Baby Shower Cake

This weekend I made my first baby shower cake for a friend. It was so much fun! The colors they had chosen were navy and mint, and I got free reign when it came to the design of the cake.

I loved the idea of a pair of baby chucks, because seriously, is there anything cuter? And thanks to Pinterest I found a great tutorial on how to make them from fondant. 

Since the mommy to be is a chocolate lover, I made a four layered chocolate cake with a raspberry mousse and a chocolate buttercream filling. I love that the recipe uses ground espresso, both in the cake batter and the buttercream. It adds another dimension to the chocolate, without being overpowering. Just make sure you use a good brand such as Illy, you'll be able to taste the difference!

Also, can we talk about how easy it is to make a great raspberry mousse? There are only four ingredients and it takes about five minutes to whip together. You can use either fresh or frozen berries (but always remember to boil frozen ones, to make sure they're free from any viruses). I used fresh raspberries and strained the seeds before adding to the whipped cream. Pure deliciousness!

I wanted to keep the design pretty clean, so I kept the base white and added some bunting and made some details by piping with royal icing. This was my first try with royal icing, and it was really fun to work with. I can't wait to try it with cookies!

The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever
from addapinch

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water



Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
2. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
3. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.
4. Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream

by addapinch

1½ cups butter (3 sticks), softened

1 cup unsweetened cocoa

5 cups confectioner’s sugar

½ cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon espresso powder

Instructions:

1. Add cocoa to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk through to remove any lumps.
2. Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well-combined.
3. Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.
4. Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.
5. If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears to wet and does not hold its form, add more confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.

Raspberry Mousse

by Linda Runn

225g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
45 g sugar
2 tsp gelatin
300 ml heavy whipping cream

Instructions:

1. Put raspberries and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Strain the raspberries.
2. Pour the gelatin into the warm raspberry sauce and let cool in the fridge.
3. Whip the heavy whipping cream and fold into the cooled raspberry sauce.
4. Let set in the fridge for two hours, or pour into a cake ring to use as a cake filling.