I’m pretty hopeless when it comes to children. I’ve never grown up with a burning desire to become a wife and a mother. My parents spent more time pressuring me to go to university and study than teach me how to keep a house and tend to babies.
Please don’t get me wrong. I am not a hater of children. I want to have children of my own in the future. I’m just not the first person in the room to leap out of their seat when a baby enters the room.
In fact, the desire to have children of my own only sprung up when I met Pizzaboy. He was so cute and wonderful. I decided that I would one day need to produce more little joys like him. (My apologies if that sounds a bit too gross).
I become really confused when I receive Baby Shower invitations. Firstly, I don’t have any clue as to what a new born would need. Secondly, I am deeply surprised that I am invited, being an obvious non-baby person. Lastly, I was brought up not to expect gifts from people, throwing parties to specifically receive gifts seems obnoxious to me.
When my beautiful friend from high school invited me to her newborns party I was left twiddling my fingers as to what I should bring.
What do you give people who seem to have everything?
So, I did what I only knew how to do. I baked them a cake. I made Rose Levy Beranbaum’s famous White Velvet Cake. Layered it with strawberry jam and covered it with her fantastic Neoclassic Buttercream. I then popped a sterilized rubber duckie on top. (I was too lazy to mould one from scratch).
It turned out to be a hit. One of the guests remarked, “Why do we need bakeries when we can make cakes like this at home?”
Recipe adapted from Rose’s Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum
Ingredients for the cake
3 large eggwhites, at room temperature
2/3 cup full cream milk, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour
1 cup caster sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/ Butter a 9 by 2 inch round cake pan, top with a parchment round and then coat with baking spray and flour.
2/ Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Set the oven rack in the lower third of the oven.
3/ In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites, 3 tablespoons of the milk, and the vanilla just until lightly combined.
4/ In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and the remaining milk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 90 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5/ Starting on medium-low speed, gradually add the egg mixture to the batter in two parts, beating on medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Using a large silicone spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface evenly with a small offset spatula.
6/ Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown, a wire cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean, and the cake springs bake when pressed lightly in the center. The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from the oven.
7/ Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a small metal spatula between the sides of the pan and the cake, pressing firmly against the pan, and invert the cake into a wire rack that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray. To prevent splitting, reinvert the cake so that the top side is up. Cool completely.
My apologies for not showing a picture of the sliced cake. I didn't want to bring a sliced cake into the shindig. It would be like offering a second hand cake.
Ingredients for buttercream
3 large egg yolks
75g caster sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup
1 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/ Have ready a 1-cup heatproof glass measure, lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray.
2/ In a medium bowl, with a handheld mixer, beat the yolks until light in color. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, preferably nonstick, combine the sugar, golden syrup, and lemon juice. Using a silicone spatula, stir until all the sugar is moistened. Heat over medium-high, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup begins to boil around the edges. Stop stirring and continue cooking for a few minutes, until the syrup comes to a rolling boil. (The entire surface will be covered with large bubbles.) Immediately transfer the syrup to the glass measure to stop the cooking.
3/ If using a handheld mixer, beat the syrup into the yolks in a steady stream. Don’t allow the syrup to fall on the beaters or the beaters will spin it onto the sides of the bowl. If using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk beater, with the mixer turned off, pour a small amount of syrup over the yolks. Immediately beat on high speed for 5 seconds. Stop the mixer and add a larger amount of syrup. Beat on high speed for 5 seconds. Continue with the remaining syrup. For the last addition, use a silicone spatula to remove the syrup clinging to the glass measure and scrape it off against the beater. Continue beating for 5 minutes. Then allow it to cool completely. To speed cooling, place the bowl in an ice water bath or in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally.
4/ When cool, beat in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time on medium speed. The buttercream will not thicken until almost all of the butter has been added.
5/ Place the buttercream in an airtight bowl. Use it at once (it will have a slight crunch until it stands for several hours) or up to 4 hours later. If you are keeping it longer, refrigerate it and bring it to room temperature before using. To restore its texture, rebeat it, but not until it has reached room temperature, in order to avoid curdling.
Composing the cake
When the cake is completely cool, spread a little buttercream on a 9-inch cardboard round or serving plate and set the cake on top. If using the plate, slide a few wide strips of wax paper or parchment under the cake to keep the rim of the plate clean. Frost the top and sides with swirls of buttercream. If using the paper strips, slowly slide them out from under the cake.
