Hiya LINZ fans, I am back after another week. I have just finished a 12-hour shift from 5.30 in the morning to 5.30 in the evening. So excuse this that it is a bit late! I have been working and fitting my cake orders in between work. It's really good because it means I have a blog entry every week!
So this cake was ordered from a guy (Issac) for his girlfriend for valentines day. He said he would like chocolate and caramel and roses of some sort. I took this brief and came up with this cake.
When I think of valentines day, I think of red roses and chocolates. Because I think you are either a red roses type of girl or a chocolate kind of girl. I am definitely a red roses kind of girl, not that that information will be any use to you! I took these 2 ideas and combined them in a cake. I thought maybe this girl is both types. So I added red roses and chocolate. It's a no brainer!
So this cake is a chocolate buttermilk cake, with milk chocolate swiss meringue with a caramel mousse filling in 2 layers. Garnished with red-orange blossom roses and pink sprinkles. Finally, the cake is finished off with tempered red splatter paint curled triangles. I love this cake so much and the way it turned out. The colours are both strong and so they both stand out.
I have been enjoying having cake orders, it is so cool because I get to design the cakes and make them for people and witness their reaction. When they order LINZ cakes, they give me as little or as much details as they want. Most give a few flavors they like and leave the rest up to me.
I then throughout the week at work, every spare day dreaming moment I get I am dreaming and designing how this cake is going to look and taste and be.
On my breaks at work, I sit down with my diary and I design the cake, the flavours, the textures, the fillings, the frostings, the decorating, the size. What I like about my cakes is that your are not just ordering a cake, you are ordering a masterpiece. Because everytime I have a cake order I am trying new things, no cake is the same! You get your very own personalised cakes with a LINZ twist.
That's what I like about what I do, I hope that I have some flair or something that makes all LINZ cakes look similar or help them all connect and link together. But so that my cakes look handmade and not factory produced.
I also think that my cakes are not your regular cake decorating cakes. Because I didn't start with cakes they were something that has blossomed from my original idea. Since I am a pastry chef, that is the flair I put on my cakes, not a cake deocrator prospective! No offence to cake decoraters you do amazing work, but I do not like fondant one bit! Neither do my clients.
I think that is what separates me from every other girl with a cake business, mine are... different!
Recipe
1x quantity of chocolate buttermilk cake
1x quantity of swiss meringue buttercream (flavoured with milk chocolate)
1x quantity red swiss meringue buttercream (flavoured orange blossom)
1x quantity of tempered chocolate curls
1x quantity chocolate ganache drizzle
2x quantity of caramel disc mousse
Assembly:
-Cut your cakes in half and place your first layer on the cake board. Make sure to adhere it to the cake board with icing. Place frosting between the layer and add your disc of caramel mousse. Seal the sides.
-Place your nex layer on top and seal the sides, giving it a crumb coat. Place the cake in the freezer for 20 minutes for the icing to set and so your cake is stable to build on.
-Place your next two cake layers on top repeating the stepas above. Once all the layers are on the cake, seal the cake with a crumb coat and chocolate swiss buttercream. Place in the freezer until set.
-In a piping bag fill your bag with chocolate ganache. Once you have enough ganache in the bag, begin piping the ganache down to give a drizzled look.
-Place the cake in the freezer to set.
-Fill your next piping bag with red-orange blossom icing and fitted with a WILTON 1M tip. Pipe roses going up the cake. And 8 roses evenly spaces around the top.
-Sprinkle the spinkles on top of the roses when the icing is not set.
-I piped little flowers around the cake in random spots just to hide blemishes or add to the affect.
-Grab your pre-made garnishes and place them in between each flower going up the cake. Then a handful in the middle of the cake facing different ways.
-Stand back and be proud!
Caramel Mousse Filling
Makes 2x 10cm disc
100g sugar
42g butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon powdered gelatin or 2 sheets gelatin
1 TBSP cold water (MUST BE COLD)
3/4 cup cream
Method:
-Prepare your caramel sauce first: Place the sugar in a pot and heat it over low heat, once it starts to melt, swirl the pan around slightyly, if you are scared of it forming crystals, grab a damp pastry brush and brush the sides of the pan with cold water.
-Continue to cook the sugar until it turns a lovely amber colour, (reads on a theromometer 180 degrees) Add the butter to the sugar and whisk it in quickly!
-Once the butter has dissolved add your cream (be careful tends to bubble)
-Mix the gelatin method you are choosing in cold water in a small dish and set aside. Once your gelatin leaves are softened or your powdered gelatin has bloomed whisk the gelatin mix into the sugar mix until it has dissolved.
-Place your cream in a mixing bowl and whisk steadily until hard peaks form. Add your caramel sauce and fold the whipped cream into the sauce until it is all once consistent colour.
-Place in a lined 10cm cake tin (line with tinfoil or glad wrap) because it is easier to get into the nook and crannies.
-Leave to set in the fridge overnight.
-Use in your cakes!
Wooh I hope you all had a lovely valentines day and was spent with someone you love or someone that loves you!
But LINZ will always love you, hehe
Till next time,,
LINZ x x
