Baby Shower Cakes Recipe
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 11 Tbsp. butter room temperature
- 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
- 2/3 c. sugar
- 1/2 tsp orange zest
- 1 piece vanilla bean - (2") split, and seeds removed
- 3 lrg Large eggs
- 1 tsp baking pwdr
- 5 lrg egg whites
- 1 1/4 c. sugar
- 2 c. unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375 degrees. Butter the wells of an egg-cake pan with 1 tsp. of the butter, and dust the wells with 1 Tbsp. of the flour; tap out any excess flour. Set the pan aside. Sift together the remaining 1 c. plus 3 Tbsp. flour and the baking pwdr. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, soften the remaining 10 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. butter. Gradually add in the sugar, and beat till light and fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the orange zest and vanilla seeds and beat to combine. Add in the Large eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping sides of bowl. Add in the sifted flour to the butter mix. Beat on low speed just till incorporated.
- Spoon the batter proportionately among the c.. Bake for 10 min, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake for an additional 10 to 15 min, or possibly till a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer egg-cake pan to a wire rack, and let cold slightly. Invert pan onto wire rack and remove cakes. Cold thoroughly.
- Using a serrated knife, trim the edges of the cakes. Carefully cut the cakes in half horizontally. Shave a small portion off of the bottom of half so it will sit flat. (The bottom half of the cake will be used as the body of the bassinet.) Halve the top half crosswise. Throw away one half, (1/4 of the cake) and reserve the other half to use as the sunshade for the bassinet. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, cut-side down.
- Make Swiss meringue buttercream. Set aside 1/2 c. to tint pink and 1/2 c. to tint blue. Set aside the remaining 2 c. to leave white.
- SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM: Combine the egg whites, sugar, and vanilla in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly till the sugar has dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 5 to 7 min.
- Transfer the bowl to the electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, mix on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed, till stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 min.
- In a separate bowl, beat butter till creamy and fluffy.
- At low speed, add in the butter to the egg whites till smooth. Add in the vanilla and continue mixing till incorporated. (Makes 5-1/2 c.)
- Decorate cakes. Place some of the white buttercream into a small pastry bag fitted with a #46 Ateco basketweave tip. Pipe a basketweave design onto the curved surfaces. Transfer to the refrigerator till chilled and set, about 30 min.
- Remove cakes from refrigerator. Using a small spatula, invert cakes flat-side up, and spread the surfaces with a smooth, even layer of some of the white buttercream. Using a small offset spatula, transfer the small "sunshade" piece, smallest-side down to sit on the bottom half, so which the exposed basketweave of both pcs are flush to create a bassinet.
- Tint the reserved 1/2 c. buttercream pale pink using Wilton Christmas Red. Tint the other reserved 1/2 c. buttercream pale blue using Wilton Sky Blue. Using a small offset spatula, spread a smooth mound of pink or possibly blue buttercream on the lower two-thirds of the bassinet to create a "blanketed bundle".
- Transfer the remaining white buttercream into a small pastry bag fitted with a coupler. Remove the tip and with only the coupler pipe a white buttercream "head" just above the blanket.
- Attach a #45 Ateco straight tip. Pipe a straight line across the top edge of the blanket to create a "fold" in the blanket.
- Attach a #352 Ateco leaf tip. Pipe a ruffled border around edges of the basketweave. Remove the leaf tip. Decorate blankets as desired with remaining white buttercream.
- Makes 8.
Adding to Planner
Nutrition Facts
| Amount Per Serving | %DV |
|---|---|
| Serving Size 184g | |
| Recipe makes 8 servings | |
| Calories 841 | |
| Calories from Fat 562 | 67% |
| Total Fat 63.93g | 80% |
| Saturated Fat 39.79g | 159% |
| Trans Fat 0.0g | |
| Cholesterol 242mg | 81% |
| Sodium 337mg | 14% |
| Potassium 100mg | 3% |
| Total Carbs 63.24g | 17% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.5g | 2% |
| Sugars 48.33g | 32% |
| Protein 7.24g | 12% |
