 24:20
  9. Applying swirls & dragees to the cake 27:28
  10. Making the sprinkle mix 30:30
  11. Applying sprinkles to the cake 32:43
  12. Covering the cake in fondant 36:37
  13. Applying molded fondant design 38:25

Blog

Edible Glitter Recipe

Edible glitter to be considered fully edible needs to be made from ingredients that are considered food by the FDA

This edible glitter recipe is sparkly, easily customizable and made from 100% edible ingredients.

how to make edible glitter

So what's considered edible? Well if you gain nutrients from eating the product and it is FDA approved as food, then it's considered edible.

If the product is labeled non-toxic, then it's not edible and should be placed on food in a way that would make it easy to remove before consuming (like painted-on fondant that you can peel off or on toppers that can be easily removed)

Is it safe to eat edible glitter?

There are a lot of products out there that claim to be edible but are just non-toxic. What does non-toxic means? Well imagine you ate a crayon.

Can you eat it? Yes

Will it kill you? No.

Will it taste good? Probably not.

Is it edible? Technically not.

See, when something is considered non-toxic, it just means it will pass through your body without harming you but you also do not get any nutrients from it so therefore, it is not a food.

Make sense?

Ok let's move on.

edible glitter recipe

Is disco dust edible?

Disco dust commonly refers to a product that is considered to be non-toxic but not edible. You know what else is non-toxic? Actual real glitter. The plastic stuff you buy at the craft store literally is the same thing as disco dust. Do you really want to eat plastic? I didn't think so.

Just say no to disco dust unless you're putting it on a part of the cake that can be easily removed and is very clearly not meant to be eaten.

Edible glitter ingredients

The great thing about making edible glitter is that it's pretty dang easy. You probably already have all the ingredients you need for it in your shop (if you're a cake decorator). You can also switch up your colors and dusts depending on what you have on hand, but I prefer to use TruColor metallics.

Why?

Because they are 100% natural mica-based pearlescent pigmented metallics with tons of shine. They also come in a variety of beautiful colors! They are made with real minerals that are safe to consume and I think that's what gives them their extra shine power.

How do you make edible glitter?

For this tutorial, I am using the deep blue shine dust. My favorite color! It was actually an Elite gift for December because I wanted everyone to love it as much as I do, haha. So if you're an Elite member, you're in luck because you probably already have this dust!

If you don't have it, you can order it from Amazon

The basics of this recipe comes from my sheet gelatin recipe which is basically turning powdered gelatin into a sheet that kind of resembles plastic.

  • Measure out ¼ cup cold water into a shallow container
  • Sprinkle in 5 teaspoons of knox gelatin powder
  • Let gelatin absorb into the water for 5 minutes
  • Heat for 30 seconds, stir and and another 15 seconds until fully melted. Don't overheat it.
  • Skim off the white foam with a spoon and discard
  • Just mix your melted gelatin with whatever metallics you would like. Don't have any trucolor? I have also made this glitter by combining a touch of food color and some super pearl dusts from the sugar art 
  • Pour the gelatin over the plastic wrap and let dry out overnight
  • Break it up, put it in a food processor until it's finely ground and voila! Edible metallic glitter

This dark blue edible glitter is perfect on our black textures wedding cake tutorial and adds that pop of sparkle that makes the sprinkles look extra moody and gorgeous!

black wedding cake

Gold edible glitter

Truly gold sparkly edible glitter is hard to come by. I've experimented with many different recipes and I think I have come up with the best solution while still keeping things edible.

  • Follow the same base recipe for making edible glitter
  • Mix 2 teaspoon of gold shine with 2 teaspoon of water and let hydrate
  • Add the gold mixture to your gelatin and spread onto your plastic wrap
  • Add 3 squares of real metallic gold leaf to the surface of the gelatin and let dry overnight

The addition of the gold leaf will add a little bit more shine and sparkle when the mixture is ground up. This DOES add some added expense. Remember, making something with real quality ingredients will also increase the cost.

gold edible glitter

How to make edible glitter without gum arabic

Some recipes for edible glitter can get pretty complicated and call for ingredients that are hard to find. I totally understand this and feel your pain. That's why I have tried to make a recipe that is fairy easy to make and have included alternatives in case you can't find exactly what I used.

Gelatin powder is carried in pretty much every grocery store all over the world in the baking section.

If you can't use gelatin for health or religious reasons, you might try experiments with agar agar which is made from seaweed.

What is sparkling sugar?

