I have been baking for as long as I can remember, and I have been baking cakes for just as long. I’ve always done the usual bundt cake or a simple two layer, but I normally don’t do large sheet cakes. The only sheet cake I actually remember doing was when I was in Middle School, my mother helped me make one decorated like a large present, which I brought it to my grandmother’s house for our annual Christmas Eve party. It’s not that I don’t like sheet cakes, they just seem ordinary and predictable, while I like to think outside the box and do the unexpected.
So, when I was approached to do a sheet cake for my customer’s daughter, who was turning 30 years old this past weekend, I thought, ‘Sure! It’ll be quick and give me an opportunity to practice on my buttercream recipes!” Just let me say, considering it’s been at least 15 years since I did a sheet cake, I have a new respect for them. 🙂 I underestimated how much actual cake batter I was going to need, and the amount of frosting needed for each layer and extra details on the cake. It was a great learning experience and I’m glad I did it, because every chance I get to practice recipes and techniques, makes me a little better and a little closer to being a pro! 🙂
As for the cake itself, my customer requested a chocolate sheet cake with chocolate frosting. It’s a pretty standard request, nothing flashy, right? So I asked her, what does her daughter like, and she said things like wine and Italy. I smiled, because I too am a lover of wine and Italy. I have wine bottles, reds, and burnt oranges all over my house, so I wanted to give her daughter something a little different than the usual cake covered in frosting.
On the menu for this Sugar Shindig: A triple layer Buttermilk Chocolate Cake, with Red Wine Infused Cream Cheese Frosting Filling, covered in a Light chocolate Frosting, with Milk Chocolate Frosting Border.
Stay turned this week, because I got a request for another Captain America Shield Cake….those are always fun!
Sugar Shindigs 