These chocolate raspberry cupcakes are proof that you can flavour American buttercream with a fruit purée, as long as you are smart about it.

Ingredients And Substitutions

Normally, I'm an all-butter kind of girl, but I find with chocolate cakes, butter-based recipes, sadly, can be a bit dry. Oil makes a great baking substitution in cases like this because it provides a little more fat and because it's liquid at room temperature, oil gives baked goods a more moist texture. So, this cake recipe calls for oil, not butter, but it yields a light, moist cake that everybody loves and its texture makes up for the absence of butter. Of course, if you have a moist all-butter alternative for me, do send it my way! I'd really appreciate that. In the meantime, here is an easy moist chocolate cupcake recipe that works every time.

There are a few things to note about the ingredients in these dark chocolate cupcakes:

• cocoa—I bake with Dutch-processed cocoa powder. I like to use the cocoa powder from Cacao Barry on Amazon
• salt—If you are using regular table salt instead of Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt, add half the amount to avoid the chocolate cakes being too salty.
• coffee—You can use warm coffee, espresso, or water for the cake batter.
• buttermilk—If you don't have buttermilk, you can make buttermilk from milk and vinegar (1 tablespoon (15 mL) of white or cider vinegar for every 1 cup (250 mL) of milk.
• oil—Use a flavourless, neutral oil like canola or grapeseed oil. Avoid extra virgin olive oil unless you want to taste it! Melted butter would also work in this recipe, but oil creates a more tender, moist cupcake. You can do half butter, half oil to get the flavour of the butter with the moist texture from the oil.
• butter—Use softened unsalted butter for the frosting. Salted may work, or preferably semi-salted butter to avoid making the raspberry buttercream overly salty.
• raspberries—you can use fresh or frozen raspberries to make this raspberry frosting. The berries are cooked to release the water trapped inside, which is then boiled off so it doesn't matter whether the berries are fresh or frozen.

Please see the recipe card for a complete list of the exact ingredients and quantities.

How To Add Raspberry Flavour To Frostings And Buttercreams

The trouble with fruit-infused frostings is the fruit. Fruit and berries (like raspberries) have a high water content. The flavour is rather weak if you stir the raw fruit directly into a frosting or buttercream (or cake batter). For a strong flavour, you would have to add a ton of fruit to properly flavour the buttercream, but that would curdle the frosting because berries contain so much water. So, how do we make raspberry-flavoured frostings and desserts?

There are a few ways to make raspberry-flavoured frosting without compromising on texture or taste:

1. Emulsions and extracts: Just like vanilla extract, you can buy fruit emulsions, flavour oils, and extracts. For example, there's a raspberry emulsion you can for flavouring baked goods. These provide an easy way to add flavour without having to add tons of fruit. Extracts and emulsions can be added in the same way as vanilla extract, in teaspoon amounts.
2. Cooked purées and jams: if you bring the mashed fruit to a boil (with or without sugar), you can cook the mixture to reduce it and remove much of the water. The cooled fruit concentrate or jam can then be added to a buttercream or frosting, without affecting the texture too much. Concentrated fruit purées and jams are a good way to add berry flavour to buttercream. For this method, both fresh and frozen raspberries work very well.
3. Freeze-dried fruit powders: this is another great way of adding flavour without adding water. Freeze-dried fruit are sold whole or in powder form. I'd get the powder if I had a choice. With a freeze-dried raspberry powder, all you have to do is add it to your buttercream recipe by the spoonful. This is a great way of adding raspberry colour and flavour to a frosting.

How To Make Moist Chocolate Cupcakes

The moist chocolate cupcake recipe (adapted from  Martha Stewart one-bowl chocolate cupcakes) is what I refer to as a cake mix cake recipe. Well, it's a cake mix made from scratch, of course. It is the easiest chocolate cupcake recipe you can make and doesn't require a mixer! You combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl. Combine all the wet ingredients in another bowl. Then mix the two together. Very easy.

Step 1—Sift the dry ingredients together (image 1) then whisk them well to ensure they are properly incorporated and evenly mixed (image 2). I like to use a Danish dough whisk.

Step 2—Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl with a spout (or a large liquid measuring cup) (image 3) then pour them over the dry ingredients (image 4).

Note: If you are feeling lazy, you can even just measure out the wet ingredients and place them directly into the bowl with the dry ingredients, in a one-bowl process. Super easy. You can do this with a mixer, but a spoon or whisk will also do the trick. This is the same mixing method as for muffins.

Step 5—Whisk them just until mixed but do not overmix (image 5). At this point you can use this batter to make layer cakes, full-size cupcakes, or mini cupcakes (which is what I did), dividing the batter among paper-lined mini muffin pans. Bake them until a cake tester comes out clean and the surface is set.

Step 6—While the cupcakes are cooling, you will cook down the raspberry purée, first straining it to remove the seeds (image 6) so that you can concentrate the raspberry juice by cooking off the water in a saucepan.

Step 7—Pipe the frosting on the cooled cupcakes. I like to use a Wilton 1M tip or a large star tip to create a cute swirl.

Frosting Alternatives

Other Chocolate Recipes

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Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting

These moist dark chocolate cupcakes are very easy to make and are so cute topped with a raspberry-flavoured buttercream frosting made with real raspberry purée.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 50 mini cupcakes

Calories 103kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• Mini muffin pan
• Mini paper liners
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• 1M piping tip
• Piping bags

Ingredients

Chocolate cupcakes

• 300 grams granulated sugar
• 195 grams bleached all-purpose flour sifted
• 69 grams Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder sifted
• 7.5 mL baking soda
• 3.75 mL baking powder
• 3.75 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 2 large egg(s)
• 178 grams buttermilk (1 % fat)
• 178 grams warm coffee or warm water
• 45 mL canola oil
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract

Raspberry frosting

• 340 grams fresh or frozen raspberries
• 115 grams unsalted butter softened
• 400 grams icing sugar sifted
• pink sanding sugar optional

Metric - US

Instructions

To make the chocolate cupcakes

• Line two 24-cup mini cupcake pans (cupcake pans from Amazon) with mini baking cups (also available on Amazon) Preheat the oven to 350°F (175 °C).
• In a large bowl with a whisk, or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the sugar, flour cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, coffee (or water), canola oil, and vanilla.
• Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients in the mixer bowl, and mix them on low until the batter is liquid, glossy, and without lumps.
• Pour it into each of the liners until they are evenly filled to about ¾ the height of the liner. Don't overfill them because we don't want too much of a muffin top!
• Bake the cupcakes for about 12–15 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out completely clean. The cakes should spring back when tapped lightly.
• Let the cupcakes cool partly before transferring to a wire rack. Repeat the process of lining the pan with more paper liners, filling and baking the cupcakes until you've used up all of the chocolate cupcake batter.

To make the raspberry frosting and decorate

• In a small saucepan, heat the raspberries on low to extract the raspberry juice, mashing with a potato masher or the back of a spoon.
• Strain out the seeds and fruit pulp using a fine-meshed sieve and transfer the strained juice back to the pot. Save the raspberry pulp for breakfast!
• Heat the juice on medium to cook it down to about ¼–⅓ cup (60–80 mL). Let cool completely before using.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with about 230 grams of icing sugar. Cream them together on low, then add the concentrated raspberry juice.
• Adjust the consistency of the frosting with the last 170 grams of icing sugar, beating well to make sure that it is smooth.
• To decorate: fill a piping bag fitted with a star tip (like a 1M tip you can get on Amazon) with the frosting. Pipe a rosette of frosting over each mini cupcake. Top with a pinch of sprinkles if using. Please note that the frosting will change colors slightly as it sits.