In this day and age pinterest can be super helpful but you know what else it has? Tons of mis-information and crappy tutorials that basically lie to you. For years now, there has been this image of straight up non-edible glitter on this website boasting an easy edible glitter recipe. You know what it is? Granulated sugar with food color in it. This is sometimes referred to as sparkling sugar or sugar crystals and MAY have a bit of a shine but is far, far from glitter. Don't fall for this edible glitter tutorial fail.

edible glitter recipe

Where to buy edible glitter?

So maybe you're like me and sometimes you just do not want to make one more thing, you just wanna know where to buy it and be done with it!

Well you're in luck, there are a few FDA-approved, edible glitters out there. A quick google will bring up some searches but here are some links for your benefit.

where to buy edible glitter

This Flash Dust from Never Forgotten Designs is by far the most popular and sparkly edible glitter that is FDA-approved that is on the market right now. I've used it on many different things and the benefit is not only that it's super sparkly but it's a very very fine powder so you can't taste it in your mouth and a little bit goes a long way! Read more about this very unique edible glitter on the NFD blog

Watch my video on how to make edible glitter. Sub out the colors and metallics to customize them to anything you like!

 

Kitchen tools to make the edible glitter recipe

Spice Grinder  This is pretty much a must for getting that superfine glitter texture. You can use a blender or a food processor but it's almost impossible to get the really small pieces.

Metallic or pearl dust from Michaels, TruColor or thesugarart

Recipe

black edible glitter
Print Recipe
5 from 19 votes

Edible Glitter Recipe

Edible glitter is easy to make and can usually made with ingredients already in your bakery! Make a little or make a lot to add some sparkle to your edible treats. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
dry overnight23 hours 20 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 2 Tablespoons
Calories: 33kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

Edible Glitter Ingredients

  • 2 oz cool water
  • 15 grams knox powdered gelatin
  • 1 teaspoon metallic dust (such as pearl dust from michaels or www.thesugarart.com)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Edible Glitter Instructions

  • Pour water into a shallow dish. sprinkle gelatin evenly over the water and let it absorb for 5 minutes
  • Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir and microwave for another 5 seconds if needed to melt fully. You can tell it's melted when you can't see any grains of gelatin anymore.
  • Let sit for 5 minutes and bubbles will rise to the surface and create a white foam. Skim this foam off the surface with a spoon and discard
  • Add metallic dust to the melted gelatin and stir
  • Pour gelatin onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and use a pastry brush to smooth it out and holes that develop. As the gelatin cools it will be easier to smooth. Don't worry if it's not perfect, we're going to grind it up anyway
  • Let the gelatin dry overnight. It might start peeling up on it's own or you may have to peel it up from the plastic to release it. 
  • Break it up or cut it into pieces. 
  • Place into a spice grinder or coffee grinder or even a food processor until it is very fine.
  • Can use on anything edible!
    edible glitter recipe

Nutrition

Calories: 33kcal | Protein: 8g | Sodium: 21mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.1mg

The great thing about making edible glitter is that it's pretty dang easy. You probably already have all the ingredients you need for it in your shop (if you're a cake decorator).

Course Preview

Tuffet Cake

Skill level: Newb

Guest instructor Cynthia White of Caked by Cynthia White drops by to teach us how to make a super-cute tuffet cake!

Your guests won't believe that this cake isn't actually a piece of furniture from the amazing details and techniques used to create a realistic fabric look.

31:40 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to create edible fabric
  • Learn how to build a cake stand out of simple materials found at local craft stores
  • Cynthia's technique to fold the fabric into a realistic design that looks just like a tuffet

Blog

Mirror Glaze Cakes

What is Mirror Glaze Cake?

Mirror Glaze Cake is a shiny cake made by pouring a delicious chocolate sugar glaze that has gelatin in it over a frozen cake, called an entremet (oooh so french). You can use a variety of colors and shaped molds to make the frozen cake to get that super reflective surface which is how the cake got it's name

These cakes really took off as a trend in 2017 but they seem like they are here to stay. One of the most popular creators of the mirror glaze cake is the instagrammer @olganoskovaa from Moscow Russia. Her cakes are so fun to watch, we never get tired of them!

mirror glaze

What is mirror glaze made of?

Mirror glaze is made from sweetened condensed milk, a little chocolate, water and gelatin and sometimes flavorings and colors. Mirror glaze sets because of the gelatin but not hard. It is pretty sticky stuff.

Mirror glaze has a nice taste. It's sweet but not too sweet and the flavors meld well with the cake and fillings. It might look a little strange putting gelatin on cake but it tastes delicious!

Easy Mirror Glaze Recipe

Lucky for us, easy mirror glaze recipe isn't even that hard to make. Like most things related to baking, it does take a few specific things to be fully successful in your quest for mirror glaze awesomeness.

