Strawberries and Pink Champagne Cake Recipe

Sweet icing, a fluffy cake, strawberries and pink champagne... could a girl ask for more?  This cake recipe is made from scratch so it has a special place in my heart.

   

Let's get started by preparing our ingredients.

Who actually has time to bring the eggs to room temp?  I definitely do not, so my favorite trick is to soak the eggs in warm water right before I start my recipe.  I swear it helps in making perfectly whipped egg whites and a delicious fluffy cake.  

While visiting my local grocery store, the wine expert suggested Korbel Brut Rose for regular drinking.  I do not question a wine expert ever, only hope for leftovers, of which I'm drinking right now. And I'd like to thank you, Mr. Wine Expert at Top Grocery Store.  After measuring out the 1 cup of champagne, stir out all the bubbles.  I kept going back to it and stirring just to be on the safe side.  

Sift together dry ingredients.   Reserve 1/4 cup of the sugar for later.  Also, combine the liquid ingredients, butter, champagne, oil, vanilla, yolks.

Pour the liquid into the dry and mix.  It's not rocket science here. I should have used the wire whisk attachment because the recipe says so... whatever.  Also, add the pink food color.  I use Americolor Deep Pink.

Remember how I said soaking the cold eggs in warm water would make perfect whipped egg whites?  See what I mean?  I also added the remaining sugar during this process.  

Now this part is rocket science.  Carefully, fold the egg whites into the batter.  Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for approximately 35 minutes.  Let cakes cool.  

I forgot to take pictures of the icing and simple syrup making.  Ack.  It's pretty self explanatory just think happy thoughts as you're making it. 

Extra booze soaked inside the cake?  Yes please.  I like to put my syrup into a squeeze bottle.  This one was purchased at the craft store.  If you trim the tops of your cakes the syrup will soak in very nicely.

Stack the cake with a nice thick layer of icing between the layers and frost the outside.  Voila!

Pink Champagne Cake 
*Adapted from Cooks Illustrated
view printable recipe

2 ½ cups cake flour

1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon table salt

2 ¼ cups sugar

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup pink champagne, flattened

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6 large egg yolks, room temperature

3 large egg whites, room temperature
Americolor Deep Pink food color gel

Instructions:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 340 degrees.  Grease two 8” round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.  Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 2 cups sugar together in large bowl.  Stir the 1 cup of pink champagne in a measuring cup to rid it of all bubbles.  In 4-cup liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, champagne, oil, vanilla, and yolks. 

In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium-high speed until foamy, about 30 seconds.  With machine running, gradually add remaining ¼ cup sugar; continue to beat until stiff peaks just form.  Transfer to bowl and set aside. 

Add flour mixture to now empty mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment. With mixer running at low speed, gradually pour in butter mixture and mix until almost incorporated (a few streaks of dry flour will remain), about 15 seconds.  Stop mixer and scrape whisk and sides of bowl.  Return mixer to medium-low speed and beat until smooth and fully incorporated, 10-15 seconds.  Add food coloring until you get the perfect shade of pink.

Fold the egg whites into the batter, pour evenly into pans and bake for approximately 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Champagne Simple Syrup

¼ cup champagne

¼ cup water

¼ cup sugar

In a medium saucepan combine sugar, water and champagne. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool.

Strawberry Champagne Buttercream

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup shortening

2 lbs powdered sugar

3 tablespoons strawberry puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon popcorn salt

¼ cup pink champagne, flattened (stir to release bubbles)

Instructions:

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and shortening.  Slowly add the powdered sugar until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter and shortening.  Add vanilla, flat pink champagne, strawberry puree and popcorn salt. 

Princess Birthday Cake

This cake was made for my own little princess a couple years ago.  I used a few different methods to decorate like tapering the bottom and top tiers, crimping the outer edge of the board and hand painting the middle tier.  Details like these are what will separate your cake from the average cake.  

How To Make a Fire Breathing Dragon Cake

I have gotten so many emails and requests for instructions on this cake that I decided it would be fun to make a tutorial for it.  I'm giving out some major secrets here so do take note!

Before you get started know that this cake will take you a LONG time to prepare for and make.  Be sure to plan ahead - do not wait until the last minute to start!

These are the items I used:

Craft store:  

Wilton Pan 12x18x2
Parchment Paper
Heating Core
Non Stick Pan Spray
1" Thick Sheet of Styrofoam (optional)
Candy Melts
Black Fancy Foil
Tape (any kind)
Turntable
1 Sheet of Foam Core
Off Set Spatula
Xacto Knife and Blades
Paint Brushes
Wooden Dowel Rods
Dowel Rod Cutter (mine are Fiskar brand)
Pencil Sharpener
Food Safe Gloves
Rolling Pin
Wilton Pizza Cutter Tool
Ruler
Circle cutters
Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
Gumpaste modeling tools

Hardware store:

Electric Screwdriver
1/2" pvc pipe
Pipe cutter (ratcheting kind)
1/2" steel floor flange and 4 screws
1/2 pvc male adapter
1/2 pvc tee
1/2 pvc 45 degree Ell
Heavy duty felt pads
16 x 16 Wood Board (3/4" thick)

Grocery Store/Other:

Knife for cutting styrofoam and cake
Bamboo Skewers
Corn Starch
Ingredients for Rice cereal treats, Cake, Buttercream and Modeling chocolate
Cake Sparklers (red tip removed)
Airbrush and violet color
Vodka

Order On-line From Shop Bakers Nook:

White Satin Ice fondant (5lbs)
Tylose Powder
Americolor Gel Colors - Regal purple, Black, Sky Blue

Recipes:

2 Recipes of Buttercream Dream (for tastier buttercream use REAL vanilla, not clear)
3 Recipes of Semi Sweet Modelling Chocolate
2 Recipes of Kraft's Rice Crispy Treats
3 Recipes of Super Enhanced Cake Formula (I have a 5 qt Kitchen Aid.  Only two recipes will fit in it at a time so I made 2 recipes, poured it into the pan, made 1 more recipe and poured it on top.  Be sure to spray your pan with non stick spray and use a heating core that is also sprayed.  It is a lot of cake and it almost overflowed but did not. whew.  Bake until a skewer is inserted and comes out clean.


1.  Prepare your board

If you are traveling with the cake I recommend using a styrofoam sheet cut to the same size as your wood board.  This will help keep the wings in place.  Hot glue it onto the board.  If you are not traveling this is not needed.  Place a steel flange in the corner and cut a hole in the styrofoam so the flange can see through.  Using an electric screwdriver screw into place.  Add felt feet and cover in fancy foil like you would wrap a gift and tape to the underside of the board.  Poke a small hole in the foil so the flange can see through.

Cut pvc pipe with ratcheting pipe cutter. When you are ready to assemble it will look as shown above.  It's hard to see in the picture but the smallest piece of pvc pipe goes into the top of the tee.  The medium sized piece of pvc pipe goes between the tee and 45 degree ell.  

It doesn't need to be assembled just yet though.  We're just preparing for later.

Be sure to clean your piping very well.  Everything except the steel flange is food safe.  Your water comes through these exact same pipes... so don't worry.  

Fire Station Party Cake

Dalmatians were the theme of this fire station birthday party.  The fire truck, puppies and #5 were all made of gum paste.  Oh, the cuteness of it all!

Log Cabin Cake

This is my latest creation made for Icing Smiles.  I was asked to make a "fun cake" (which is a cake that requires less hours in the kitchen) for a sweet boy who loves horses, the outdoors and has a bedroom decorated to look like a cabin.  This is what I came up with him.  I hope he liked it!