Notes

• I bake with Dutch-processed cocoa powder. I like to use the cocoa powder from Cacao Barry on Amazon
• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• You can use warm coffee or water for the cake batter.
• If you don't have buttermilk, you can make buttermilk from milk and vinegar (1 tablespoon (15 mL) of white or cider vinegar for every 1 cup (250 mL) of milk.
• Use a flavourless, neutral oil like canola or grapeseed oil. Avoid extra virgin olive oil unless you want to taste it!

Nutrition

Calories: 103kcal

The post Chocolate Cupcakes With Raspberry Frosting appeared first on The Bake School.

You can sweeten whipped cream with maple syrup, but it takes some adjustments in terms of the ingredients and quantities. Maple whipped cream is the perfect topping for this maple cake. Here's how to make it!

Ingredients

You only need 5 ingredients to make maple whipped cream. Here's what you need:

• cream—use full-fat 35 % whipping cream
• mascarpone—use full-fat mascarpone cheese
• maple syrup—I prefer the flavour of medium maple syrup when mixing with other ingredients because it has a more pronounced flavour
• vanilla—I bake with pure vanilla extract made from real vanilla beans
• salt—you only need a pinch of salt. I use Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt but regular table salt will also work.

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

Instructions

This recipe could not be easier! This topping is ready in 5 minutes. Here's how to make it:

I like to use my stand mixer to make whipped cream, but you can also use an electric hand mixer. You could whip it by hand too, but that will take more effort.

Step 1—combine all the ingredients in a mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment (the whipping cream, mascarpone, maple syrup, vanilla, and a pinch of salt). Whip until it forms firm peaks.

Tip: Make sure all your ingredients are chilled before proceeding. If the cream is warm, it will not whip as quickly or as well.

Storage

What To Serve It With

I love using this maple whipped frosting as a topping for maple desserts, like this maple cake and this maple sweet potato pie. It's also a great accompaniment for these cheddar bacon biscuits, maple syrup pie, or even pumpkin pie.

Related

Looking for other maple recipes like this? Try these:

If you tried this recipe for maple whipped cream (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Maple Whipped Cream

Learn how to make the best maple whipped cream with this easy recipe. All you have to do is combine the ingredients in a bowl and whip them together to make a thick, luscious maple-flavoured cream frosting for cakes and other desserts.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Canadian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 16

Calories 83kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 6-quart KitchenAid Pro mixer

Ingredients

• 160 mL whipping cream (35 % fat) refrigerator cold
• 160 grams pure maple syrup refrigerator cold
• 75 grams mascarpone cheese refrigerator cold
• 2.5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 1 pinch Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt

Metric - US

Instructions

• Combine all the cold ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the vanilla and salt too.
• Whip them on medium to medium–high speed until they come together to form a thick whipped topping with firm peaks.

Notes

• This recipe makes about 750 mL (3 cups) of maple whipped topping.
• For the maple syrup, use pure maple syrup (medium or dark preferably). Do not use maple-flavoured pancake syrup which is corn syrup and not as tasty.
• You can enhance the flavour of this maple-flavoured whipped cream with imitation maple extract.
• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• Adapted from the book Sheet Cake by Abby Dodge.

Nutrition

Calories: 83kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 32mg | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 214IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 0.02mg

The post Maple Whipped Cream appeared first on The Bake School.

Whipped cream makes a great topping for baked goods, like this fallen chocolate cake or this Earl Grey chocolate tart. You can even use it to make layer cakes, like this Black Forest cake. You can also use it as a garnish for beverages like hot chocolate and hot cocoa.

Ingredients

The beauty of whipped cream is that it takes just a few ingredients to make and yet it is so versatile! Here's what you need to make homemade whipped cream:

• cream—use cream with a higher fat content, around 35–40 % fat.
• sugar—you can technically use either granulated sugar or icing sugar. Granulated sugar will give the whipped cream a slightly grainy texture.
• vanilla—both vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste will work here. Use the same amount of either. Alternatively, you can scrape a vanilla bean and add the seeds, but the flavour may be more subtle without extracting it.

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

Instructions

You can use a stand mixer, an electric hand mixer, or just a balloon whisk to whip the cream by hand. If using an electric mixer, be careful because it's very easy to overwhip the cream. It can happen in seconds!

Step 1: Place the cold whipping cream in a cold bowl (image 1) and whip it until soft peaks form (image 2). Soft peaks means that the cream will not hold its shape at this point and will be very supple and soft.

Tip: Make sure you start the process with cold whipping cream, taken directly from the fridge. If the cream is warm or has sat out for a period, it will not do a good job of trapping air and you will have a difficult time trying to incorporate air into the foam, which will be less stable. Use cold cream to make whipped cream!

Step 2: Add the vanilla and the icing sugar to the soft whipped cream (image 3) then continue to whip the cream until it is firm but still supple (image 4).

Hint: if you are making mousse, it's actually better to leave the whipped cream quite soft to make incorporating the other ingredients easier. If the cream is too firm, it will take more effort to incorporate mousse ingredients together and you will deflate it.

Recipes with Whipped Cream

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Whipped Cream

Learn how to make perfect whipped cream with this easy recipe. This vanilla whipped cream is sweetened with icing sugar and flavoured with vanilla bean paste for a lovely topping that can also be used as a filling or frosting for cakes.

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 122kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Ingredients

• 250 mL whipping cream (35 % fat)
• 25 grams icing sugar
• 5 mL vanilla bean paste

Metric - US

Instructions

• In a bowl, using either an electric hand mixer or a balloon whisk, whip the cream to soft peaks.
• Add the icing sugar and vanilla, and continue whipping until the whipping cream is thick, but supple. Use immediately. Do not overwhip.

Notes

• Temperature is key when you whip cream. Make sure your cream is fridge-cold because cold cream will do a better job of trapping air in a foam than warm cream. 
• You can add a few ingredients to stabilize whipped cream. Your best bet is to add gelatin, either powdered gelatin or gelatin sheets, which will trap the water, preventing it from separating out upon storage. To do this, for ever cup of whipping cream, use ⅛ + ¼ teaspoon powdered gelatin or ½ sheet of leaf gelatin (~1.7 grams). For powdered gelatin, bloom it in cold milk, then heat it gently to melt the gelatin. For leaf gelatin, soften it in cold water, then squeeze the excess water and melt it in a small amount of cold milk (or cream) on low heat. Remember the melting temperature of gelatin is around 32 °C (90 °C). If you overheat the gelatin, you will damage the proteins, and it won't stabilize the cream properly. Let it cool slightly before incorporating with your whipped cream.
• Althernative stabilizers are cream cheese or mascarpone. These will alter the flavour of the whipped cream slightly but they stabilize quite well! Start with 56 grams (2 ounces) of cream cheese or mascarpone, whipping until smooth before adding the cream.
• To flavour whipped cream:
  • Vanilla - use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste interchangeably
  • Coffee - add a shot of cold espresso or use espresso powder
  • Chocolate - fold in cooled melted chocolate (watch how thick it will become as it sets! This is chocolate mousse!)
  • Lemon - fold in lemon curd
  • Tea - add finely chopped Earl Grey tea leaves (the taste will be subtle but the look is very pretty like on this Earl Grey chocolate tart!)
  • Alcohol - add a liqueur like Kahluà or Amaretto, or even brandy or cognac

Nutrition

Calories: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 30mg | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 462IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 0.03mg

The post How to Make Whipped Cream appeared first on The Bake School.

If you don't like a chocolate frosting that is too cloyingly sweet, this chocolate fudge frosting is for you! It's made with a little sour cream to balance out the sweetness!