Comments
Katherine
May 24, 2010 at 9:53 pmWhat a gorgeous cake. I love the blue icing. The rubber ducky certainly adds a cute little touch to a delicious looking cake.
Lindsay
May 24, 2010 at 11:51 pmI love red velvet cake, but I’ve never seen white. This is beautiful. Way better than any store bought gift for sure.
tasteofbeirut
May 25, 2010 at 4:23 amYour cake is lovely and has a whimsical aspect that I like especially for a baby shower; I want to say don’t feel bad about not being baby crazy! I was not either, could not see what the big fuss was; that all changed when I had my own; then I was introduced to sleepless nights, exhaustion around the clock and tutti quanti; now I enjoy my kids because they are independent! and adore them as well. By the way, I had a period when I baked every single cake from Rose’s collection, every one!
Maria
May 25, 2010 at 4:54 amThis looks adorable Amy! 😀 I know what you mean by not being able to slice the cake for a photo… When I bake a cake to take somewhere I’m terrified not knowing how it turned out because I can’t slice it open! Heheh
Lisa @ bakebikeblog
May 25, 2010 at 8:45 amoh this cake is TOO adorable 🙂 LOVE IT!
Barbara
May 25, 2010 at 10:08 amRose Levy Beranbaum cake book is must have for everyone. I love Maida Heatter and have all of hers too and her directions are the best, but Rose’s recipes are divine. I love your cake! Perfect for a baby shower!
Wretchdz
May 25, 2010 at 12:56 pmThis looks gorgeous!
It is going on the list of things to make.
sweetlife
May 25, 2010 at 1:25 pmcute cake, I love the rubber ducky…I was also raised not to expect gifts from people, and honestly I hate baby showers, I never had one..
sweetlife
tigerfish
May 25, 2010 at 7:13 pmI thought rubber duckies only appear in the bathtub?! :O
That is a cute one on the cake.
panda
May 25, 2010 at 10:32 pmyour cake looks fantastic! question for you – is ‘rose’s heavenly cakes’ a good book to have – i’m eyeing it at the moment and just not sure whether to get it or not. let me know what you think!
cityhippyfarmgirl
May 26, 2010 at 9:46 amA perfect thing to take to a baby shower. I could never wrap my head around a baby shower either- “Come over and give me presents!” a Blessingway I love though.
When in doubt… take food!
angie
May 26, 2010 at 11:23 pmSimple elegance I say! That white velvet cakes sounds so… velvety? Hehe good job Amy!
Conor @ HoldtheBeef
May 27, 2010 at 12:27 amI’m glad other people think a baby shower is weird too. Great idea to take a cake, much better than giving them something they already have 3 of (I think it is quite safe to say they wouldn’t already have 3 amazing cakes).
Suman
May 28, 2010 at 8:14 amfirst time here…nice blog…that cake looks elegant and delicious…wonderful baby shower gift…
lisa
May 28, 2010 at 11:25 amThis a a beautiful gift. It sounds delicious as well. Just the fact that you made it by hand makes it extra special and unique!
Anh
May 28, 2010 at 4:40 pmThat cake is so pretty and cute!
(And since the recipe is from ROse, I know it tastes good!)
mademoiselle délicieuse
May 29, 2010 at 10:32 amRubber duckie, you’re the one…
grace
June 1, 2010 at 5:08 amyes, better not to slice into a cake before it reaches the intended recipient. 🙂 this is a beautiful creation–i love the gentle and delicate hue of the frosting and the duck is a great touch!
Linda V
June 3, 2010 at 5:05 amThis is a perfect gift for a baby shower, how lovely.
I have been looking at that book – I’m a bit of a cook book maniac myself. It’s the only way to be.
Sasa
June 28, 2010 at 9:40 pmHeh, spent my entire childhood ranting to anyone who would listen that “I don’t want kids” and “I’m not getting married.” Well, I’m nearly 30 and I don’t feel too different…I do like kids, just ones I can hand back when I’m done. Never been to a baby shower but the ones ‘ve heard of tend to be thrown by someone else for the expectant mum so it’s not too “Gimme pressies!”
sunflower
May 30, 2011 at 7:59 amyour cake looks delicious and i couldnt wait to make it, love the rubber ducky… im just wondering how you managed to cook it within 40 mins on 175F. it certainly didnt cook mine, tried over an hour and then i changed the setting to 250 n finally cooked! im very worried about the taste for some reason n it doesnt look appealing. anyway, im going to frost it n taste it. glad im making it for myself n not for a party. thank you for the recipe.