  • Make sure you strain your glaze after you make it so that you don't have any lumps ruining the finish
  • Pour your glaze at exactly 90 degrees F. Too warm and it will run off your cake. Too cold and it won't be smooth
  • Make sure your entremet is frozen and fresh outta the freezer so that it sets the gelatin and chocolate in the glaze quickly
  • Make sure you put your cake on top of a cake pan or glass so that the glaze can drip off easily.

Colored Mirror Glaze Recipe

To add colors to your glaze, simply start with making the white glaze. Divide the glaze into a few bowls and color them with regular food coloring. Some people like to then put these colors together into a big bowl or pitcher and then quickly pour over the frozen cake or they prefer to pour the colors individually and layer them up.

I used a combination of dark blue, turquoise and white to make this mirror glaze cake. You can even learn to make your own ocean wave mirror glaze cake complete with cool metallic effects!

colored mirror glaze cake recipe

fun little tip, if you add some metallic gold dust to some everclear or other grain alcohol and drip it over the mirror glaze, it makes some cool effects! Don't use too much though or it will eat away at your glaze.

Mirror Cake Galaxy

Making a galaxy cake is super fun! For this I prefer to use a dark chocolate mirror glaze recipe and add a little black food coloring to make it nice and dark. Then layer up some white, pink, purple, blue or any colors you want really! Top with some edible sprinkles or glitter for an extra out-of-this world look!

mirror cake galaxy

Galaxy mirror glaze cakes can be really fun and easy! My daughter avalon helped me make this one in a recent fb live. I just love how she has recently shown more interest in helping me bake, especially when it's time to lick the bowl.

Mirror glaze mousse cake recipe

So how do you actually make one of these beautiful, shiny cakes?

Start by making a mousse. Mousse is technically just any sort of custard (or pudding if you're from the US) that is lightened by whipped cream. You could make your own or if you're like me, you just use the boxed mix.

Switching up the flavors of your mousse can be pretty much anything! You can even start with vanilla and add in fruit purees to give it a different flavor like lemon or passion fruit! oohhh fancy.

How to make a mirror glaze cake

I had a great time making this valentines day themed mirror glaze cake heart with my daughter and she really enjoyed eating it. You see, its win/win that way. I get to make a yummy treat but I don't have to feel guilty about eating the whole thing myself.

I cooked up a batch of chocolate vanilla pudding and folded in some whipped cream. About ¼ liquid then whipped up to a firm peak. Fold until combined and smooth.

Fill your mold with about ⅓ of the mousse. Layer up some strawberries or fruit puree. More whipped cream, then your cake. Seal with another layer of cream and then freeze!

I love how this pretty cake looks on top of some melted ice cream and surrounded by fresh berries. Definitely the perfect valentines day dessert that you can easily make on your own.

My smooth mirror glaze cake mold is perfect for creating a super shiny surface for the cake! Don't forget to trim off the drips after your glaze sets for a nice clean finish.

One more tip, once you glaze your cake, put it in the fridge for a few hours to soften. No one likes eating rock-hard cake! This cake will keep up to 24 hours but after that, it will start to lose it's shine.

where to buy mirror cake

Chocolate mousse cake with mirror glaze

Chocolate mousse cakes are not the only way to use mirror glaze. You can also use regular cake iced in plain old buttercream to make a mirror glaze cake with frosting. Make sure it's really really smooth though and frozen for a least an hour before you put that glaze over the top.

Once you put the glaze on, let the cake chill in the fridge until you're ready to slice into it.

Kitchen tools to make a mirror glaze cake

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy

Kitchen thermometer - Vital tool for making sure your mirror glaze is not too hot or cold when you pour. Also great for use when using chocolate!

Mirror glaze mold (smooth heart) - The classic mirror glaze mold! Perfect size to make a tasty treat for two.

Mirror glaze mold (geometric) - This mold is a little bigger than the smooth heart and has a cool geometric finish. Great for small gatherings like bridal showers or birthdays!

Strainer (chinois) - super fine strainer for getting out pesky lumps and bumps in your mirror glaze so you have a super smooth, super shiny finish on all your cakes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blog

How to Edit Cake Photos on Your Phone

Skill level: Intermediate

A lot of people think you need a bunch of fancy equipment, cameras or lights to take a nice photo! Trust me, those things are nice but you don't HAVE to have one to take a nice photo! Especially for social media.

In this video, I show you how to easily take photos of your cakes, light them and edit them quickly so you can get on with your busy day! No special equipment or paid apps required! A must-watch for all cake decorators/bakers trying to grow their following.

