Let me begin by saying I've cooked for 50-plus people a number of times; I've baked every one of my daughter's and son's birthday cakes for the past four years (6 cakes total and probably hundreds of cupcakes); I've made a cake and numerous cupcakes for the birthdays of my niece and a few of our friends' children; but I was never so nervous about any of those tasks as I was about this three-tiered cake I made for a friend's bridal shower this past Sunday.
With 53 eggs, 34 sticks of butter and I don't even know how much sugar, this cake was quite a feat. I just wish I would have approached it a bit calmer ... I was so anxious for it to turn out well it was insane. But I'm happy to say, it was ultimately enjoyed by all and I'm glad I got to contribute to someone's special day in this small way.
Inside each tier were four layers of buttercake with sherry-soaked blackberries and creamy mascarpone buttercream frosting sandwiched between. The buttercake though substantial enough to hold the weight of all the tiers and decorations, remained moist (I also brushed each buttercake layer with a simple sugar syrup to be sure of that). And the sherry-soaked blackberries went really well with the mascarpone buttercream (for which I followed my usual recipe for frosting, but just added the mascarpone twist).
The cake was covered in fondant (which I made with marshmallows; a surprisingly simple recipe that tastes so, so, so much better than the store-bought fondant) and decorated with fondant ribbons and gumpaste bows and flowers.
The cake was covered in fondant (which I made with marshmallows; a surprisingly simple recipe that tastes so, so, so much better than the store-bought fondant) and decorated with fondant ribbons and gumpaste bows and flowers.
I, of course, keep focusing on the imperfections but am trying hard to remind myself that this is a cake ... meant to be eaten and thoroughly enjoyed, not placed in an art museum!
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