This is a good chocolate frosting recipe for beginner bakers, unlike a whipped ganache frosting, because it's less prone to curdling or breaking. Plus, with ganaches and whipped ganache, the temperature can be an issue and there is a window where if your frosting is too warm, it will be too thin, but if it's too cold, you will have trouble icing your cake with it. Chocolate fudge frosting is more forgiving.

Ingredients

Most chocolate fudge frostings are made from cocoa powder, icing sugar, and butter, but for this recipe, we are also using melted chocolate, espresso powder, and sour cream, which add depth of flavour and a little acidity to balance out the sweetness of the icing sugar.

• butter—both salted and unsalted butter will work. The salt in salted butter is a great way to offset the sweetness and add depth to the flavour.
• cocoa powder—I always bake with cocoa powder that is Dutch-processed and has a higher fat content (usually around 22 % fat), providing more flavour than regular cocoa powder could, and a darker colour.
• chocolate—I've tested this recipe with 41 % milk chocolate and 70 % dark chocolate. Both work.
• icing sugar—don't use granulated sugar or brown sugar because the texture of your frosting will be different
• espresso powder—instant espresso powder is optional but it can enhance the chocolate flavour in this recipe so I like to add it. The more you add, the more pronounced the coffee flavour will be, but in small quantities (5 mL or 1 teaspoon), the flavour will be more subtle
• sour cream—use full-fat sour cream (14% fat) for the smoothest texture and the best flavour
• vanilla—I use pure vanilla extract

See the recipe card for quantities and ingredients.

Substitutions and Variations

• Chocolate: I've tested this recipe with both milk and dark chocolate. Be sure to use a chocolate that is lower in sugar, like Alunga by Cacao Barry, a 41 % milk chocolate, or Ocoa by Cacao Barry, a 70 % dark chocolate.
• Coffee: along with the espresso powder, you can also add coffee extract in place of the vanilla to enhance the flavour

Tip: Some brands include a lot of sugar in their milk or dark chocolate. There are many different types of chocolate for baking, so make sure to use the best you can. In this case, reach for bittersweet chocolate that is around 70 % cocoa solids and not too sugary or use dark milk chocolate with around 40 % cocoa content that isn't too sweet.

Adding Sour Cream to Frosting

In this frosting, you'll notice there's sour cream in the ingredient list. This contributes a tangy flavour that isn't very noticeable, but it helps to balance out the sweetness of the frosting so that the chocolate frosting isn't just sugary.

Sour cream provides an acidity here that is hard to beat with any other ingredients. That acidity is what makes some canned frosting so addictive, actually! Remember, the frosting for Christina Tosi's Milk Bar birthday cake is made with citric acid powder, not so much that the frosting is sour, but just enough to brighten it, adding complexity to the flavour that you might not expect.

Enhancing Chocolate Flavour with Coffee

This chocolate fudge frosting relies on two sources of chocolate for flavour: melted dark chocolate (70 %) and cocoa powder. Using these two together leads to a rich, full-bodied frosting that has more depth than most. As always, make sure to use the best chocolate for baking that you can.

Remember that a great way to enhance the chocolate flavour in baked goods is to incorporate a little coffee. You can use espresso powder, for example, which will contribute bitter notes to help balance out the sweetness of the frosting, without overpowering the chocolate flavour from the melted chocolate and the cocoa.

How to Make Chocolate Fudge Frosting

This frosting is made using the creaming method, where the ingredients are whipped together into a smooth, creamy, spreadable frosting for cakes.

For this recipe, the dark chocolate is melted with the butter until it's creamy, glossy, and smooth. This makes it easier to incorporate the icing sugar and the other ingredients, without the risk of the frosting curdling or breaking from temperature issues where the chocolate is warmer than the other components.

You can make this frosting in a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer. I've tested both and didn't notice anything significantly different between the two batches. Obviously, the stand mixer allows you to make this more easily because you can let it whip while you clean up.

Combine the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl, like a glass or stainless bowl.

Melt the two together over a double boiler or in the microwave (the bowl needs to be microwaveable if you opt for the latter!).

When the butter and chocolate have cooled down a little (but are still melted and fluid), sift the icing sugar, cocoa and espresso powders over top to remove any lumps.

Add the sour cream and vanilla.

Slowly mix the ingredients at first to keep the powdery ingredients confined to the bowl.

Increase speed and whip the frosting until glossy, smooth, and light.

When to Use This Frosting

This chocolate sour cream frosting is very versatile and can be used to frost and decorate all kinds of cakes:

• I made a smaller batch with milk chocolate for this one-layer banana cake with chocolate frosting
• I made a full batch with milk chocolate for this quintessential birthday cake of vanilla cake with chocolate frosting. This frosting would also be excellent with this eggless chocolate cake.
• I made it with dark chocolate for this chocolate caramel birthday cake with layers of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and caramel stacked in between
• It's great smeared thick on bars like these brownies with walnuts!

Frosting FAQs

This chocolate fudge frosting is great with banana cake, like in this coffee banana cake where I used dark milk chocolate. It's great sandwiched between layers of vanilla cake for the classic birthday cake. Of course, it would also work perfectly with this eggless chocolate cake or in this chocolate caramel cake.

If you tried this recipe for chocolate fudge frosting (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Chocolate Fudge Frosting

This recipe is for a dark chocolate frosting that is much like a fudge frosting. This is a great chocolate fudge frosting that is not too sweet.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 100 tablespoons

Calories 42kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• Braun mixer

Ingredients

• 170 grams unsalted butter
• 175 grams dark chocolate (70 % cocoa content) chopped
• 45 grams Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder
• 15 mL pure vanilla extract
• 345 grams icing sugar sifted
• 250 mL sour cream (14% fat)

Metric - US

Instructions

• Melt the butter and the chopped chocolate together in a small bowl over a double boiler. When completely melted and uniform, set aside to cool to room temperature.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together (starting on low) the cocoa powder, vanilla, half the icing sugar, the cooled melted chocolate mixture, and the sour cream. When the mixture is smooth, add the rest of the icing sugar, and continue beating til it’s smooth and fluffy.

Notes

• Make sure to use 70 % dark chocolate or another bittersweet chocolate. If the chocolate is too sweet, the frosting will be sweeter, obviously.
• For the dark chocolate, I used Cacao Barry Ocoa 70 % dark chocolate.
• Calories calculated based on 1 tablespoon (15 mL) serving of frosting

Nutrition

Calories: 42kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 59IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg

The post How to Make Chocolate Fudge Frosting appeared first on The Bake School.

Cream cheese frosting is notoriously unstable. The water in the cheese tends to separate out, creating a runny, loose frosting. Most people choose to add more powdered sugar to remedy the situation, but I've found a new way of mixing the ingredients that results in a thick cream cheese frosting made with half the powdered sugar than the classic recipe. Another option is to make this thick cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar, sweetened with white chocolate instead of icing sugar.

Why Cream Cheese Frosting is Runny or Too Sweet

Typical recipes for cream cheese frosting have you cream the butter and the cream cheese together, then add A TON of icing sugar. Cream cheese frosting recipes call for so much powdered sugar because without the extra powdered sugar, cream cheese frosting tends to be runny, unstable, weepy, and soupy.

Why It's So Unstable

A block of cream cheese contains a lot more water than the same weight of butter. Remember that most grocery store butters have roughly 80 % fat in them, while cream cheese is half of that, around 40 % fat. What remains in both cases is mostly water, so cream cheese contains more moisture than butter.