8:17 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to find a good lighting spot to take photos of your cakes (even in your own house)
  • Learn how to quickly and easily edit your photos

Course Preview

How to Edit Cake Photos on Your Phone

Skill level: Intermediate

A lot of people think you need a bunch of fancy equipment, cameras or lights to take a nice photo! Trust me, those things are nice but you don't HAVE to have one to take a nice photo! Especially for social media.

In this video, I show you how to easily take photos of your cakes, light them and edit them quickly so you can get on with your busy day! No special equipment or paid apps required! A must-watch for all cake decorators/bakers trying to grow their following.

8:17 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to find a good lighting spot to take photos of your cakes (even in your own house)
  • Learn how to quickly and easily edit your photos

Blog

Cream Tart Alphabet Letter Tutorial

Cream tarts are all the rage right now. This trendy dessert goes by many names, but whatever you might call it, it's definitely beautiful!

cream tart

These fresh and fruity desserts have taken the internet by storm! How do you make them? What is the crust made of? What is the filling? Well, the good news is, after much research and taste-testing, I have decoded the cream tart and I'm going to show you how to make one of your own!

The cream tart has been around for ages and has been called many things depending on the baker. It was made popular by an Instagrammer by the name of @adikosh123 from Israel. Her cream tarts are so beautiful looking, you may just be tempted to lick your screen.

 What is a cream tart dough made of?

The tarts are typically made from an almond pate sable dough (the cookie or biscuit), which is basically shortcrust or tart dough. This crust is super tender, crunchy, and just melts in your mouth. It is not hard to bite or cut. The key is to remember to roll it thin. We made these a lot in pastry school, so I was super excited because this dough is fool-proof to make!

I just made my tart dough, let it chill for about an hour, then rolled it out thin and cut out my heart template. I just printed out part 1 and part 2 and then taped them together to make the heart shape. I then froze my dough for about 15 minutes so I could easily transfer the dough to a cookie sheet. Bake until starting to get golden around the edges. About 12 minutes. Let cool

There is also a version without almond flour called pate sucre if almonds aren't your thing or you have an allergy.

almond sable dough recipe

What kind of filling goes in a cream tart?

Cream tart filling is traditionally made from pastry cream with freshly whipped cream added into it for a light, fluffy and not-to-sweet flavor combo. Sometimes called chantilly cream or diplomat cream depending on the part of the world you're in.

However, pastry cream can be tricky for beginners to master so I gave myself a little work-around. I whipped up a batch of vanilla pudding and used that as my base instead of pastry cream. Then I whipped up my cream and added in my cooled gelatin (cooled being an important word here) to stabilize the whipped cream and then folded it into the pudding. BOOM. We have ourselves some delicious, stable filling for our cream tart.

So, how do you make a cream tart?

  • Cut your dough into shapes and let them cool
  • Make your diplomat cream filling
  • Make your french macarons or buy some! Or you can use other types of cookies like oreos or candy
  • Cut up your fruits and dip your flowers into some melted chocolate to seal them
  • Use a piping bag with a round piping tip to pipe dollops of buttercream onto the first layer of the cookie
  • Place the other cookie on top
  • More dollops
  • Top with fruit, berries and flowers and enjoy!

How long can a cream tart sit out?

So because the cream tart has perishable fillings like cream and fresh fruit, you may not be able to legally make and sell these desserts. Most cottage laws do you not allow you to sell perishable creams and fillings. If you're a licensed bakery you should be fine but check with your local health department to make sure.

If you CAN make the cream tart then it's good to go for 48 hours without getting soggy. Anything longer than that and the fruit is going to start getting mushy and the whipped cream will start to weep. This is one of those desserts that you want to make and then serve up pretty quickly.

cream tart toppings

What can you put on a cream tart?

One of the BEST things about making these cream tarts is that you can change them up and make them different so easily. I chose to make my cream tart in the shape of a heart for valentines day but you can make any shape! Alphabet letters, numbers, shapes! You can easily switch out the fruits or the macarons for cookies and candy. Topping with fresh flowers is super simple too but just make sure you seal the ends of the stems with melted chocolate so that the water from the flower does not seep into the tart filling.

I really liked making a strawberry lemonade version of the cream tart! I'm partial to lemon anything and wow the reds and yellows look so juicy and fresh on the cream!

strawberry lemonade cream tart

You can flavor the cream and make it chocolate instead of vanilla. I thought his would be a fantastic idea for valentines day. I got one of those cheap valentines day candy hearts and took the chocolate truffles to put on top of the cream tart instead of using french macarons. It was super fast! My friend Shani also came out with a full recipe on the chocolate version of the almond sable dough recipe and chocolate diplomat cream.

chocolate cream tart recipe

These tarts are so easy to make, my daughter avalon could even pipe the cream! We did a little facebook live where avalon literally does a better job than I do piping the diplomat cream filling.

