Painted Cake
User Reviews
5
Painted Cake
Description
The Painted Cake recipe involves baking three small 6-inch cakes with a batter that includes all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, butter, milk, strawberry preserves, sour cream, and vanilla, tinted pink with food coloring. The texture is moist from excess butter and sour cream, while the preserves bring gentle strawberry flavor. After baking and cooling, the cakes are frosted with an American buttercream made from creamed butter, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, and strawberry preserves, creating a smooth, slightly tangy, and creamy frosting. Different tinted buttercream colors allow decorative painting of flowers on the cake surface, with thicker buttercream helping holding shapes in warmer conditions.
This cake is suited for occasions where an elegant floral decoration is desired. The smaller cake sizes facilitate layering and decorating, making it ideal for a personalized dessert centerpiece. The balance of sweetness in the buttercream can be adjusted by switching to Italian meringue buttercream for less sweetness, but the recipe uses traditional American buttercream for its stability and consistency when painting. Baking strips help achieve flat layers for neat stacking.
Notes suggest using American buttercream for stability and encourage experimenting with color depth by mixing small portions of the buttercream with more color for varied floral details. Cake strips aid in creating flat layers for stacking and decorating. The recipe recommends straining preserves to avoid lumps in the batter or frosting.
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
For the Cake:
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour 213g
- 1 cup granulated sugar 228g
- 1 tsp baking powder 3g
- ¼ tsp baking soda 1g
- ¾ cup butter 176g, room temperature or melted
- ¼ cup milk 60ml, warm, whole
- ¼ cup Strawberry Preserves 46g, strained, warm
- ½ cup sour cream 120ml
- 3 tsp vanilla extract 10g
- 3 egg large, white
- Food Coloring pink
For the American Buttercream:
- 1 lb confectioners sugar 462g
- 2 ticks butter 228g, room temperature, unsalted
- 1 tbsp Strawberry Preserves strained
- 2 tbsp lemon juice strained
- Food Coloring pink, orange and green
Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS:
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 340F. Butter and flour three 6-inch cake pans. Soak baking strips in water. Strain the strawberry preserves.
- Sift dry ingredients (including sugar). Whisk to combine.
- In another bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.
- Combine wet and dry mixtures. Whisk until combined. Add a few drops of pink food coloring until a desired consistency is reached. If the batter is lumpy, it’s okay!
- Add damp baking strips to the cake pans.
- Evenly distribute batter into pans. I like to use a kitchen scale for precision.
- Bake for about 30- 35 minutes or until the centers are set and springy to the touch.
For the American Buttercream:
- In a stand mixer, cream the butter until fluffy.
- Sift in half of the confectioners sugar. Mix, then add the rest.
- Squeeze lemon juice and combine.
- Reserve ¼ cup of the white buttercream to dye green for the stems and leaves.
- Transfer ½ the plain white buttercream from the standing mixer to a piping bag. Snip off the tip.
- Add in 1 tbsp of strained strawberry preserves to the remaining buttercream. Mix until combined.
- Save about 1-2 cups for the flowers in a separate bowl. Transfer the strawberry buttercream to a piping bag and snip off the tip.
- Use food coloring to dye the buttercream different shades of pink to orange for the flowers.
For the Assembly:
- Pipe the strawberry buttercream between each layer.
- Crumb coat the cake and smooth with a scraper.
- Pipe a thin layer of plain white buttercream on the outside of the cake. Even out with a hot scraper and offset spatula. Chill for about 30 minutes.
- Using a palette knife, sculpt flowers from the pink and orange buttercream. Add details, stems and leaves.
Notes
- American buttercream offers stability and thickness for painting decorations on the cake.
- To vary floral shading, use extra colored buttercream in different intensities for painting details.
- Cake strips help produce flat, even cake layers, simplifying stacking and decorating.
- Straining strawberry preserves prevents lumps in batter and frosting for smoother texture.
- Consider Italian meringue buttercream for a less sweet, creamy frosting alternative.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 10Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 240 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 2oz | |
| Calories | 240kcal | 12% |
| Carbohydrates | 20g | 7% |
| Protein | 2g | 4% |
| Fat | 7g | 11% |
| Sodium | 10mg | 0% |
| Sugar | 30g | 60% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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