When the cream cheese is creamed with the butter, and then the icing sugar is added in, the icing sugar draws out that moisture from the butter and the cheese. Butter has very little moisture to draw out, so you can make a thick, pipeable frosting with butter and icing sugar without much worry. But since cream cheese contributes double the moisture, when the icing sugar draws out that moisture, you end up with a soupy, runny, unstable cream cheese frosting.

This is the main reason why most cream cheese frosting recipes recommend a huge amount of icing sugar. Without all the extra powdered sugar, the frosting is too soft to work with. The frosting doesn't hold its shape when piped and it's quite unstable. Bakers tend to overload the frosting with powdered sugar to stiffen the frosting. This leads to a cloyingly sweet cream cheese frosting that doesn't taste very good.

How to make thick cream cheese frosting that is stable and can be piped

Without resorting to adding an excess amount of icing sugar, to make a thicker cream cheese frosting that can be used to frost a cake or decorate cupcakes, the solution is simple: change the order you mix your ingredients in:

• Step 1: Cream the butter with the icing sugar first, thereby coating all the little sugar molecules with fat
• Step 2: Once the butter and icing sugar are well mixed, THEN you add in the cream cheese. The sugar is coated with fat, therefore making it more difficult to draw out the moisture from the cream cheese. The cream cheese remains intact, and no water leeches out.

By following this mixing order, you can make a frosting with significantly less sugar. In fact, you end up with a frosting that tastes a lot like cheesecake, tangy and not overly sweet!

Cream cheese in the tub versus blocks of cream cheese

The cream cheese product you buy has an impact on this recipe. Cream cheese sold in the tub is formulated to be spreadable and that softer consistency comes the water content: cream cheese sold in the tub has slightly less fat and more water than cream cheese sold in blocks, which is much firmer.

That extra water in the tub product means your cream cheese frosting will be more prone to breaking down or becoming too soft. If you can, buy the cream cheese sold in blocks and make sure to buy full-fat cream cheese, preferably Philadelphia brand.

What recipes to make with it

Once you have mastered this thick cream cheese frosting recipe, you will see that it is so thick that you can use it to make layer cakes and for decorating. I've used this recipe for:

• eggless carrot cake
• berry chocolate cake
• cranberry layer cake
• spiced apple cupcakes
• pumpkin whoopie pies
• chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting

You know this recipe is good because this cream cheese frosting works great in layer cakes without the risk of sliding layers and weeping frosting!

There are so many ways to get creative with this frosting. You can alo use this frosting to fill whoopie pies and you can also colour it with gel food colouring for decorating. Try browning the butter, then cooling it to room temperature to give the frosting a nutty flavour.

Cream Cheese Frosting FAQs

If you tried this recipe for thick cream cheese frosting (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Thick Cream Cheese Frosting for Layer Cakes and Piping

This is the best cream cheese frosting for layer cakes and piping with less icing sugar than most!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 60 tablespoons

Calories 63kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• Mini offset
• Ateco turntable

Ingredients

• 173 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 218 grams icing sugar sifted after measuring
• 500 grams Philadelphia cream cheese (full fat, regular) cold
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (both are optional)

Metric - US

Instructions

• Cream together the butter and the icing sugar first until they are fluffy and creamy. When these two ingredients are well mixed, then you can add the cream cheese, all at once. Beat for several minutes until you have a thick, smooth frosting.
• Feel free to add vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste at this point to add a little flavour!

Notes

• Please use Philadelphia brand cream cheese because it's the best! The taste and texture of the frosting won't be as good with other brands.
• Where I live, a full-size block of cream cheese is equivalent to 250 grams (0.55 pounds).
• This is enough to frost a three-layer 6-inch cake.
• Calories calculated based on one tablespoon.

Nutrition

Calories: 63kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 12mg | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 184IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg

The post How to Make Thick Cream Cheese Frosting for Cakes and Piping with Less Sugar appeared first on The Bake School.

This might be my new favourite cream cheese frosting! This white chocolate cream cheese frosting is a great alternative to my thick cream cheese frosting recipe. It's made without powdered sugar and relies on white chocolate to help give it body and stability.

I've used this white chocolate cream cheese recipe for layer cakes, like this white chocolate cranberry cake and this spiced layer cake. I've also used it to decorate these easy matcha cakes. You can see how beautifully it pipes if you visit that last recipe!

Ingredients

This cream cheese frosting is made thick by omitting the powdered sugar and replacing it with melted white chocolate. Here's what you need to make it:

• butter—use unsalted butter because the cream cheese will add a fair amount of salt and you don't want the frosting to be too salty
• cream cheese—use full-fat cream cheese sold in bars, like Philadelphia cream cheese (full-fat, regular). Do not use whipped cream cheese or cream cheese spread.
• white chocolate—make sure to use good quality white chocolate with around 30 % cocoa content in it. Do not use candy melts or white chocolate chips
• lemon juice—I prefer fresh lemon juice for its flavour

Please see the recipe card for exact ingredients and quantities.

Instructions

This frosting recipe is quite quick to make. The only thing that takes time is waiting for the melted white chocolate to cool down before using it to avoid breaking down the cream cheese.

Step 1: Chop the white chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl (image 1). Melt the chocolate gently over a double boiler until smooth (image 2). Meanwhile, whip the cream cheese until soft and fluffy (image 3), then drizzle the cooled melted white chocolate with the mixer running (image 4).

Step 2: Whip the cream cheese and white chocolate mixture until thick, fluffy, and well-mixed (image 5), then slowly incorporate the softened butter and lemon juice (image 6). Beat the frosting until thick and fluffy, like whipped cream (image 7). If you notice any flecks of butter or white chocolate, you can pass the frosting through a fine-mesh sieve to smooth it out (image 8).

Hint: Cream cheese frosting is notorious for having lumps in it. Sometimes it's the butter that seizes up if the cream cheese is cold, and sometimes it's the cream cheese. In this recipe, we whip the cream cheese to smooth it out before making the frosting. But you can always pass it through a strainer to remove lumps. It's a bit of a pain, but it helps remove lumps in the frosting!

Cream Cheese Frosting FAQs

Other Frostings and Fillings to Try

Looking for other amazing frosting recipes like this? Try these:

If you tried this recipe for the best white chocolate cream cheese frosting (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Learn how to make the best white chocolate cream cheese frosting with this easy recipe. This thick cream cheese frosting is made without powdered sugar and instead thickened with melted white chocolate creating a creamy frosting perfect for decorating cupcakes and stacking layer cakes.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 317kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer

Ingredients

• 340 grams Philadelphia cream cheese (full fat, regular) softened
• 255 grams white chocolate
• 173 grams unsalted butter softened
• 23 grams fresh lemon juice

Metric - US

Instructions

• Chop the white chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl. Melt it over a double boiler until silky smooth, then let it cool before using it.
• Whip the cream cheese in a stand mixer until fluffy and very soft, then with the mixer on low, slowly drizzle the cooled melted white chocolate. Continue beating until light and fluffy.
• Slowly add the butter, a few pieces at a time, beating between each addition to make sure it’s incorporated.
• Add the lemon juice and continue whipping until the frosting is fluffy and light.

Notes

• This frosting is a great substitute for classic cream cheese frosting if you want a thick frosting without powdered sugar. It's sweetened and thickened with white chocolate instead of icing sugar.
• If you notice any lumps once you are done whipping the frosting, you can press it through a sieve to remove them.
• Store 1 day at room temperature, up to 2 weeks in the fridge, or several months in the freezer.
• The frosting may separate a little if the kitchen is very warm. Chill the frosting in the fridge and beat it again.
• The buttercream will appear spongy if you store it for use later. You can smooth it out by whipping it again, but only do this once it's come to room temperature. Otherwise, it may split or curdle.
• Adapted from The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Nutrition

Calories: 317kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 110mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 0.05g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 747IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 0.1mg

The post Thick White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Without Powdered Sugar appeared first on The Bake School.

