When in full bloom these dreamy roses are large, fluffy and reveal the most beautiful centers filled with swirls of petals.
Domino® Golden Sugar White Almond Cake with Italian Meringue Buttercream
This post is sponsored by Domino® Sugar. All opinions are my own.
White almond cake has always been a favorite of mine because it is so delicate, pure and elegant. I tend bake it for special occasions since it’s a bit more fancy than an everyday yellow cake. So when my friends at Domino® Sugar asked me to try their new golden sugar, I knew I wanted to make this cake with it. Domino® Golden Sugar is a less processed, cup-for-cup alternative to white granulated sugar. It has a lovely golden color and the taste has a slight hint of molasses. I have two very young kids and a health-nut husband so having a less processed option to use in my baked goods is a huge plus in my kitchen.
Now, the main reason I wanted to try this particular cake recipe with the golden sugar was to satisfy my curiosity. Even though it has a golden tint, would it stand up to the test of producing a nice white cake? Well, the answer is YES. To keep the cake as white as possible, I only used egg whites in the recipe and flavored it with almond extract since it is clear. (Feel free to substitute it with clear vanilla extract if you prefer). This cake is fluffy, fragrant and moist. It is a butter based cake so it has a nice rich flavor and enough stability to be layered but I also added a little bit of oil to make it extra moist. You can substitute the APF for cake flour to make the crumb even more delicate and light.
To fill and coat the cake, I went with an Italian meringue buttercream. It elevates any cake since it is amazingly luxurious, smooth and delicious. This buttercream requires you to boil the sugar and water until 240^ (soft ball stage) so it’s helpful to have a candy thermometer on hand. When boiled, the golden sugar gives of a very dark brown color but don’t be alarmed. Once added to the super white meringue, the buttercream magically ends up being pretty light in color. I compared the color of this against a batch that was made using white granulated sugar and it surprisingly wasn’t that much different! That’s good to know because I was planning to color my buttercream in order to pipe some flowers so I needed to start with a pretty white base. The only real difference I noticed was the taste. The batch made with the golden sugar gave off a delicious hint of molasses which made it even more special and unique.
To decorate the cake, I colored the buttercream in shades of yellow, peach and pink. I used those to pipe a variety of flowers such as roses, ranunculus and peonies. Again, because the golden sugar yielded a very light colored buttercream, I was able to mix bright, vibrant colors without any issue.
Here is a list of all the piping tips I used for each flower:
Rose (104) Ranunculus (59 for the green petals and 104 for the peach petals) Peony (121) White Blossoms (224) Leaves (352) Buds (4 and 8)
I would say the combination of white almond cake, Italian meringue buttercream and beautiful hand-piped flowers make for a pretty special cake! So give it a try. I’m sure whoever you make this cake for will be blown away by its taste and design. To get your hands on Domino® Golden Sugar for these recipes and more, head over to Amazon.
Recipes:
White Almond Cake
Yield: Three 8” rounds, serving size 12
Prep time: 10 mins
Bake time: 28-30 mins
Ingredients:
1 C Unsalted Butter, softened (2 sticks)
1/4 C Vegetable Oil
2C Domino® Golden Sugar
1 C Egg whites (~7 large eggs)
3 1/2 C All Purpose Flour
1 T Baking Powder
1/4 t Salt
2 C Whole Milk
2 t Almond Extract
Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Meanwhile, prepare three 8” round cake pans with baking spray and line the bottom with parchment.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Separately, combine the milk and almond extract.
Using a mixer, whip butter, oil and Domino® Golden Sugar on high with a paddle attachment until fluffy and light in color.
On medium speed, add in a few egg whites at a time making sure they are fully incorporated before adding more. Then stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Switch to low speed and add a third of the dry ingredients until just combined, followed by half of the wet ingredients.
Continue to alternate adding in dry ingredients and wet ingredients, starting and ending with dry. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl once more and mix again for 2-3 seconds until everything is incorporated.
Pour batter into prepared cake pans and bake for 28-30 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Domino® Golden Sugar Italian Meringue Buttercream
Yield: ~5 Cups
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Ingredients:
1/3 C Water
1 1/2 C Domino® Golden Sugar
1 C Egg Whites (~7 large eggs)
1 1/2 pounds Unsalted Butter, softened (6 sticks)
2 t Vanilla Extract
Procedure:
Combine water and Domino® Golden Sugar in a small sauce pan. Do not stir. On medium-high heat bring the mixture to a boil until the syrup reaches 240° (soft ball stage).
Before the syrup reaches its desired temperature, at about 220°, start whipping the egg whites with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until it becomes fluffy, white and reaches stiff peaks.
With the mixer running, slowly pour the syrup down the side of the bowl in a thin, steady stream into the egg whites. Once all the syrup has been added, change the speed to high and let it whip until the bowl is cool to the touch and a voluminous meringue forms.
On low speed, add in softened butter, a little at a time. Once all the butter has been added the meringue will look deflated. Switch to medium-high speed and mix until the buttercream regains its volume and structure.
