White Virgin Margarita Cake

August 23, 2014





The dark and rich flavors of the previous cake post (Midnight Dark Chocolate Cake) had me thinking about a light and fresh cake for the next week just to offset. Black, then white. Dark, then light. For the most part though, I just wanted to try the sugar thingy again. Haha! So here's an easier cake recipe, perfect for birthdays and other occasions. You can also take this cake up a notch by adding tequila - yehba!

I know, the last photo shows the cake in a very inappropriate location (hehe) but the sun was setting, natural light in the living room was very insufficient, and I just had to take photos of the cake already, and the only place in the apartment with enough light was the bedroom. As usual, I woke up quite late that day so I "ran out" of light.

The cake recipe is the same as the Boozy Margarita cupcakes', only this time I baked it in cake form. The cake is moist with a noticeable tang from the lime juice. I frosted it with a simple vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream - not too sweet but enough to slightly offset the lime flavor of the cake. Instead of vanilla extract, I used vanilla bean paste. It's not as expensive as vanilla beans but you still get those nice little specks of vanilla beans. If you look at the photos closely, you can see the specks. To make the more interesting and add a little texture, mini dark chocolate chips were added to the middle icing layer of the cake. Feel free to add chocolate chips to the other layers too.

As for the spun sugar nest on top of the cake, there are sooo many video tutorials online. A few examples here and here. I am quite smitten with it. And I guess I found the challenge of making them myself irresistible. I wasn't quite successful here (hehe) - the shape was weird and the "strings" were thicker than I wanted them to be. But I guess you have to start somewhere, right? It looks easy when you watch the videos but I think there is a technique to it that can only be mastered through several first-hand attempts. If you want to try this, I suggest you try it without the cake first (unlike what I did), master it or at least get the hang of it, and then decorate your cakes only when you feel comfortable with the end result. Also, be very careful! The sugar temperature is very high and you don't want to burn yourself.


White Virgin Margarita Cake Print Recipe
Cake Recipe adapted from The Brown Eyed Baker, Frosting Recipe adapted from Francois Payard's Chocolate Epiphany, makes one frosted 4-layer, 6-inch cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsps baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • Zest and juice of 1½ limes
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tbsps tequila (optional)
For the Frosting
  • 3 large egg whites
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 16 tbsp or 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened but still cold, cut in tablespoons
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Make the Cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease 2 6-inch round baking pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. I used springform pans. Grease the top of the parchment paper and sides of the pan; set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
  3. In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
  4. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
  5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract and tequila (if using). Mix until combined. (The mixture may start to look curdled at this point, but don't worry, it will all come back together, power on!)
  6. Reduce the mixer speed low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated, using a rubber spatula to give it one last mix by hand.
  7. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake until the cakes are set, firm to the touch, and a cake tester comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pan and place on the wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
  8. Make the Frosting: Fill a medium pot one-third full with water and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
  9. Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Reduce the heat to low and place the bowl over the pot, making sure that it is not touching the water. Whisk continuously until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot, 3 to 5 minutes.
  10. Place the bowl in the mixer and beat on high until the whites hold stiff peaks and are cool, about 5 minutes. Feel the bottom of the bowl to check.
  11. With the motor running, add the softened butter to the meringue, 3 tablespoons at a time. Keep mixing until all of the butter is incorporated and the mixture is light and fluffy.
  12. Assemble the cake: Once the cakes have cooled completely, cut each cake in half horizontally, making sure the layers are approximately the same size, flat, and even. You may have to scrape the top layer of each cake to make it flat. You will end up with four layers of cake.
  13. Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or cake board, smooth about 1/5 of the frosting on top; repeat with the remaining layers. Mix some chocolate chips with the frosting, if desired. Crumb coat the entire cake and stick in the fridge for 20 minutes until crumb coat has set. Frost cake with the remaining frosting. Top with any kind of decoration or leave as is.

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