Here's an Italian meringue buttercream recipe in grams (and cups) and everything you need to know about making this frosting at home!

What is Italian meringue buttercream?

Italian meringue buttercream is a silky smooth frosting that is preferred by many trained pastry professionals because it isn't too sweet, it's a good blank canvas for incorporating flavours and colours, it can be piped and used to decorate elaborate cakes and cupcakes, especially wedding cakes, it can be used under fondant, and it is the most stable of the buttercreams.

Italian meringue and Swiss meringue buttercreams don't contain any powdered sugar so they are very different than American buttercreams. The flavour of Swiss and Italian meringue buttercream is more buttery than sweet, and this is unexpected to many North American tasters who are used to quick frostings made from powdered sugar and butter that are very sugary.

Italian meringue buttercream is more common in Europe, especially France. It was the main type of frosting I was taught at Le Cordon Bleu in pastry school, actually. The technique to make Italian meringue buttercream ensures that the ingredients are properly emulsified into a stable frosting.

Ingredients in Italian meringue buttercream

Italian meringue buttercream, like Swiss meringue buttercream, are very different than American buttercream. Italian meringue buttercream is made with 3 basic ingredients:

1. Egg whites
2. Granulated sugar
3. Water
4. Butter

There are other ingredients that you can add to Italian meringue buttercream, which are optional

• cream of tartar to stabilize the meringue
• salt to break up the gloopy egg whites so that they whip faster and/or to add a little flavour to the buttercream
• vanilla extract (or other flavour extracts) to give the Italian meringue buttercream a little more flavour and a sweet taste

Remember, unlike American buttercream, Italian meringue buttercream does not contain powdered sugar. It's sweetened with sugar syrup instead.

How do you make Italian meringue buttercream?

To make Italian meringue buttercream, you start with an Italian meringue that is whipped with butter to emulsify the mixture and form a smooth buttercream frosting, as the name would suggest. Italian meringue is one of 3 types of meringues that you can make (French, Swiss, and Italian). They are all made with egg whites and sugar, but the mixing method is different:

• For French meringue, there is no heat involved. Egg whites are whipped while slowly incorporating sugar. This is the same method as for a chocolate pavlova. The French meringue is easier to make, but it's also less stable than the others because it's only stabilized with some sugar. French meringue is not used to make buttercream, generally, probably because it's not stable enough. Note that French buttercream is not made from French meringue, unlike Swish and Italian. French buttercream is made from a "pâte à bombe" and butter. The pâte à bombe is made from egg yolks whipped with hot syrup (cooked to soft ball stage).
• For Swiss meringue, the egg whites are whipped with the sugar over a double-boiler. This allows you to gently heat the egg whites so that you can slowly build up a stable meringue with gentle heating. Direct heat would cook the egg whites otherwise. Heating the egg whites creates a more stable meringue. The Swiss meringue can be mixed with butter after cooling to make a Swiss meringue buttercream. Swiss meringue is technically easier to make than Italian meringue. However Swiss meringue is also not as stable as Italian meringue and therefore neither is the buttercream. Still, Swiss meringue buttercream is stable enough for most purposes.
• For Italian meringue, the egg whites are whisked alone (or with a fraction of the sugar to avoid over-whipping the meringue!). Meanwhile, the sugar is mixed with water and heated to make a syrup. The syrup is cooked to between soft ball stage and up to firm ball stage (234-240 °F or 112-115 °C, and up to a maximum 250 ºF or 121 ºC) before pouring over the meringue slowly while whisking. This hot sugar syrup creates the most stable meringue possible: Italian meringue. The meringue is whipped until it's cooled, at which point it can be piped or you can incorporate butter to make an Italian meringue buttercream (recipe below). Italian meringue and Italian meringue buttercream are the most stable because of the way they are made. Italian meringue is also used to make macarons, not to be confused with macaroons.

How to determine soft ball stage for Italian meringue

To make Italian meringue and Italian meringue frosting, the temperature of the sugar syrup is key because your sugar syrup should be at the soft ball stage. To determine if the syrup has cooked enough, you can:

• Measure the temperature of sugar syrups with a thermometer.
• Use an instant-read thermometer if you can. I measured the temperature with a Thermapen which is very fast at registering temperatures and temperature changes, but a probe thermometer with a longer cable like the ChefAlarm would be better because then you don't have to hold it with your hands, which would be much less dangerous to use than my hand-held setup. Every second counts when you are heating sugar syrups. If you heat the syrup too long (to the hard ball stage), you may have trouble when you pour it over the whipped egg whites: you may end up with some hardening of the syrup and difficulties properly incorporating the syrup in the whipped egg whites.
• Measure the temperature of sugar syrups without a thermometer, by hand. For this, you will need a bowl of ice water. When you want to check the temperature, remove the saucepan from the heat. Take a small sample of the syrup and drop it into the ice water bath:
  • If the syrup disappears and dissolves right away, then you haven't cooked the syrup enough. Put the saucepan back on the stove to cook it more
  • If the syrup forms a soft ball in ice water that can be flattened between your fingertips, you know your syrup is at 234-240 °F or 112-115 °C. Be sure to roll the ball between your fingers and squeeze it to feel the texture.
  • If the syrup forms a firm ball in ice water that is firm but still pliable, but not hard, you know your syrup is just under 249 ºF or 121 ºC, the limit for making Italian meringue
  • If the syrup forms a hard ball in ice water, your syrup may be too hot and the water content will be too low to make Italian meringue properly

Higher temperature syrups for Italian meringue

Some pastry chefs recommend cooking syrups to a higher temperature (even as high as 121 ºC which is bordering on the hard ball stage). The idea behind this is the hotter sugar syrup will raise the temperature of the egg whites high enough in an attempt to pasteurize them. This may be something to keep in mind and test if food safety is a concern for you.

Use a stand mixer to make Italian meringue buttercream

I learned how to make Italian meringue by hand with a giant balloon whisk, but let's face it: the ease of preparation and the result obtained with the stand mixer cannot be beaten. It's a struggle to make Italian meringue by hand with a whisk and I do not recommend it because you have to whip the egg whites continuously in a bowl while slowly drizzling the hot syrup in an even stream.

This step can be quite dangerous given that the sugar is cooked to between 112 ºC and 121 ºC. For this type of recipe and preparation, even a hand mixer can be dangerous. I can only recommend making Italian meringue buttercream with a stand mixer, like the KitchenAid stand mixer.

To make a large batch of Italian meringue buttercream based on 10 egg whites, you will need a larger mixer bowl, so it's best to make a big batch in a 6-quart or 7-quart mixer, whereas for smaller batches based on 5 to 7 egg whites, you can use a smaller 5-quart stand mixer.

The following recipe will fit in a 5-quart bowl, but it will be tight.

If you don't have a stand mixer and would like to make a frosting with a hand mixer, try this thick cream cheese frosting or this milk chocolate frosting, for example. The frosting for the Milk Bar birthday cake could also be made with a hand mixer. And you could make this raspberry frosting, which is an American buttercream flavoured with a concentrated raspberry purée.

How much buttercream do you need to frost and decorate a cake?

