Yes, it's Ocho de Mayo. I may always be on time in real life, but on the blog...maybe not so much.
This cake was for a cake auction (!) at a Cinco de Mayo fundraiser. Spoiler: it did sell and not to a relative. Yay!
Attempting a pretty cake still makes me a little nervous, probably because I don't do it very often. I did use a recipe that I love, though, so that part made me a little less nervous. I made this yellow layer cake with cookies dough filling and fudge frosting. The only change I made in the cake is that I toasted the flour for the filling to make that cookie dough 100% safe to eat.
For the buttercream flowers, I used this buttercream with a 3:1 shortening to butter ratio. Here's a tip: after making the flowers, pop them in the freezer until you're ready to use them. I did that for the flowers I didn't feel confident piping directly onto the cake.
That edge might be my favorite part. I used #12 tips. Yes, I bought 4 more tips so I wouldn't have to swap icing bags or try to space that evenly.
I've gotta tell you about my inspiration. Y'all...these people make cakes and pretty frosting.
- Mindy's Bakeshop: fellow Texas girl who makes beautiful cakes and cookies
- Coco Cake Land: Lyndsay's cakes are creative, whimsical, and fantastic. (Also, she has a book coming out in August.)
- Mrs. Weber Bakes: A local girl, I'm such a fan. Mr. E had her make my birthday cake a few years ago...it was delicious and beautiful.
- I also gleaned some piping techniques from the Topless Baker. (Never fear...it's a guy, and he's wearing an apron. ;))
Of course, I don't have a photo of the inside as it was auctioned off, but there's a pic of this same cake here. It's a good one.
Happy Ocho de Mayo, y'all.
