Contributor post by Lyndsay Sung of
Coco Cake Land
Bright, jewel toned cake layers topped with matching sweet meringue
kisses - this cake sparkles and shines, and might just be as
swoon-worthy as real gems. Follow along to create your own pretty party
cake, perfect for your best friend's birthday or a truly bompin' bridal
shower!
To Make The Cake
You Will Need:
A vanilla cake recipe or box mix of your choice. Make batter according
to recipe's instructions, then divide equally into three bowls. Tint
each batter with hot pink, teal and emerald green (kelly green with
mixed with teal gel food colouring). Pour batter into three 7 x 2 inch
round baking pans. Bake and let cool completely.
5 cups of
vanilla buttercream, tinted a light mint green (or any colour you choose)
To Make The Meringue Kisses
You Will Need:
3 piping bags fitted with piping tips of your choice, such as a small star or open circle tip
Gel food colouring in pink, electric purple and teal.
Ingredients:
3 egg whites
A pinch of salt
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
Make It!
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat the egg
whites and a pinch of salt at high speed. Make sure that the bowl is
completely grease-free before you start, otherwise the egg whites will
not whip up properly!
2. As the egg whites stiffen, slowly sprinkle the granulated sugar into
the mix. Stop whisking as the meringue becomes stiffer and glossy; do
not overmix.
3. Add the vanilla extract, and fold in the icing sugar carefully with a spatula.
4. Separate the meringue into three bowls, tinting with gel food colour to the shade you desire.
5. Fill your piping bags with each meringue colour.
6. Pipe meringue kisses onto the parchment paper covered baking sheets.
7. Bake for 2-3 hours until they have completely dried out; set aside.
Assemble The Cake!
Note: A small offset spatula and a bench scraper are great tools to have on hand for frosting a cake!
Place the first layer of cake onto a cake board or cake plate. Add a generous layer of frosting!
Place the second layer on top - add another layer of frosting.
Finally, add the third layer - now it's time to frost the whole cake!
Mmmm... creamy dreamy buttercream.
Next, using your metal or plastic bench scraper, smooth the entire
exterior of the cake by pressing the edge of the scraper against the
cake and going around the cake with it. Chill your cake in the freezer
for 10 minutes to set; apply another layer of frosting, smooth it out
and you're good to go.
Start placing the cooled meringues on top of your cake - press down
lightly to adhere. I chose to space them out evenly as well and in no
particular pattern for a more a structured yet natural design effect;
feel free to experiment!
But the most exciting part is to come... cutting into this beauty of a cake!
I simply adore how the cake layers match the gem-like, crisp, chewy
meringues! The extra meringues make beautiful little fillers for candy
dishes , plus you can also use them as confetti-like decor! Sigh...
cutting into a cake like this is what dreams are made of! Happy cake
making, everyone - til next time!
Meet The Contributor
Lyndsay Sung is a baker and blogger at
Coco Cake Land. She loves super cute cakes, sweet design and snacks. She lives in Vancouver, Canada with her husband and toddler son.
