WRITTEN BY KENDAL RAE JENSEN
We would like to spotlight local cake maker, Courtney Green of Farr West. It all started when Courtney was 11 years old and made cupcakes for her little cousin’s birthday party. Her cousin’s neighbor, Chris Hogan, tasted them and asked if she could order from her. Courtney is so grateful that Chris believed in her and gave her the push she needed to start her business. Chris has now started a little floral/gift shop in West Haven called Posh Petal Floral.
From that first order, Courtney’s mom, Jodi, started posting pictures of Courtney’s cupcakes on social media, and orders started to come in. She started with cupcake orders and soon graduated to elaborately decorated cakes. Courtney is now 19 and has created quite the business in the cake-making industry. She has made five wedding cakes and has orders for two more.
Courtney also graduated from cosmetology and the master esthetician program at Davis Tech last year and is submitting papers to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She would love to serve anywhere in Europe. She also loves animals and takes care of her family’s beef steers; she says they are her best friends. Check out Courtney’s recipe for the most delicious raspberry buttercream frosting you’ve ever had!
CAKE TIPS FROM MELANIE ARCULETTA AND JANELLE SCHULER FROM SWEET SISTER’S BAKERY
CUTTING THE CAKE Normally, people cut round cakes into wedges, but with a layered cake, those pieces can be quite large. You can serve more people with less mess using this tip: Cut the cake like a grid instead of a pie. Get a cutting board and stand it up next to the side of the cake. Slice the cake into a slab, tip it towards the board, and slowly lower the cutting board and the cake slab level with the table. At that point, cut the slab into the desired sizes and serve onto plates. Repeat this process with the rest of the cake.
A 6-inch, 3-layer cake can comfortably serve 16 people, but it can serve as many as 30 for a kid’s birthday.
CAKE DECORATING
- If you are going to bake and decorate your own birthday cake, give yourself ample time. You can’t decorate a warm cake.
- If you’re making a layered cake, slice off the top rounded portion to make it level. Have the top layer be one of the cakes flipped upside down so it gives the top edge a nice finished edge.
- It takes a lot of practice to get a cake to look like how you visualize it. Be patient with yourself and give yourself ample time to frost and decorate. Melanie recommends doing it a day or two prior to when you plan to serve it. She bakes her cakes, freezes them, then frosts and decorates them. Freezing the cakes makes it easier to decorate, and it also keeps the cake moist and delicious.
- Frosting your cake, then refrigerating it, helps the frosting to set, which is very important if you plan on transferring it.
Raspberry Buttercream
By Courtney Green
1 cup margarine
1 cup salted butter
8 oz. seedless raspberry jam
Pinch of salt
1 Tbsp. raspberry extract
2-lb. bag of powdered sugar
Cream
- Using a stand mixer, cream together butter and margarine for about 3 minutes until smooth and a light yellow color.
- Add in jam, extract, and salt. Mix until combined.
- Slowly add powdered sugar until the bag is empty and frosting is combined.
- If too thick, add a tablespoon of cream until desired consistency.
Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Chocolate Frosting
By Raquel Oreggia with Sprinkle Berry Cakes
Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups warm water (or brewed coffee)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
1 1/2 cups butter softened
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tsp vanilla extract
7 cups powdered sugar
about 1/4 cup milk as needed
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly butter three 9-inch cake rounds. Dust with flour or cocoa powder and tap out the excess. Alternatively, you can lightly grease the pans and line with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a stand mixer using a low speed until combined.
- Add eggs, buttermilk, warm water, oil, and vanilla. Beat on a low speed until smooth. This should take just a couple of minutes. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so that everything gets mixed in.
- Divide batter evenly amongst the three prepared pans, about 3 cups of batter per pan. Tap the cake pans gently on the counter to allow any bubbles to rise to the top and escape.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes in a 350 degree oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool on wire racks for 15 minutes and then remove the cakes from the pan and place on the wire rack to cool completely.
- Frost with your favorite frosting and enjoy!
Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat together butter and cream cheese until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add in cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Beat until just combined, about 30 seconds.
- Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Add milk as necessary to make a spreadable consistency. The frosting should be very thick and will thicken even more once refrigerated.
- Use frosting to frost and assemble cake, or transfer to a piping bag for decorating. Once frosted, this cake should be refrigerated but can remain at room temperature for up to 4 hours.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
By Kariann Rugg with Cake Dame
4 cups sugar
2 cups egg whites
6 cups butter
2 Tbsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. salt
Measure sugar and egg whites in a metal bowl. Place over a double boiler on high heat. Whisk until temperature reaches 60-70 degrees C. Remove from heat.
Add salt and whisk on high speed until the mixture has completely cooled and medium to high peaks have formed. Add room temperature butter slowly and cream together.
A 6-quart KitchenAid bowl will work for this recipe. This recipe yields approximately 3 liters, so feel free to adjust to your needs.
Add a small amount of purple food color gel to turn buttercream white.
This type of buttercream is not as sweet as American buttercream. You can add a few cups of sifted powdered sugar to sweeten it up.
Red Velvet Cake
By Courtney Green
12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temp
1 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder, sifted
4 Tbsp. no-taste red food coloring
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup whole milk
3 1/4 all-purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar, eggs, and sour cream. Mix until combined. Add cocoa, salt, vanilla, and food coloring mix, being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add baking soda and apple cider vinegar to the bowl and mix until combined. Add all the flour, while mixing slowly add milk. Mix only till combined. Over mixing will result in a dry and tough cake. Bake in desired greased cake pan for 25 to 30 min.
It will be done when tested with a tooth pick and a few crumbs are on it.