How much should you charge for a cream tart?

This is a question I get a lot and there isn't a GOOD answer but what I can advise is that you run a special and make a bunch at once. If you make up a batch of french macarons, you can freeze the leftovers and take them out as you need them. We're running a valentines day special here at the shop for two days only and set the price at $35 for a 10" tart. Thats a little more than the most expensive, non-shaped tart you can buy here at a high-end bakery so I felt that was pretty spot on. Obviously prices vary depending on your area.

Can you make a cream tart out of cake?

Yes! You can totally make this out of cake! But you don't want to just use any old cake recipe, you want to go with something that can stand up to being exposed to air and still stay moist. I prefer my jaconde cake for the cake portion. Just bake and cut your shape like you would with the almond sable dough. I keep mine moist by sprinkling confectioners sugar over the surface then placing it in the fridge overnight to dissolve into the cake.

Fill your jaconde cake with some big dollops of easy buttercream and top with fresh fruits, berries, french macrons and flowers like you did with the cream tart.

alphabet letter cake tutorial

For an added fun bonus, I actually made my alphabet cake into a gender reveal! Wouldn't this be so cute to have at a baby shower and then cut into it and reveal the big news! The way I put the colored buttercream in the middle was pretty easy. I just did my dollops of buttercream around the outside edges and piped one stripe of blue buttercream down the middle.

That way you can't see the color from the inside or the outside edge but you can when you cut into it!

alphabet letter cake gender reveal

The last tip I have for you is to make sure you glaze any cut berries with some watered down apricot jam. This was a little tip I learned in pastry school. It helps keep the moisture in the fruit and also makes them look really juicy and yummy! You don't have to worry about glazing the berries like blueberries or blackberries, only the ones that are cut.

Cream tart tutorial?

More of a visual person? You can watch me make the cream tart and listen to some nice music while you're at it 🙂

Recipe

Print Recipe
4.90 from 47 votes

Cream Tart Recipe

This cream tart recipe can be made many ways but this recipe uses traditional fillings that can be found in fruit tarts which is what this recipe is based on. Feel free to switch out flavors depending on your theme. 
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time42 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Calories: 593kcal
Author: Liz Marek

Ingredients

Almond Sablé Dough

  • 11 ounces All purpose flour
  • 3 ounces almond flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 8 oz unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 ounces powdered sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk

Pastry Cream Filling

  • 16 ounces milk
  • 2.5 ounces granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ ounces cornstarch
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 ounces unsalted butter
  • 2 ounces granulated sugar

Stabilized Whipped Cream

  • 8 ounces heavy whipping cream
  • 2 Tablespoon powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 Tablespoon instant pudding mix (see stabilized whipped cream blog post for more options)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Instructions

  • In a bowl, whisk together the AP flour, almond flour and salt.
    Put a paddle attachment onto your stand mixer, then combine butter and confectioner's sugar in mixer bowl. Mix on medium-low speed until combined, about 4 minutes.
    Mix in the egg and then the yolk, allowing each to be incorporated before adding the next. In 2 parts, add the flour mixtures, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each part.
    Turn bowl over with dough mixture onto a clean lightly-floured work surface. Divide in half, shape into flattened desks and wrap each 1 in plastic warp. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
  • Roll out dough to ⅛" thick on parchment paper. Use a template to cut two shapes. Chill in the freezer 5 minutes.
  • Bake tart dough at 350F for 10-14 minutes until just starting to brown. Don't underbake or your tart wont be crisp. Let cool

Pastry Cream Filling

  • Bring milk and first quantity of sugar to a simmer over medium high heat. Whisking constantly to avoid burning.
  • Combine the eggs, cornstarch, and second quantity of sugar in a heat proof bowl and whisk to combine
  • Add ¼ of your hot milk mixture to the egg mixture VERY slowly while whisking constantly to temper your egg yolk mixture. Whisk until smooth.
  • Slowly add the rest of the milk, whisking constantly. Return mixture to the saucepan and bring to a simmer.
  • Once your mixture starts bubbling, reduce the heat to medium and continue whisking for 2-3 minutes to ensure the mixture is cooked and properly thickened.
  • Pour your mixture into a heatproof container and place your butter cubes on top, allowing them to melt. Do not cover.
  • Allow your pastry cream to cool until just warm to the touch. Stir in your butter and then add in your vanilla extra.
  • Cover with plastic wrap so that it's touching the surface of the pastry cream to avoid a skin forming. Let cool completely before using.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

  • Whip heavy cream to soft peaks with a whisk or stand mixer
  •  Add in powdered sugar, vanilla and instant pudding (see blog post for other variations on how to stabilized whipped cream) Whip to firm but soft peaks. Don't over-whip.
  • Fold together the cooled pastry cream and whipped cream to make your cream tart filling

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 593kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 166mg | Sodium: 372mg | Potassium: 77mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 1065IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1.7mg

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blog

How to grow Instagram followers in 3 easy steps!

