Sunday, 2 March 2014

My Little Pony Rarity Rainbow Cake "彩虹小馬/小馬寶莉" 彩虹蛋糕

Big time! I need to make cake for my daughter's birthday. This year, my younger daughter is going to invite 4 of her best friends in class for her birthday play date. She chose My Little Pony (her favorite toys/character) as party theme. I bought her My little pony party stuffs like candles, plates, napkins, goody bag toys and a big poster for her birthday photos session!!! And the theme of the cake will be My Little Pony too. I will make her a rainbow cake with a 2D My Little Pony "Rarity" as cake topper. It will be a fun cake to make! For the cupcakes, I ordered My Little Pony Premium Rice Paper topper from ebay. The cupcakes are prepared for Nicole's class celebration.

White Layer Cake

  • 2 3/4 cups (380 g) cake flour
  • 1 3/4 cups (380 g) sugar (I use 1 cup)
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp (18 g) baking powder
  • 1 1/8 tsp salt
  • 7 ounces (200 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 5 large whites, room temperature
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups (366 g) whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • 1 1/4 cups (250 g) sugar
  • 5 large egg whites
  • 15 ounces (425 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1-in pieces
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract

For the cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour five 6" round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
  • Combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
  • Add the butter and beat until a crumbly mixture forms, just starting to come together.
  • Add the egg whites one at a time, and beat to combine. Add the egg and beat to combine.
  • Combine milk and vanilla extract together in a measuring cup. Add to the mixer in three additions, beating well after each addition.
  • If you want to be precise, weigh the batter so you know how much to put in each pan.
  • Pour one-fifth of the batter into one of the prepared pans. Add Red, Orange, Yellow, Green and blue food colours to the pans.
  • Bake for about 24-28 minutes, rotating halfway. The cakes should be set and a skewer inserted in the center should come out with a few crumbs on it.
  • Remove and place on wire racks. Run a knife around the edges for easier removal. Let cool for about 20 minutes and then invert pans to remove cakes. Let them finish cooling before decorating.

For the buttercream:

  • Combine the sugar and egg whites in a medium metal bowl and place over a pan of simmering water.
  • Whisk the sugar mixture constantly over heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture looks smooth and shiny. Continue whisking until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F.
  • Remove mixture from heat and pour into a stand mixer bowl. Whisk on medium speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture has cooled.
  • Switch to the paddle attachment and with the speed on low, add the butter a few pieces at a time, beating until smooth. Do not add the butter too quickly or beat too quickly or the buttercream may break.
  • When all the butter has been added, beat the buttercream on medium-high speed for about 6-10 minutes until it is very thick and smooth. It may appear to separate briefly but continue beating and it should come back together.
  • Add in the vanilla and almond extracts and beat to combine.
  • The buttercream is ready to be used. Place a piece of plastic wrap against the surface until you are ready to use it to prevent it from drying out.

To assemble the cake:

  • Level off cake layers if necessary. Place one cake layer on a cake board or cake decorating stand.
  • Spread some of the buttercream over the cake layer evenly. Place a second cake layer on top and spread some more buttercream over the cake layer. Repeat with the remaining cake layers.
  • Spread a crumb coat of buttercream over the top and sides of cake (see here for tips on doing a crumb coat). Refrigerate for about an hour to let the frosting set.
  • Spread the rest of the buttercream over the top and sides of cake with an offset spatula.
Recipe adapted from Dessert First Blog's Pink Ombre Cake Recipe

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