4th of July MINI Cakes!!! | Quarantine Baking Ideas
Hello Peeps :). Today, I am going to share 3 ideas for making and decorating miniature cakes at home. They are small enough for just you, or to share with your family, and I tried to come up with some unique ideas for them. Here are some tips and tricks to help you along the way…
Cakes: I used Yolanda Gampp’s recipe from How to Cake It for my cake. I made a half batch of it, and it was more than enough for my cakes. Here is the link to this delicious and easy recipe - https://howtocakeit.com/blogs/recipes...
If you are vegan, here is another great option - https://www.mybluprint.com/article/jo...
Simple Syrup: If you don’t know what simple syrup is, it is just one part sugar and one part water (by volume) heated up on the stove so the sugar dissolves. It keeps cakes from becoming dry while working with them. It is not required, but does help. Also, at first I used to be worried that if I used simple syrup it would make my cakes soggy, but as long as you just brush it on, that will not happen. :)
Buttercream: As I mentioned in the video, there are three main ways to make buttercream white; add food coloring; use shortening; and whip the butter really well. Also, you can use clear vanilla extract to keep your buttercream extra white. Here is the link to the recipe I used, but you can also find several others online. Remember that if your buttercream is going soft, you can always pop it in the refrigerator for a few minutes to chill it back up. Recipe - https://www.theflavorbender.com/perfe...
Candy Melt Decoration: The most important tip for this section is to use OIL based food coloring to color the candy melts. Candy melts will get a really weird texture if you use water based / regular food coloring, so be sure to use only oil based food colorings. Also, you can use white chocolate but you will need to temper it, which is a process where you heat up the chocolate and cool it down carefully to make it dry hard and shiny. Candy melts don’t need tempering. When melting candy melts in the microwave, put them in a heat proof bowl and heat up the candy melts for 30 seconds. Take them out and stir them up, even if they don't seem melted to evenly distribute the heat, and repeat about three to four times until they are completely melted. If only tiny bits are left after about 1 minute and 30 seconds, then just stir for about a minute to make the chocolate lump free :). Also, after placing the melted chocolate in piping bags you can put the entire bag (with the chocolate) in the microwave if the bag is microwave safe, (Wilton bags are) because the chocolate might firm up while you are working on other parts of your cake. If you don't have a microwave, you can use a double boiler to gently heat up the chocolate on the stovetop. Lastly, if the candy melt decoration does not pop out, then you can place something (like a ramekin or bowl) on top of it and use a sharp knife (not serrated , or it will break) to cut off the edges. Recipe - I used Wilton candy melts and oil based food coloring.
Whipped cream: You can take any amount of heavy whipping cream and beat it until it gets stiff. You can add powdered sugar along the way, but be sure to sift it before you put it in so there are no clumps in your whipped cream. I like to use a hand mixer at the beginning and do the last bit by hand so I can control the texture of the whipped cream. Make sure your cream is super cold before you start. Recipe - Heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar, you can eyeball it or find a recipe online :)
White chocolate ganache: I used Wilton candy melts and heavy whipping cream to make this, and I added 4 parts chocolate to one part whipping cream by weight. If you are using white chocolate, the ratio is 3 parts chocolate to one part cream. Be sure to use oil based food coloring if you want to color the ganache. Recipe - 4 : 1 ratio of compound chocolate to heavy whipping cream by weight (this way you can make as much as you need). You can find volume based measurements online. :)
Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:19 Cake baking and prep
2:38 Toppings and Fillings
4:48 Assembly
6:38 Done!!!
If you have any questions then please leave them in the comments below and I will do my best to answer them! :) Thanks for watching.