 

How to grow Instagram followers (and why it really matters)

get more followers on instagram

About 9 months ago I never thought about how to grow Instagram followers. I reached out to a company that had a product that I really wanted to review for my blog. The product was expensive so I inquired about potentially getting the product in return for a video review.

The company responded by asking me what my social media numbers were. I let him know at the time what my facebook likes were and my IG followers (at the time around 20k). I thought it was pretty good. Not amazing but not bad!

how to grow instagram followers

Boy did I get a heavy dose of reality! I was informed that sponsored products where usually given to influencers who had 50k-100k minimum on Instagram. OUCH!

Up until this point, I hadn't really paid much attention to any particular strategy when it came to my how to grow instagram followers. I tried to post content when I had it. Random food shots and lifestyle photos peppered my feed. But my growth was pretty slow from when I started my account around 2 years ago. I started to do some research and some experimenting (my favorite thing to do)

How to grow Instagram followers quickly

Since I have started using these simple techniques, I have grown my feed from 20k to 52k in 9 months.

And what I discovered is that growing your Instagram is pretty easy and only takes about 5-10 minutes a day to do. Since I have started using these simple techniques, I have grown my feed from 20k to 52k in 9 months. I know I still have a lot of work to do but I'm pretty happy with my growth so far!

how-to-grow-instagram-followers

I now average about 80-100 new followers a day. My posts average about 500 likes per image and I get about 300 clicks on my bio link that leads to my website per week. That's a HUGE bump to my business and my monthly income. (update 5/23/2018. I now get about 1,000 followers a day!)

So here they are! My 3 tips for Instagram success and instant growth...

#1 To grow Instagram followers, you have to post Every Day

This might sound like a no-brainer but honestly, that is the number one issue I see with most people's feeds. They go days or even weeks without posting anything. Think of your feed as a television show. Your viewers like to see what you're doing regularly. Go too long without posting something and before you know it, viewers have moved on and have forgotten about you altogether. Posting every day also increases your chances every day of gaining new followers. Every time someone likes your photo, comments or even shares it, IG shows that photo to their followers or it might even show up on the explore page (more on that in a later post)

how-to-grow-instagram-followers

What should you post to instagram to grow your followers?

So what do you post? That can vary. The main guidelines is keep your feed restricted to things your audience will appreciate. If you're a cake decorator, keep your feed to cakes. Does that mean you can't post pics of your pretty face or a meal? Nope! In fact, people love to see occasional peeks into your personal life but never, ever break the "but is it pretty" rule. If the photo isn't well-lit, pretty to look at, or related to your audience's interests, don't post it.

Watch my latest video on how to take cake photos with your iphone

I take photos throughout the day and categorize them into a few different types of pots. WIP (work in progress) in my studio, finished cake tutorials, recipes, travel photos (related to the cake industry) and personal photos (our business is our family so it makes sense).

instagram for cake decorators

Have a hard time remembering to post? Make it a part of your routine. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to post either first thing in the morning or at night, whichever feels easiest and natural for you.

#2 Be Authentically Engaging

If you want current followers to stick with you and for new followers to find you, you must engage with them. Every time someone comments, make sure you respond. The first 2-3 people that like your page, go to their profile and leave a comment on one of their photos. Go to your favorite IG accounts and post comments on photos you like. It's like saying, "Hi, I like you! Wanna be friends?"

how-to-grow-instagram-followers

Now I know you might say, "but I don't have time for that!" but really, you do. I am willing to be you spend more time mindlessly scrolling through FB or IG than it takes to leave a couple of comments. This literally takes me a couple of minutes and honestly, I don't do it to get likes, I do it because I love making friends with people of like mind: people who like making cool cakes and hustlin' in the cake world just like me.

Another great way to grow your Instagram followers is to share! I don't make enough content on my own to fill my feed so I spend time sharing other people's amazing cakes and videos to my own feed using a phone app called Repost. Not only does it keep your feed interesting but it shows support to other creators. Just make sure you always @ tag the original creator!

