Honey Bee

Lemon Ricotta Cake + Chocolate Honey Cake ft. Agave Nectar Frosting

Last week I made a cake for my co-worker's sister's wedding rehearsal dinner - lemon ricotta flavored, decorated to look like the floral invitation, and the bride is also sweet on bees.

Whilst making her cake and brainstorming the inevitable remix, I decided to add a chocolate honey cake into the mix to alternate with the yellow lemon cake. Unfortunately this Eureka did not occur until after Laura's cake was well underway, so her cake is just lemon ricotta (yummy delicious lemon ricotta) while this little remix actually has a honeybee interior.

Amanda gives a great tutorial on how to make a vertical layer cake over at I Am Baker - so check that out for the full step-by-step version. I, however, am not nearly as patient or methodical, so scroll down for my 'highlights' reel. The gameplan is to bake 2 cakes of the same size - 1 lemon and 1 chocolate - and then cut out concentric circle layers, one's positive becomes the other's negative, and you're left with 2 separate layered cakes.

Cutting cakes becomes very crumby, so it's best to work with cakes that are chilled or almost frozen. After baking the cakes, I sealed each with a light coat of agave nectar and set them in the freezer for 15 minutes before cutting out the rings. These cakes are small (6" diameter) so I drew out a template on a 6" cardboard circle and offset the rings 3/4" for 4 separate layers. Depending on the size of pans and desired effect, you can adjust the number or thickness of layers.

Cut off the first cardboard ring and use that shape to cut out both the lemon and chocolate cake. The outer ring of one will end up fitting around the inner ring of the other, and vice versa. Cut the next ring off of the cardboard template and cut out both cakes again. Repeat until you're left with concentric cake circles and a cake 'core' of each flavor.

I chose not to frost between the layers in order to have a cleaner-looking slice at the end - the icing on the top of the final cake should act as a glue to hold the layers together. Once cakes have been assembled, crumb coat and decorate - I used a decorating tip to do the invitation flowers again on top and then a small spatula to texture the edges.

I do like this cake, though I think a taller version would be much more dramatic - this little guy is only 1" high, but imagine one that is 4-5" tall and make up of 9 or 10 layers? That would be, you know, the bee's knees.

lemon ricotta cake
1 box lemon cake mix
3 eggs
1/2 c. water
1 c. ricotta cheese
1 tbsp. lemon juice
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and  grease pans with butter or a non-stick spray like PAM. In a large mixing bowl, beat ricotta cheese, eggs, lemon juice, and water until blended. Add cake mix and beat for 1 minute on low  speed and 1 minute on high speed. Pour batter into pans until each is 2/3 of the way  full. Bake according to the times on the back of the mix box, depending  on the types of pans you are using.  

chocolate honey cake
1 box chocolate cake mix
4 eggs
1/3 c. honey
1/2 stick butter
1 c. water
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In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, eggs, honey, and water until blended. Add cake mix and beat for 1 minute on low speed and 1 minute on high speed. Pour batter into pans until each is 2/3 of the way full. Bake according to the times on the back of the mix box. Let cool.

Use a serrated knife to level off both cakes so each sits flat and are the same height. Pour agave nectar into a small dish and use a pastry brush or spatula to coat each cake to seal in the crumbs. Set in freezer for 15-20 minutes to let cakes stiffen before cutting, assembling, and frosting.

agave nectar frosting
1/2 c. shortening or butter
2 tbsp. agave nectar
1 tbsp. honey
1-2 tbsp. milk
4 c. confectioner's sugar
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In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening, agave nectar, honey, and milk until blended. Slowly add in sugar and continue to mix on high speed until frosting forms.

Sweet Caroline

Korean Saeng Cream Cake ft. Whipped Vanilla Frosting + Fresh Fruit Filling

Today's remix comes from the wedding cake I made for Caroline + Phil last month. The cake is based on a traditional Korean Saeng Cream Cake, which is a buttery pound cake sealed with a sweet syrup and topped with light whipped frosting and colorful fruit. I pulled from several recipes to come up with the one listed above, and as always I went with a super fancy box mix.

The fruit is inside between the cake layers, which leaves the outside free to be decorated, and the pattern is based on the wood paneling found on the traditional Korean hanok. This version has strawberries and kiwis, and the actual wedding cake in May had sugared berries and pear slices. Any fruit works!