It is actually much easier to make a double batch of IMBC than a single batch because the whipped egg whites (before the addition of the syrup) fill the 6.5 Qt mixer bowl enough that adding the syrup is much easier, without worrying about spraying it over the beater! From now on, I will be making my IMBC in double batches (therefore 10 egg whites at a time) instead of single batches. I'll freeze the leftovers.

To assemble and decorate a 3-layer 8-inch cake, you will need one 10-egg white batch of Italian meringue buttercream. I assembled and lightly frosted the cake with the plain, uncoloured buttercream, then I split the remainder (~900 grams) into three bowls and coloured each with a different amount of violet gel colour (from Ateco/Spectrum).

To colour buttercreams that have a high butter/fat content, I prefer to use gel food colours.  I have even used oil-based gel food colours also called candy colours. Oil-based candy food colours blend into buttercreams easily, whereas water-based gel food colours may not incorporate properly, leading to an uneven colour.

I used i am baker's fantastic rose cake tutorial for the piping using a 1M tip from Wilton (which you can buy on Amazon). I found it difficult to properly fill the space and estimate the rose size to pipe, but I think I will soon get the hang of this. Also, my two darker lilac colours are too similar. I guess I need to work on my colouring technique too!

Italian meringue buttercream recipe

Before making the recipe for Italian meringue buttercream, make sure to read through the frequently asked questions about making buttercream and about working with buttercream so that you are familiar with what can go wrong when you are making this recipe, how to fix it, when to use this buttercream and how.

Italian meringue buttercream FAQs

Italian meringue buttercream is a versatile frosting for cakes and cupcakes. Here are a few answers to common questions about this type of buttercream:

If you tried this recipe for the best Italian meringue buttercream frosting (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Italian Meringue Buttercream

This Italian meringue buttercream recipe is in grams and in cups to make it easier to follow!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 10 cups

Calories 53kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• ChefAlarm thermometer
• 6-quart KitchenAid Pro mixer

Ingredients

• 125 mL water
• 560 grams granulated sugar divided
• 300 grams large egg white(s) from 10 large eggs approximately
• 1 pinch cream of tartar
• 908 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 2 pinches Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Metric - US

Instructions

• Pour the water in a small saucepan. Top with the granulated sugar, reserving a ¼ cup. Don’t stir. Just put it on the burner on medium heat. Clip on your candy thermometer.
• Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add a pinch of cream of tartar. Start the mixer on medium-low to begin frothing the whites.
• When the sugar begins to boil, increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high. When the whites are at soft peaks, gradually add the reserved sugar. Continue beating to stiff (not dry) peaks.
• When the sugar reaches 112 ºC or 233 ºF (you can go up to 121 ºC or 250 ºF), remove the pan from the burner. Turn off the heat, unclip the thermometer and then slowly pour the hot sugar in a fine stream down the side of the bowl, being sure not to hit the beater (or it will splash!).
• When all the sugar is added, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Increase the speed to high and beat til the mixture has just about cooled (this takes a good 5–10 mins for such a large batch).
• When the meringue has cooled, start adding the butter, a tablespoon at a time, while the mixer is running on medium.
• When all the butter has been added, increase the mixer to high to beat until the buttercream forms and is smooth.
• Beat in the vanilla and the salt.

Notes

Calories calculated per tablespoon of buttercream made according to this Italian meringue buttercream recipe

Nutrition

Calories: 53kcal

The post How to make Italian meringue buttercream (recipe in grams and cups) appeared first on The Bake School.

I turned 33 on the 3rd (of January), but actually, I was saying I was 33 at least a couple of months before the big day. I don't think it happened overnight. I didn't just wake up one morning and feel 33. I think gradually over the last few months, I started to feel "older", and then one day, I just started saying I was 33, and I truly thought it. I felt older. I felt 33. People freak out over turning 30, and I wrote back in 2012 how I expected that turning 30 was going to be a big deal, but it wasn't in the end. I had baked myself the Milk Bar birthday cake to celebrate. Turning 33 wasn't a big thing either for me, but for once, I really felt that extra year. I was basically done with my 32nd year of age somewhere in November, and then I was 33.

I turned 33 on the 3rd, and that's a lot of 3's. I worried before the big day that if 3 happened to be an unlucky number for me, then given the number of threes involved with this particular birthday, it could only mean bad news. But I don't have a lucky or an unlucky number, as far as I know, and I don't know if 3 is lucky or unlucky for me. Can I simply declare 3 as my lucky number and make this 33rd birthday year a great one? Perhaps it's that easy.

I spent the week following my birthday trying to decide what I wanted to make to celebrate all the threes of this year. I thought about all the cakes I'd made and blogged about over the last few years. For my 32nd birthday I made a spice cake with cream cheese frosting  and for my 31st, I made a chocolate amaretti cake, which is not a layer cake but still satisfying for its chocolate and almond flavour, and I celebrated my 30th with the Bar birthday cake. I spent a lot of time thinking, but by mid-week, I still had made nothing. So I went to the bookstore, and I bought 3 cookbooks to inspire me (I'm not kidding: I really did buy three cookbooks last Wednesday), including Matt & Renato's 4th book (Baked Occasions on Amazon). In the end, after buying 3 cookbooks, of course I went back to my bookshelves and pulled Matt & Renato's first (Baked New Frontiers in Baking on Amazon), which got me thinking about making a tea frosting because I love sweet, milk tea. It's my favourite thing.

To celebrate my 33rd birthday a week after the 3rd, I took the best vanilla cake recipe (based on a Ricardo recipe), flavoured with lemon zest and speckled with finely ground Earl Grey tea (Earl Grey tea #1). To bake the cake layers, I split the batter between three 6-inch cake pans. Take the time to prepare the cake pans before baking, by buttering the pans, lining the bottom with parchment, and dusting the sides with flour. This way your cakes will slide right out of the pan, without sticking.

Between the layers, I slathered a milk tea frosting flavoured with instant Earl Grey crystals (Earl Grey tea #2) and based on a recipe for matcha frosting from Matt & Renato, and I decorated the cake with a ring of loose-leaf Earl Grey tea—a mixture that contains pretty blue flowers (Earl Grey tea #3). And thus, my "three Earl Grey teas" cake was born because "Three is a magic number. Yes it is, it's a magic number" (as sung by Shannon Hoon for Schoolhouse Rock!). I guess you could say it's quite like a London Fog cake, London Fog being a tea-based latte where the espresso in the latte is replaced with brewed tea. This Earl Grey cake is my favourite layer cake by far, but if you are more of a traditionalist, there's always vanilla cake with chocolate frosting.

How to store this cake

Given this Earl grey layer cake is made with buttercream frosting, it's best to store it in the fridge. If you've cut into the cake, just cover the cut edges with pieces of parchment to prevent them from drying out. Place the cake in the fridge until the frosting is firm and cold, then cover the whole thing with aluminum foil. You can store this cake for up to a week, or freeze slices for later.

For a detailed explanation, read about how to store cake.

Earl Grey tea layer cake recipe

Here are some of my favourite tools to make layer cake recipes like this one:

• Kitchen-Aid Artisan mixer (Amazon)
• Oxo whisk (Amazon)
• Wilton 6 inch cake pans (Amazon)
• Cooling rack (Amazon)
• Ateco mini offset spatula (Amazon)
• Cake tester (Amazon)
• Ateco turntable (Amazon)

For more layer cake inspiration, check out my other layer cake recipes.