#3 Use Captions and Hashtags Properly

And this is where most of you just mentally checked out. I get it. Hashtags can be SO confusing! They were to me too for a LONG time. But if you really want to know how to grow Instagram followers, hashtags are a must. We're all searching for that magic formula or simple plan and really, there just isn't an easy answer. But I can tell you what has worked for me and continues to work.

how-to-grow-instagram-followers

Keep your captions short and sweet. Describe WHAT your photo is. Is it is a recipe? A cake featuring a certain technique? Do you have a tutorial? If so, then I really hope you say so in that caption. Trying to sell more cakes locally? Say that! No one wants to read a book but a caption should literally describe the photo and give viewers more insight as to what you're trying to show here.

And what of those pesky hashtags? In the caption, under the caption or in the comments? What works best?

how-to-grow-instagram-followers

I can tell you hands-down, hashtags in the comments are the MOST successful. Have your hashtags ready to go and post them IMMEDIATELY in the comments after you post your photo. Keep your hashtags to under 20 but more than 10 for the most success.

What exactly is a hashtag? Think of a hashtag as a category that you're putting your photo into as a way for other people who enjoy that category, can find you, follow you and potentially contact you! Whether it's other people in your industry or clients looking for that #birthdaycake

 

how to research hashtags how to research cake hashtags

 

You can research how effective and popular a hashtag is by typing it into the search bar and then seeing how many posts exist with that tag. Some have MILLIONS and the chances of you being seen under that tag are slim to none. Under your chosen tag you can see related tags. Find one with 200k or less but still popular and that's a good choice. Having a mix of popular and not-too-popular tags is a good mix.

Don't have time to research all these tags? Guess what?! I have compiled a list of the 30 best hashtags to use for cake decorators on how to grow Instagram followers and you can get it for free by opting-in to our newsletter! I also send out yummy recipes and valuable cake news so it's win-win 😀

If you commit to doing these three steps every day, you will see an EXPLOSION of growth! I'll be posting more blogs in the following weeks about social media and how to utilize it successfully in your business.

If you enjoyed this post on how to grow Instagram followers please share with your cakey friends and don't forget to come say hi on my IG page 🙂

how-to-grow-instagram-followers

Oh and ps, I DID finally get that sponsorship 😀 #bosscakers

 

Cake Decorating Basics

Semi-Naked Cake

Skill level: Newb

Liz Marek's take on the naked cake trend, updated to incorporate some modern trends in 2018, mainly the semi-naked look and fresh fruit and berries.

41:33 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to create a modern semi-naked cake design
  • Learn how to add gold leaf to cake tiers
  • How to make fresh flowers food-safe for placing on cakes
  • How to arrange flowers on a cake creatively and build interest

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Prepping the cake 0:17
  2. Torting & crumb coat 5:14
  3. Torting & crumbcoating the small cake 9:57
  4. Final coat of buttercream 12:02
  5. Mixing buttercream colors 16:28
  6. Making buttercream petals 17:51
  7. Tips for cake delivery 20:21
  8. Adding cake supports 22:24
  9. Adding gold leaf to cake 24:32
  10. Stacking the cake 27:53
  11. Prepping fresh flowers 32:47
  12. Making fresh flowers food-safe 34:27
  13. Making a floral arrangement 35:51
  14. Making apricot glaze drip 39:35
  15. Final details 40:21

Cake Decorating Basics

Cake Sketching

Skill level: Newb

After the cake tasting, you most likely have a scribbled half-sketch with some quick notes and ideas written down.

Providing the client with a digital refined cake sketch is crucial to getting sign-off, especially on a new or creatively out-there design.

Learn how to knock out a cake sketch in Photoshop with a Monoprice graphics tablet.

33:01 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to refine a cake sketch design in Photoshop
  • Learn how to quickly pull in reference photos and make them look sketched
  • How to sell the benefits of a high-quality sketch to a client

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Getting started on the cake sketch 0:14
  2. Working with Photoshop layers 3:34
  3. Getting image assets 5:19
  4. Coloring the cake tiers 9:16
  5. Sketching buttercream 11:10
  6. Adding the flowers 17:12
  7. Adding gold leaf 20:11
  8. Selling the benefits of a cake sketch 26:05
  9. Getting final approval 30:34

Cake Decorating Basics

All About the Cake Tasting

Skill level: Newb

Cake tastings: the all-important meeting between the bride-to-be and yourself.

Cake tastings can often feel stressful, vague, and out of your control. How do you setup the table? What types of cake flavors should you offer? How do you close the deal and get a down-payment?

Liz Marek and her friends conduct a mock-tasting and show how a typical meeting would go, ways to run the meeting and remain in control, how to deal with off-topic ideas from the difficult mother-in-law, and how to get a down-payment on site.