Add in vanilla extract and mix until fully incorporated.
*This buttercream will keep at room temperature for 2-3 days. If you are planning to keep it any longer than that, store it in the fridge or freezer. For delicious variations add cocoa powder, peanut butter, fruit purees or different flavored extracts.
Buttercream Craspedia
Look at these cute little billy balls, aka craspedia, nestled among roses and chrysanthemums. Using fillers like these in a flower arrangement creates contrast in both texture and size. It adds visual interest to the overall cake making it all the more beautiful. Small details like these are truly worth the effort and time. They are the backbone of a well designed cake. I have a whole section in my online buttercream flower class dedicated to fillers and foliage so check it out here!
Flat Buttercream Flowers - Online course
I teach a total of 17 flat style flowers in my new online buttercream flower class. I categorized them as flat flowers because instead of petals being piped around a central and dimensional base they are piped flat onto a parchment square that is attached to the flower nail. Due to their thin and delicate nature, they have to be chilled until firm in order to peel off the paper and be placed on a cake. Although flat, they are not lacking in detail, dimension or movement. Made of various layers, textures and vibrant colors, these flowers are piped to appear as lifelike as possible. Join me and learn how to make these beautiful flowers and more today. Check out my class tab or click here to learn more about each class and enroll!
Online Buttercream Flower Classes
The Art of Buttercream school is now open! I’m looking forward to teaching you all how to make beautiful buttercream flowers through the courses. You will learn how to make buttercream, color it, bake and build a cake, coat it, use a piping bag, pipe 49 different flowers, fillers and foliage as well as learn how to arrange those into beautiful designs on cupcakes and cakes. There’s so much more than this so check the curriculum for each class! Here’s a preview of what the classes look like as well as their info pages. Can’t wait to see all the flowers you pipe! Click here to learn more about each class and enroll.
Buttercream Roses
Roses are one of the most beautiful and recognizable flowers in the world. It is full of symbolic meaning, has many stunning varieties and is simply enchanting. There are many techniques that are essential to piping buttercream flowers that can be practiced on this one type of flower. Petal shape, width, height variation, angle changes, spacing, sizing, etc. For that reason I recommend when learning how to pipe dimensional buttercream flowers, always start with the rose. It is very basic and you are easily able to gauge your improvement on this flower. Once you feel comfortable with the techniques of piping a rose, the other flowers to follow will be much easier to learn. To find out how to pipe this pretty rose and more, sign up for my online buttercream flower masterclass! Click here to enroll.
Buttercream Flower Piping Tips: Flower Symmetry
Most flowers are naturally symmetrical so when I pipe buttercream flowers I try to keep symmetry in mind as well. When I start, I mentally break down the round flower nail into quadrants (or depending on the flower it may be thirds or fifths) and focus on piping within those parameters rather than thinking about the whole flower first. Otherwise it can actually be overwhelming. This helps me pipe in digestible amounts and easily maintains symmetry.
So for this Zinnia I know that I want 12 petals. I map out that four petals will sit on the axis lines and two petals will be placed between each of them. This forces me to know my boundaries and limitations when piping so I can be as consistent as possible when it comes to the size and distance of petals. Once I evenly pipe my petals in one quadrant, I move onto the next and replicate it. The end result will be a round and symmetrical flower.
During my private workshops, I physically draw these lines with a pencil on the back of a parchment square for students to practice and get comfortable with. So if you’re a beginner at home trying buttercream flowers out for your first time or if you are someone who struggles with piping even looking flowers, give this technique a try!
The Art of Buttercream Flowers: Online Buttercream Flower Cake Classes
Welcome to The Art of Buttercream Flowers, a comprehensive online school dedicated to the beautiful and intricate art of creating buttercream flower cakes! Whether you are a beginner who wants to make special cakes for your friends and family or a professional looking to grow your business by offering your clients stunning floral cakes, my classes will guide you through everything you need to know. In this school there are three classes: Buttercream Fundamentals, Buttercream Flowers and Buttercream Flower Cakes Masterclass. Find out more in-depth info on each course by reviewing the curriculum to see what the class offers and decide which one is perfect for you. Visit the class tab on my website or click here for more info. Let’s get piping!
Buttercream Flower Masterclass
If you have been looking for an in-person cake class to learn how to pipe buttercream flower cakes, sign up for my masterclass! In 6 hours I will show you how to make the perfect buttercream for piping flowers, how to create realistic colors, how to pipe a variety of flowers that you choose and how to arrange them onto a cake. This is the most popular class I teach since it is very comprehensive and hands-on. If you’re interested, send me an email to discuss possible dates and let’s get piping!
Fall Buttercream Flower Cupcake Class
I will be hosting a Fall buttercream flower cupcake class at Sugarsuckle in Hoboken Saturday Nov. 17 from 6 to 7:30pm. Come pipe pretty Chrysanthemums on pumpkin cupcakes while sipping on some wine, BYOB. Sign up here. Hope to see you there!
