Happy 2nd Birthday!

Well this post is way overdue! I've pretty much been out of town since the beginning of November. But now I'm back and ready to start blogging and baking again, especially with the holidays coming up.

About a month ago was Diamonds for Dessert's second birthday! Like last year, I decided to celebrate my blog's (belated) birthday with a cake. Because what better way is there to celebrate a birthday than with cake? Anyway, I've been pretty addicted to pinterest lately and after seeing a bunch of gorgeous ruffle cakes, I knew I needed to try making one. Turns out they're really easy and fast to decorate. No need to worry about perfecting your icing technique or smoothly frosting the cake since it all gets covered up by the ruffles!

The highlight here is the frosting. This is the first time I've tried making a swiss meringue buttercream and I must ask, "Why haven't I tried this before???" It has a wonderfully light texture and it's not too sweet, which I love. The thing I dislike most about simple buttercream is that it needs so much powdered sugar to stiffen up, which makes the frosting too sweet most of the time. But that's not the case with swiss meringue buttercream. The strawberry puree makes this frosting even better, acting as a natural food coloring while flavoring the buttercream to taste like fresh strawberry ice cream! This amazing strawberry buttercream + my go-to chocolate cake recipe + ruffles = the perfect cake for a celebration.

Strawberry Chocolate Mini Ruffle Cake
my go-to chocolate cake recipe
strawberry buttercream recipe (below)

Follow the instructions for the small chocolate cake, baking the cake in the rectangular sheet pan as indicated in the recipe. Let it cool on a cooling rack. Once cool, take a 3 7/8 inch (98 mm) diameter round cookie cutter and cut out six rounds of cake. Use a knife to level the cakes so the six rounds are the same height. Make the strawberry swiss meringue buttercream recipe.

Assembly:

1. Cut out a round piece of parchment paper wider than the cake round. Place a cake round on top of the parchment.

2. Dollop some frosting on the cake and smooth it out.

3. Repeat with another cake round and more frosting.

4. Place the third cake round on top. Press down on the three layers to make sure they stick together.

5. Apply a thin layer of frosting all over the cake as the crumb coat. Don't worry if it's ugly; it'll be covered up by the ruffles later. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, until firm.

6. Place a petal tip (it looks like an elongated dew drop) in a piping bag. Add the buttercream to the piping bag.

7. Hold the piping bag vertically with the fat part of the dewdrop towards the cake and the thin part towards you. Squeeze the bag and pipe back and forth along the cake side until you reach the top, making sure the frosting is touching the cake.

8. Repeat.

9. Repeat until the whole cake is covered.

10. To finish, frost with a zigzagging motion from the sides of the cake towards to center to form slightly overlapping wedges of frosting until the top of the cake is covered. 

Makes two mini ruffle cakes.

Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
adapted from Martha Stewart

4 egg whites, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, pureed

Simmer a pot of water on the stove. Mix the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk the mixture until it reaches 160°F on a thermometer. Remove the bowl from the heat and pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixture (with the whisk attachment). Mix on medium high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixer bowl has cooled down to room temperature, about 10 minutes.

While waiting, cut up the sticks of butter into small pieces. After stiff peaks have formed, reduce the mixer to medium speed and add the butter a few pieces at a time, waiting till the butter pieces are incorporated before adding more. If it isn't coming together, increase the speed back to medium high for a few minutes until it does. Then add the strawberry puree a little at a time to let it slowly incorporate. Same thing, if it isn't coming together, increase the speed back to medium high and let it mix for a a few minutes.

[If you aren't using the frosting immediately, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate. To use later, let the frosting return to room temperature. Then mix it for a few minute on low speed (to reblend the puree that has separated) until it starts clumping/coming together. It should then be ready to use again.]