📖 Recipe

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Earl Grey Tea Layer Cake

This Earl Grey cake is flavoured with tea throughout. The cake layers are made with ground Earl Grey tea and lemon zest, the frosting is infused with instant Earl Grey tea (from freeze-dried Earl Grey tea), and the cake is decorated with Earl Grey tea leaves with pretty blue corn flowers.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 50 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12 slices

Calories 417kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 6-inch cake pan (2-inch deep)
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• Mini offset
• Ateco turntable

Ingredients

Earl Grey cake ingredients

• 250 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 10 mL baking powder
• 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 5 grams finely ground Earl Grey tea leaves
• 173 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 250 grams granulated sugar
• 15 mL finely grated lemon zest
• 3 large egg(s) room temperature
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 188 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat) room temperature

Earl Grey frosting ingredients

• 150 grams granulated sugar
• 21 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 7.5 mL instant Earl Grey tea crystals I used Guilin Dynasty brand
• 188 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)
• 42 mL whipping cream (35 % fat)
• 173 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• loose leaf Earl Grey tea

Metric - US

Instructions

To make the cake layers

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Butter, flour, and line with parchment three 6-inch cake pans (Wilton on Amazon)
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then whisk in the Earl Grey.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar with the lemon zest for several minutes until it is well blended, creamy, and light.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for several minutes between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl every so often. The mixture should be super light in colour and very fluffy.
• Add the vanilla.
• Add one third of the flour mixture, mix it in on low speed, then half the milk. Continue with half the remaining flour and the last of the milk. Scrape down the bowl sides and then mix in the last of the flour.
• Divide the mixture between the three pans, banging the pans to release any air pockets. Smooth the surfaces of the cakes with an offset spatula and bake them for about 25 to 28 minutes.
• Let the cakes cool 10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the frosting

• In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, flour, and instant tea powder, then whisk in the milk and the cream.
• Heat the mixture on medium-high heat, whisking fairly often, especially when the mixture comes to a boil. I heated this mixture for a total of 11 minutes until it was super thick and gooey.
• Strain through a sieve into the bowl of a mixer, working it through with your whisk, then beat the mixture to cool (this takes a long time) with the paddle attachment.
• When you are sure the sweet tea mixture is completely cooled, add in the butter in dollops, while mixing on low, then when all the butter is added, increase the speed to medium-high and whip the frosting until it is light and fluffy.
• Level the cakes with a serrated knife, then place the first layer on a cake stand. Top with a couple spoonfuls of frosting (~70 grams) and smooth it out. Stack on the second cake layer and another 70 grams of frosting, then top with the final layer and frost the sides and top with the last of the frosting.
• Decorate with a ring of loose-leaf Earl Grey tea before serving.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• Makes one 6-inch layer cake
• Calories calculated based on one-twelfth of the cake+filling+frosting
• For the finely ground Earl Grey tea, I used Twinnings (find it on Amazon)
• For loose-leaf Earl Grey with blue cornflowers, try this one on Amazon

Nutrition

Calories: 417kcal

The post Earl Grey cake appeared first on The Bake School.

Cooked frosting: Ermine

The coffee buttercream is made from a cooked frosting, also called ermine frosting. Cooked frosting starts with milk, sugar, and flour that you cook on the stove until it is a very thick, gooey paste consistency. You then beat the paste in a stand mixer until it has cooled to room temperature before adding the butter. Like with most buttercream frostings that involve cooking or heat, you have to make sure that the cooked base is cooled before adding the butter. 

The key to making this type of frosting and to making a frosting that is properly emulsified is to make sure both the cooked base and the butter are at similar temperatures when you combine them, just like when you are making an Italian meringue buttercream:

1. if the cooked paste is too hot, it will melt the butter and your buttercream will be very shiny and greasy with an oily mouthfeel because the butter has broken down and the fat has separated.
2. if the butter is too cold, your buttercream may end up lumpy, not smooth because the butter may not incorporate properly and smoothly into the paste, and you will end up with chunks of butter speckled throughout the buttercream. The frosting will be lumpy, not smooth.
3. don't add a large volume of liquid to flavour it: like with all frostings, whether simple American buttercreams made with powdered sugar or more complex buttercreams like ermine or Italian meringue, do not add a large volume of liquid to add flavour to the base. If you do, you risk breaking the emulsion and when that happens, it's hard to go back.

Baking tips and tricks to tackle this recipe

I learned a few things while making layer cakes. Here are some of my tips for cake-making success:

• Equip yourself with some useful tools: You will want this tool to help you transfer the delicate cake layers from pan to rack, etc. Trust me, it makes things a lot easier!
• Use your freezer: The cake layers are very delicate, so to make cake assembly easier, I wrapped them in cling wrap and put them in the freezer just before I made the buttercream. This way, the cake layers firm up in the freezer and can easily be stacked and iced without them falling apart on you
• Cooked frostings are tricky: this is the same method used for the tea-infused frosting for the Earl Grey cake
  • The buttercream is thickened with flour. You must boil the milk/ flour/sugar mixture sufficiently so that it is very thick, otherwise, you will end up with a soupy buttercream.
  • After it has thickened, make sure to beat the milk/flour mixture until it has completely cooled or you will melt the butter when you add it.
• Coffee extract vs espresso: I couldn't find coffee extract, so I made a careful baking substitution with very, very strong espresso and used that instead. It was strong to the point of being undrinkable but just right for flavouring a buttercream.
• Too much glaze is not always a good thing: I only used half the chocolate glaze that the original recipe called for. The beauty of this cake is that  Surprisingly, I don't think more was needed. In the recipe below, I've written up the half-batch portion for you, but if you want more, double the ingredients listed!

How to store this cake

Given this chocolate layer cake is made with buttercream frosting, it's best to store it in the fridge. If you've cut into the cake, just cover the cut edges with pieces of parchment to prevent them from drying out. Place the cake in the fridge until the frosting is firm and cold, then cover the whole thing with aluminum foil. You can store this cake for up to a week, or freeze slices for later.

For a detailed explanation, read about how to store cake.

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Chocolate Cake with Coffee Buttercream

This gorgeous chocolate cake is frosted with a coffee buttercream and decorated with a dark chocolate glaze for a show-stopping coffee and chocolate cake.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 50 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 16

Calories 754kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• Mini offset
• Cake tester
• Ateco turntable

Ingredients

Chocolate cake

• 85 grams Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder plus more for dusting pans
• 170 mL sour cream (14% fat)
• 310 mL hot water
• 295 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 10 mL baking powder
• 5 mL baking soda
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 170 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 115 grams vegetable shortening
• 350 grams granulated sugar
• 200 grams dark brown sugar
• 3 large egg(s) room temperature
• 15 mL pure vanilla extract

Coffee buttercream

• 340 grams granulated sugar
• 40 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 375 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)
• 80 mL whipping cream (35 % fat)
• 345 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 30 mL espresso room temperature

Chocolate ganache

• 114 grams dark chocolate (70 % cocoa content)
• 85 grams unsalted butter room temperature, cut into pieces
• 7.5 mL light corn syrup
• 25 Godiva chocolate pearls I used a mixture of white, milk, and dark

Metric - US

Instructions

To make the chocolate cake

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, line each of them with parchment, grease the parchment and dust the pans and parchment with cocoa powder. Set them aside.
• In a medium bowl, mix the cocoa powder, sour cream and hot water. Set aside for later.
• In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening on medium speed until it is light and fluffy.
• Add the sugars to the bowl of the mixer and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the vanilla, and beat well.
• With the mixer on low, add the whisked dry ingredients alternately with the cocoa mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Give the mixture a last stir by hand before dividing among the three prepared pans.
• Bake the cake layers for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake will pull away from the sides of the pan when the cake is done.
• Let the cake cool in the pans for 30 minutes before flipping them onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap them in plastic wrap to store them.

