Michelle's Graduation Party

My cousin, MIchelle, has been commuting over an hour and a half each way for a year now to finish up her Bachelor's Degree.  We're so proud of her we threw a big party for her at mine and Gene's house following the graduation ceremony.  Not only was it a great family get-together, we got to spend time with some of her family from West Plains that we never get to see.  (Everybody now wants to go drinking with Aunt Lynnette!)  Here's the beaming little grad and her parents, Willard and Gail:

And here's the cake:

Michelle picked the cake to be white cake with white chocolate buttercream filling and I chose to cover it in chocolate marshmallow fondant (recipe from Misty to follow) over a thick coating of the buttercream to get her favorite color scheme:  chocolate brown, teal, and pink.  I chose the single pink rose to represent Michelle's personal email signature line the whole time she's been in college:

"There came a day when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."   ---Anais Nin

The cake itself is the Buttermilk White Cake recipe I used in The Dabbling Mum article and my inaugural post opening this blog.  Clicking on either of the previous links will take you to the recipe, photos, and my mother's "white cake is supposed to be white" rant.

However, I'm going to reprint an update of the recipe and instructions here too.  A reader wrote to me a couple of months ago saying that the instructions weren't very clear and she was right. When I looked at them again, I saw that because there are so many cake baking things after all these years of doing it that I run through the motions on autopilot.  I left out a few things that I take for granted so I've now cleaned up the instructions, taking detailed notes as I baked Michelle's cake.  The texture of the cake itself is that of midway between a lighter butter cake and a heavier pound cake, perfect to take the weight of fondant and stacking.

Glenna's Buttermilk White Cake

Combine the ingredients in three different bowls.

In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter (room temperature)

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla (that's not a typo.  Personally, I go heavy on the vanilla because I like the richness it adds.  I use Nielson Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla bean paste.)

In a second bowl, sift together:

3 cups cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Dash of salt

In a third bowl, whisk together:

4 egg whites

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup applesauce or 1/2 cup plain yogurt (applesauce gives a slightly coarser crumb; yogurt gives a denser, more pound cake crumb)

1/3 cup canola or other vegetable oil

1. Pre-heat oven.  Most cake recipes call for a 350 degree oven. I bake at a slightly lower temp so my cakes down brown as quickly or darkly.  My temps are 325 convection (my preference) OR 335 regular oven temp.

2.  Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla together until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.

3.  Whisk together wet ingredients and add them in two or three batches into the creaming butter mixture from the side or through the ingredient shoot.

4.  Add flour mixture, also in 2-3 batches, into batter.  When all dry ingredients are in, beat on medium speed for 2 minutes or until batter looks thick and rich and leaves small ridges as being mixed.

Be sure to scrape down mixer bowl several times during initial mixing so that all of the ingredients get thoroughly mixed together.

                                                                                                   

5.  Pour batter into 3 greased and lined 8" round pans or 1 greased and line 9"x13" pan.  Fill rounds no more than half full or the cakes will darken too much before the batter is cooked through in the center.

For more information on preparing pans, click here:  Cake Pan prep

Bake at 335 (regular, NOT convection).  8" rounds will bake for approximately 25-30 minutes and a 9"x13" will take 40-45 minutes.  HOWEVER, watch cake CAREFULLY. I've found that the times are never the same for any cake even in my own oven.  So much of baking depends on the day, the humidity, the ambient temp in the kitchen, or simply the mood of the oven or batter.  You know, I've found over the years that inanimate objects, particularly kitchen appliances (and computers), are fickle bitches set out to ruin our lives or at least annoy the hell out of us on any given day.

The cakes should climb slowly up the sides of the pan with an even or just slightly domed top. To test for doneness, skip the toothpick and the advice about pulling away from the sides.  Once the cake has pulled away from the sides in the oven, it's overbaked. I'm not saying it will taste horrible, I'm just saying it won't meet its full potential.  To test for doneness, gently pinch off a small dab of the crust off the middle center.  If the underneath portion looks wet and batter-like, leave it in a couple more minutes but if the underneath of that pinch shows any kind of sponge-like crumb texture, pull the layers immediately.  Even if that top pinch was gooey, as long as the underneath was set, the heat rising from the layer as it cools will finish cooking the top while it rests in the pan for 5 minutes.

Place the pans on top of cooling racks for 5 minutes, then invert and remove layers onto the cooling racks. I usually invert again so that my layers cool with their tops up and the lined paper bottom sitting on the racks.

For information about preparing layers to stack, filling, and crumb coating, click here:  Stacking/Crumb Coat.