42:33 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to setup your tasting to impress
  • Learn how to direct guide the bride through decisions and add-ons
  • How to deal with off-topic cake ideas and difficult party members
  • How to get a down-payment right away and book clients

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Table setup 1:50
  2. Fondant samples 3:19
  3. Tasting ambiance 3:58
  4. Palette Cleansers 6:53
  5. Cake Portfolio 7:19
  6. Being prepared 8:25
  7. Tasting introductions 10:18
  8. Taking good notes 11:03
  9. Delivery charges 11:43
  10. Wedding colors 13:04
  11. Picking the cake tiers 13:55
  12. Quick cake sketch 14:53
  13. How to handle off-topic ideas 17:41
  14. Rough estimate and cake add-ons 21:04
  15. Tasting the cake flavors 26:53
  16. Closing the sale 33:58
  17. When to refine the cake sketch 38:15
  18. Handling cancellations 41:05

Cake Decorating Basics

Designing a Wedding Cake

Skill level: Newb

Learn how to design original wedding cake ideas from a bride's Pinterest board.

4:08 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to pull inspiration from various images and sources on Pinterest

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Coming up with cake design ideas 0:13
  2. Pushing yourself to become more creative 2:28

Cake Decorating Basics

Semi-Naked Cake Tutorial

Skill level: Newb

Liz Marek's take on the naked cake trend, updated to incorporate some modern trends in 2018, mainly the semi-naked look and fresh fruit and berries.

41:33 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to create a modern semi-naked cake design
  • Learn how to add gold leaf to cake tiers
  • How to make fresh flowers food-safe for placing on cakes
  • How to arrange flowers on a cake creatively and build interest

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Prepping the cake 0:17
  2. Torting & crumb coat 5:14
  3. Torting & crumbcoating the small cake 9:57
  4. Final coat of buttercream 12:02
  5. Mixing buttercream colors 16:28
  6. Making buttercream petals 17:51
  7. Tips for cake delivery 20:21
  8. Adding cake supports 22:24
  9. Adding gold leaf to cake 24:32
  10. Stacking the cake 27:53
  11. Prepping fresh flowers 32:47
  12. Making fresh flowers food-safe 34:27
  13. Making a floral arrangement 35:51
  14. Making apricot glaze drip 39:35
  15. Final details 40:21

Cake Decorating Basics

Cake Sketching Tutorial

Skill level: Newb

After the cake tasting, you most likely have a scribbled half-sketch with some quick notes and ideas written down.

Providing the client with a digital refined cake sketch is crucial to getting sign-off, especially on a new or creatively out-there design.

Learn how to knock out a cake sketch in Photoshop with a Monoprice graphics tablet.

33:01 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to refine a cake sketch design in Photoshop
  • Learn how to quickly pull in reference photos and make them look sketched
  • How to sell the benefits of a high-quality sketch to a client

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Getting started on the cake sketch 0:14
  2. Working with Photoshop layers 3:34
  3. Getting image assets 5:19
  4. Coloring the cake tiers 9:16
  5. Sketching buttercream 11:10
  6. Adding the flowers 17:12
  7. Adding gold leaf 20:11
  8. Selling the benefits of a cake sketch 26:05
  9. Getting final approval 30:34

Cake Decorating Basics

All About the Cake Tasting

Skill level: Newb

Cake tastings: the all-important meeting between the bride-to-be and yourself.

Cake tastings can often feel stressful, vague, and out of your control. How do you setup the table? What types of cake flavors should you offer? How do you close the deal and get a down-payment?

Liz Marek and her friends conduct a mock-tasting and show how a typical meeting would go, ways to run the meeting and remain in control, how to deal with off-topic ideas from the difficult mother-in-law, and how to get a down-payment on site.

42:33 Minutes of Instruction

What You Will Learn

  • How to setup your tasting to impress
  • Learn how to direct guide the bride through decisions and add-ons
  • How to deal with off-topic cake ideas and difficult party members
  • How to get a down-payment right away and book clients

Tutorial Chapters

  1. Table setup 1:50
  2. Fondant samples 3:19
  3. Tasting ambiance 3:58
  4. Palette Cleansers 6:53
  5. Cake Portfolio 7:19
  6. Being prepared 8:25
  7. Tasting introductions 10:18
  8. Taking good notes 11:03
  9. Delivery charges 11:43
  10. Wedding colors 13:04
  11. Picking the cake tiers 13:55
  12. Quick cake sketch 14:53
  13. How to handle off-topic ideas 17:41
  14. Rough estimate and cake add-ons 21:04
  15. Tasting the cake flavors 26:53
  16. Closing the sale 33:58
  17. When to refine the cake sketch 38:15
  18. Handling cancellations 41:05