To make the coffee buttercream

• Place the wrapped cake layers in the freezer while you prepare the buttercream.
• In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar and flour. Whisk in the milk and cream, and cook over medium heat, whisking often until the mixture boils and thickens. This takes a good 15 minutes.
• Transfer the thickened mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until the mixture is completely cooled, about 10 minutes (don’t just feel the bowl, check the mixture itself to be sure it has cooled!).
• Reduce the speed to low and add the butter, mixing until it is thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high to make the frosting light and fluffy.
• Add the vanilla and the espresso (or coffee extract) to taste.

To assemble the cake

• Trim the cake layers so that they are flat and levelled.
• Place one cake layer in the center of a serving plate. Place parchment strips to cover the exposed plate and catch any buttercream/ganache drips.
• Top the first layer with 1 ¼ cups buttercream. Place the second layer over the buttercream, and repeat with another 1 ¼ cup of buttercream and the third layer.
• Frost the top and sides of the cake with what’s left of buttercream. Place the cake in the fridge while you make the chocolate glaze.

To make the chocolate glaze

• Place the chocolate, butter, and corn syrup in the top of a double boiler.
• Stir the mixture with a small spatula until the ingredients have melted and the glaze is smooth.
• Take the pan off the heat, and stir for a few minutes to allow the glaze to cool and thicken a little.

Finishing touches

• Slowly pour the glaze over the top of the cake, pushing tiny droplets down the sides.
• Let the glaze set for a few minutes before decorating the cake with a few chocolate pearls.
• Refrigerate the cake for 20 minutes to set the glaze. The cake should be served at room temperature.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!

Nutrition

Calories: 754kcal | Carbohydrates: 82g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Cholesterol: 126mg | Sodium: 191mg | Potassium: 369mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 59g | Vitamin A: 1159IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 3mg

The post Chocolate cake with coffee buttercream appeared first on The Bake School.

Use royal icing to decorate simple plain sugar cookie cutouts, spiced sugar cookies, or classic gingerbread cookie cutouts. You can also use it to decorate these cutout matcha cookies. Really any dry cookie can be decorated with royal icing.

Because royal icing dries hard, I don't recommend using it on softer cookies because the icing will crack if the cookies are pliable or soft. The moisture content in softer cookies can also disrupt the firm set of the icing. Stick to hard, dry cookies for this reason.

If you ever see decorated cookies in cafés, they are decorated with royal icing. Royal icing is the most commonly used cookie icing because it dries hard and it adheres so well to cookies.

Easy method to fill piping bags

Piping bags are a real challenge for many bakers, especially beginners: how do you fill a floppy bag that's open on both ends with an icing that is liquid without spilling it all over everywhere? Here's how

1. Clamp the bottom "piping end" of the bag shut, either by twisting the short end of the bag and stuffing it into the open end of the tip or by using a food saver clip like this one to clip the end shut.
2. Stand the bag upright in a heavy mug or a tall, sturdy glass and fold the edges over the rim of the mug. This way, you now have both hands free to focus on getting the icing into the bag.
3. Fill the bag only ⅔ full max (or even just halfway!). Less is better in this case because you need room to twist the top of the bag shut and to hold the bag. Always grip the bag and squeeze from the top downward, never the middle or bottom.

📖 Recipe

Print

Royal Icing with Egg Whites

This royal icing can be placed in a piping bag to decorate cookies with fine lines or thinned out to flood the surface of cookies. Great for gingerbread and other firm cutout cookies.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 50

Calories 15kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• Piping bags

Ingredients

• 1 large egg white(s)
• 1 pinch cream of tartar or use a few drops of lemon juice
• 188 grams icing sugar

Metric - US

Instructions

• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg white and cream of tartar or a few drops of lemon juice, until soft peaks form.
• Gradually add the icing sugar, continuing to whisk, over 5 to 10 minutes, until the icing is very thick.
• If you want to colour your icing, divide the frosting among several small bowls and add a small amount of gel food colouring and mix well.
• Transfer the (coloured) icing(s) into piping bags fitted with small, simple piping tips and decorate your cookies.
• Allow to dry at room temperature for a few hours before transferring them to an airtight container.

Notes

If you would prefer to use meringue powder, replace 1 egg white with 15 mL (1 tbsp) meringue powder and 15 mL (1 tbsp) of water. Proceed with the steps of the recipe as written above.

Nutrition

Calories: 15kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 4mg | Sugar: 4g

Substitutions for royal icing recipe

Royal icing is pretty unique as it's made from icing sugar and egg whites. You can't replace it with buttercream or other recipes because it dries and sets very hard, making the royal icing-decorated cookies perfect for shipping and packaging.

When you are making royal icing there are a few baking substitutions you can make:

1. Replace the egg whites with meringue powder plus water: use 15 mL (1 tbsp) of meringue powder with 15 mL (1 tbsp) of water to replace 1 large egg white.
2. Replace cream of tartar with a few drops of fresh lemon juice: remember cream of tartar is an acidic ingredient (in fact you can use it to make homemade baking powder!)

There is no substitution for the icing sugar in this recipe: icing sugar is powdered sugar with a very fine, powdery consistency. It also contains a small amount of starch (usually tapioca or corn starch) which helps keep the texture powdery and the starch is added to help prevent clumping.

Troubleshooting royal icing

Royal icing is mostly used for decorative purposes more than for flavour. In fact, it has little to no flavour and is mostly sweet with a crunchy texture. The consistency is important to be able to decorate cookies and make them look professional.

If you're royal icing is too thick

If you find that your royal icing isn't adhering properly to cookies or if you are struggling to get the icing out of the piping bag, your icing is probably too dry. You may have to adjust the consistency with a little cold water but beware: add a teaspoonful (or up to 1 tablespoon) at a time, then mix it in and check the consistency. Otherwise you might end up with the opposite problem, an icing that is too runny to pipe and hold finer lines.

If you're royal icing is too thin

If you find your icing is so thin that it runs right off your cookies or if it's so thin, you can't handle the piping bag without it dripping all over everywhere, this means your royal icing is too wet or doesn't have enough icing sugar. You will need to adjust the consistency with more icing sugar.

Another reason why your royal icing might be too thin: you didn't whip it enough. Remember that royal icing is a variant of meringue, made with whipped egg whites. In order to give the icing body and structure, you need to whip it for a long time, which incorporates air and leads to a thick, glossy icing that is pipeable and holds its shape.

Make ahead tips

Royal icing can be prepared ahead and stored in an airtight container until you are ready to use it:

• If you are storing it in a container, I like to place a piece of damp paper towel directly on the surface of the icing to prevent it from drying.
• If you are storing it in a piping bag:
  • make sure the wide end of the bag is twisted tight to seal it and you can secure that end tightly with an elastic band.
  • make sure the piping tip doesn't dry out. I like to wrap it in a small square of damp paper towel and then wrap that in plastic wrap to hold in the moisture as much as possible.
  • place the piping bags in a large airtight container and seal it shut to lock in moisture

Once you've found an airtight way of storing royal icing, you can store it for about 2 weeks at room temperature, though I prefer to keep it in the fridge.

If you've stored it in a piping bag, you can just go ahead and use it whenever needed. If you've stored it in a container, you can always give it a good whip before transferring to a piping bag to decorate cookies.

If you want to decorate cutout sugar cookies or cutout gingerbread men, you'll need an icing that sets hard so that you can package them up easily, without smudging: that's the beauty of Royal icing. This recipe to make it at home in a stand mixer or with an electric mixer. This royal icing recipe is also great to use when you are building a gingerbread house.

The post Royal icing for cutout sugar cookies and gingerbread appeared first on The Bake School.