Finally, to keep this cake from getting too traditional (this was for Caroline's sweet tooth, after all) - there's the Funfetti interior and Nerd Rope border. Congratulations to Phil + Caroline!

saeng cream cake (caroline-style)
1 box Funfetti cake mix
4 eggs, separated
1/4 c. cold water
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease pans with butter or a non-stick spray like PAM. Separate eggs into yolks and whites into 2 bowls, and whisk until each begins to thicken. In a large mixing bowl, beat cake mix, oil, cold water, vanilla extract, cream of tartar, and egg yolks together for 1 minute on low speed. Fold in egg whites and mix on high for 1 minute. Pour batter into pans until each is 2/3 of the way  full. Bake according to the times on the back of the mix box, depending  on the types of pans you are using.

lemon-cinnamon syrup
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c.water
1-2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
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In a small saucepan on the stovetop, combine water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and lemon wedges over low heat, stirring for 5-7 minutes until the sugar dissolves and a syrup forms. Let cool and thicken for 1-2 minutes. Use a pastry brush to coat each layer of cake before filling with fruit, and also coat entire cake with syrup before frosting.

whipped vanilla frosting
1/2 c. shortening or butter
4 c. confectioner's sugar
3-4 tbsp. whipping cream
1-2 tsp. vanilla extract
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In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening, whipping cream, and vanilla extract until blended. Slowly add in sugar and continue to mix on high speed until frosting forms. Whipped frosting is very airy and great for the inner layers and coating the outside of the cake - if you are going to do any additional decorating or piping, it is best to use a regular (stiffer) buttercream recipe for that icing.

fresh fruit filling
strawberries, sliced
kiwi, sliced
asian pear, peeled and cubed
other fruit suggestions: peeled mandarin oranges, halved grapes, sliced bananas

Smirnoff Ice

Ice Water White Cake ft. Smirnoff Icing + Icy Berry Medley

Take a knee everyone - you got iced. Half prank / half drinking game, the concept of icing someone has been in play since around 2010, and though Smirnoff claims it was not a stealth marketing move on their part, it has sure put their product in the spotlight - though perhaps not the most favorable of lights.

The gist is this: the sugary malt beverage Smirnoff Ice is stereotypically a 'girly drink' and any bro probably would not want to be seen sipping, drinking, and chugging one in a public place. Therefore, it became all the rage for a Bro to ICE another Bro by simply handing it to him or by creatively planting a bottle where it will eventually be found (copier drawer, shower rack, 6-pack of beer, you can imagine the possibilities)

When the unsuspecting target lays an eye upon the drink, he (or she) must get down on one knee and chug until the sugar-high-inducing beverage is gone ... unless he has his own bottle on his person, in which case he can ice block his attacker, who must then must drink both bottles.

Follow that?

While it's an interesting phenomenon and perspective on life, icing has also led to worries about alcohol abuse and rightfully so. So I propose a more edible less inebriating version of icing ... on a cake (novel thought, I know). You can actually ice your friends by hiding a Smirnoff Ice in a cake (which I may or may not have done last weekend).

OR you can still claim you're icing them because there is indeed Smirnoff Ice on this cake, maybe they'll even eat a slice while down on one knee if they're good sports. The sweetness of the drink is perfect for a frosting and when combined with a light fluffy angel food cake and a border of antioxidant-rich berries, it is almost even healthy.

ice water white cake
1 box white cake mix
4 egg whites
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 c. ice cold water
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease pans with butter or a non-stick spray like PAM .This recipe is adapted from the Olson family recipe for the ice water cake, which is included in a recipe collection by Jan D'Atri. The key to keeping the cake light, white, and angelic is to separate the yolks and whites of 4 eggs - discard the yolks, beat egg whites with a whisk until stiff, and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat cake mix, oil, and ice cold water. Fold in egg whites and mix on high for 1 minute. Pour batter into pans until each is 2/3 of the way  full. Bake according to the times on the back of the mix box, depending  on the types of pans you are using.

smirnoff syrup
1 c. Smirnoff Ice
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Typically a simple syrup is made by heating equal parts sugar and water until a thick syrup forms. Well, Smirnoff Ice itself is both sugar and water in one bottle, so simply heat the 1 cup of Smirnoff ice in a saucepan over low heat for 5 minutes, while stirring constantly to keep it from sticking. Let mixture cool and thicken for 2 minutes - the volume will be reduced from the original amount.

smirnoff icing
1/2 c. shortening or butter
4 c. confectioner’s sugar
1/4 c. Smirnoff syrup (from above)
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In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening and Smirnoff syrup until blended. Slowly add in sugar and continue to mix until frosting forms. Frosting may be a bit runny due to the syrup, so ice the cake and set it in the freezer until just before serving and the frosting will harden into a glaze. If you are going to do any additional decorating, it is best to use a regular (stiffer) buttercream recipe for that icing

icy berry medley
raspberries, blackberries
Smirnoff Ice
confectioner’s sugar
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Douse berries in Smirnoff Ice and set in the freezer an hour before serving. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and garnish cake.