Tag: vanilla buttercream

Sprinkle Celebration Cake


This fun celebration cake is adapted from my Victoria sponge recipe with the addition of festive sprinkles throughout the cake.

As with any Victoria sponge recipe, the proportions of ingredients are based on the weight of the eggs (without their shells), so you can use whichever size eggs you prefer.

Makes one 4-layer 6” (15cm) cake. All ingredients, except the double cream, should be room temperature

Ingredients

Cake – single layer so you need 4x for the full cake

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 eggs weight of golden caster sugar
  • 2 eggs weight of margarine, plus extra for greasing
  • 2 eggs weight of self raising flour
  • 20g bake stable sprinkles (I use these sprinkles)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp Elmlea plant based double cream

Buttercream (x2 – one portion for filling and crumb coat, then same again for the final decoration)

  • 80g margarine
  • 80g solid cooking oil (I use Trex, but other solid oil can be used)
  • 330g icing sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp lemon juice

Assembly/Decorating Stuffs

  • Sprinkles
  • Strawberry jam

Cake Process

  1. Preheat the oven at 170C fan assisted and prepare a 6″ (15cm) sandwich tin with margarine, baking paper on the bottom, and dust with flour
  2. Beat the sugar and margarine together at a medium speed until light and fluffy
  3. Using a spatula, scrape down any mixture from the sides of the bowl. Beat in the eggs individually at medium speed. Add the vanilla extract
  4. Scrape down any mixture from the sides again. Sieve the flour into the mixture, add the bake stable sprinkles, and fold in
    • If the batter is feeling a bit thick add the double cream
  5. Pour into the prepared tin and put in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean and the top of the cake is springy. Put on a cooling rack in the tin for 30 minutes, then take out of the tin and continue to cool on the rack
  6. Repeat steps 2-5 until all four cakes are baked and cooled. Once cooled, level each cake

Now to make the buttercream for the crumb coat! Just follow the process for my Vanilla Buttercream Icing.

And now we decorate.

  1. Grab your cake drum/board and put a small dollop in the centre. Place your first cake layer centre on the board
  2. Cover the top of the layer with a thick layer of buttercream and smooth it out with an offset spatula. Make a small well in the middle and scoop in 1-2 tsp of the jam. Place the next cake layer on top and repeat until the last cake layer is on
    • I found that I had to put some bamboo dowels in to keep the cake from slipping with all the weight of the four layers
  3. Cover the top and sides with buttercream and smooth with a side scraper
  4. Pop in the fridge for at least 2 hours, better if overnight, until the buttercream has hardened
  5. Make some more buttercream using the same amount of ingredients and with the same process
  6. Cover the top and sides again with this extra buttercream and make sure it’s nice and thick. Smooth with a side scraper
  7. Pop in the fridge again until this layer of buttercream has hardened
  8. Push your sprinkles of choice into the buttercream. I found it easier to wear a vinyl food safe glove while doing this

Ta da! Enjoy!

Swiss Meringue ‘Buttercream’

This type of buttercream is very smooth because the sugar is melted before it’s incorporated with the fat. This also prevents the sugar recrystallising like it can in regular buttercream, ensuring your buttercream stays perfectly grain-free.

This recipe will crumb coat and cover a 4 layer 6″ (15cm) cake, or decorate 28 cupcakes.

Ingredients

  • 8 egg whites (approximately 330g)
    • These can be separated, but I prefer to use the egg whites you can buy in the carton in the fridge section of the supermarket because I don’t know what I’d do with so many egg yolks!
  • 330g caster sugar
  • 250g margarine/dairy-free spread
  • 250g vegetable shortening
  • 2-3 tsp of flavouring

Process

  1. Put the vegetable shortening and margarine in the bowls of a stand mixer with paddle attachment and beat for 5-8 minutes, until fully combined, soft, and pale. Put to one side
  2. Put the egg whites and caster sugar in a heatproof bowl over simmering water and whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch, then remove from the heat. Don’t allow it to cook or you’ll end up with a sweet scrambled egg.
  3. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or an electric hand whisk, whisk on high speed until stiff and glossy peaks form
    • This will take 10-15 minutes
  4. Add the margarine/vegetable shortening mixture to the egg white/sugar mixture in batches, whisking until incorporated after each addition
  5. Add the flavouring and whisk until fluffy

Enjoy!

Tips

If your buttercream doesn’t taste of the flavouring enough, add more 1 tsp at a time and beat for 2 minutes each time until desired flavour is reached.

If the buttercream looks wet, almost like it is sweating, just pop it in the fridge for a couple of hours then beat on full speed with the paddle attachment for a few minutes. The end result should be smooth, glossy looking buttercream.

Vanilla ‘Buttercream’ Icing

This is something that I have really missed since not being able to have dairy. There is a dairy-free version commercially available, but shelf-stable mass-produced buttercream full of emulsifiers, preservatives, and flavourings pales in comparison to this homemade version. Ready in 15 minutes it takes no time at all to make, and is most definitely worth it.

This recipe will ice 18 cupcakes or one 2-layer 6″ cake.

Ingredients

  • 80g vegetable shortening (I use Trex, but other shortening can be used)
  • 80g margarine
  • 330g icing sugar, sifted
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract, not essence
  • 1 tsp lemon juice – this is to balance out the fats

Process

  1. Put the vegetable shortening and margarine in a stand mixer with paddle attachment and beat for 5-8 minutes, until fully combined, soft, and pale
  2. Add half of the icing sugar and beat for 2 minutes, then add the other half and beat for a further 2 minutes
  3. Add the vanilla extract and lemon juice, and beat for 3 minutes
    • This is also the time to add any colouring; don’t use liquid food colouring as it will make the buttercream too liquid. Gel or powdered colouring work best, and a little goes a long way so start with a tiny amount and gradually build the colour.

Enjoy!

Tips

If your buttercream creates an oily/waxy film in your mouth, this is because the fat hasn’t been fully balanced.  Add more lemon juice 1/2 tsp at a time and beat for 2 minutes each time.

If your buttercream isn’t vanilla-tasting enough, add more vanilla extract 1/2 tsp at a time and beat for 2 minutes each time until desired flavour is reached.

Decorating

If using the buttercream straight away, use a spatula and mix the buttercream until smooth.  This knocks any air bubbles out for a silky, even frosting.  Either use an offset spatula to apply it directly to a cake, or use it in a piping bag.

If making it for use at a later date, put it in an air tight container and in the fridge.  It should last around 1-2 weeks.  Bring back to room temperature and mix out air bubbles before using.