I made the chocolate Fondant several days prior and placed it into the fridge.  Fondant will keep in the fridge up to a couple of months if placed into a baggie with as much air as possible removed.  My version of plain marshmallow fondant can be found here:  Marshmallow Fondant.

A reader, Misty from Lincoln, Nebraska, wrote to me with her chocolate version of this recipe that she says tastes like a tootsie roll. She's right! This was a huge hit at Michelle's grad party and that's a big compliment coming from a family of people who choose fruit desserts and cakes over chocolate anytime. Except James, who is our one  bona fide chocoholic.

Misty's Chocolate Marshmallow Fondant

1 lb mini marshmallows

1 oz grated baker's chocolate (I used the 2 oz's left from a Hershey's dark chocolate bar--G)

2 Tbsp Ghirardelli cocoa powder

2 Tbsp Water

Place marhsmallows, flavoriings, and water in a microwave proof bowl and microwave on high for 60 seconds. Stir.  If not completely melted repeat with 30 seconds microwave intervals until mixture is completely melted when stirred.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of a free standing mixer, add:

2 lbs. powdered sugar

2 Tbsp corn syrup

1 oz Wilton Brown Food coloring paste (my additional to get the dark brown color I needed)

1 tsp vanilla, clear if available

1 tsp any other flavorings desired (optional)

Add melted marshmallow mixture and stir on low using the mixer dough hook.

As mixture combines, incread speed slightly to knead. Add a little water if all the powdered sugar fails to combine.  When mixture is completely mixed and homogenous, turn out onto the counter sprinkled with powdered sugar or a powdered sugar/cornstarch combo.

Spray hands with cooking spray and knead dough, adding sugar as needed, until mass is still pliable but not sticky.  Pat into a loaf, cover with plastic wrap, and drop into a gallon ziplock bag, squeezing out any excess air. The dough will be slightly too sticky to work with if you try to roll it out that moment so allow it to cool in the fridge to "set" and harden slightly. Bring back to room temp to work with. This amount easily covered 1 6" cake and 1 8" cake, both with 3 layers, and still could have covered another 8" layer cake.

While I was making fondant I went ahead and made a double batch of plain marshmallow fondant for Jordan and Isaac's birthday party coming up June 8th. Jordan will be Sweet 16 and Isaac will be 9 going on 16. 

The "M" on Michelle's cake was piped in royal icing. I simply opened a new page in my word processor and used "Word Art" to create a 4" "M" in a typeface I liked and then taped a piece of wax paper over it pipe on. The wax paper peeled off easily when the royal icing dried and, voila, I had an "M" that I simply placed one half bamboo skewer embedded in the cake top to support the royal icing "M".

Wilton Royal Icing

1 lb powdered sugar

3 Tbsp Meringue Powder (or powdered egg whites)

9 Tbsps water, drizzled in a bit at a time

Whip all ingredients together until light and fluffy and pipe away.

The rose is created from gumpaste.  Go here Jessica's roses for step by step instructions.

Over the next few days, I'll continue to post about the party including tips on knowing how much food to prepare for how many people, more family stories, and recipes for my friend Lynn's fabulous Choc Chip Cream Cheese Ball, Auntie Miranda's family favorite Vegetable Beef Soup, and more.

Comments

[rachel]

I was just about to try some of this wonderful-sounding marshmallow fondant, and now there's chocolate???!! Too many choices- can't wait!

[MyKitchenInHalfCups]

Wonderful recipe write up and great photos with it.
The cake is really fabulous and terrifically fitting with Michelle's personal email signature line!! Love that.

[sher]

I know from experience that your cakes are fabulous. Seriously. Your white cake is the lightest and most delicate I've ever tasted. And I don't like fondant, as a rule--but I remember how much I enjoyed your white marshmallow fondant. And don't get me started about the buttercream. Michelle is very lucky to to have you make her that beautiful cake.

[Glenna]

Rachel--Thanks! And yes, it's wonderful too! Much much better than the boxed fondant

Tanna--Thanks so much!

Sher--You're really sweet. Thank you. I think the marshmallow fondant is a whole different creature. It's much softer and has a taste!

[Dana]

What a beautiful cake! Congrats to your cousin. I have never tried to make fondant is it hard to do? I love your site it makes me want to bake or decorate.

[Deborah Dowd]

What a beautiful cake for a joyous occasion. Graduations are such a great occasion- to celebrate not only the achievement itself, but a future full of nothing but promise! Congratulations Michele!