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3 Tier Butter Wedding Cake

List of Ingredients

Basic Syrup

Adapted from The Cake Bible.
6 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup (use glass measuring cup) water
3 tablespoons liqueur of your choice or orange juice
In a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid combine the sugar and water and bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Cover immediately, remove from the heat and cool completely. Transfer to a liquid measuring cup and stir in the liqueur or orange juice. If the syrup has evaporated slightly, add enough water to equal 1 cup syrup. (If multiplying this base for a larger quantity, add water to equal the appropriate amount).
Syrup can be stored 1 month refrigerated in an airtight container.
Makes 1 cup.


Egg White Buttercream Frosting

From Chef Christopher Galli of Oakland Community College.
1 1/2 cups egg whites (must be completely free of yolks)
3 1/2 cups sugar
2 pounds unsalted butter (must be soft)
Heat whites and sugar over a double boiler, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved and can no longer be felt between fingers and thumb.
Transfer to a 5-quart mixing bowl, such as a Kitchen Aid mixer. Using a whip attachment, start mixing on high speed, turning speed down after mixture starts to splatter, and whip until almost room temperature. Slowly add softened butter and mix smooth.
Buttercream can be stored two days at room temperature, 10 days refrigerated, and six months frozen. When ready to use, buttercream must come to room temperature before beating again.
Makes about 10 cups of frosting.
Note: Because fresh eggs, both yolks and whites, carry a possible risk of contamination by salmonella bacteria, they should be heated to 160 degrees before consuming. At that temperature the bacteria are killed, says the Michigan State University Extension Service.
If you heat the egg whites in this recipe to that temperature, they may begin to coagulate and won't beat well.
If you are concerned, you could substitute egg-white powder, which is safe (look for it at kitchen-supply stores), but it may not produce the fluffy texture and high volume of fresh whites.


Three-Tier Yellow Butter Wedding Cake

Adapted from The Cake Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum (William Morrow).
Batter for 2 6-inch-by-2-inch layers and 2 9-inch-by-2-inch layers:
12 large egg yolks
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon plus 11/2 teaspoons vanilla
6 cups sifted cake flour
3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (must be softened)
Batter for 2 12-inch layers:
14 large egg yolks
2 1/3 cups milk
1 tablespoon plus 21/4 teaspoons vanilla
7 cups sifted cake flour
3 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons plus 13/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups unsalted butter
These instructions apply to mixing batter for all sizes of yellow butter cakes; you will actually be mixing batter in two batches, according to preceding list of ingredients.
Arrange 2 oven racks as close to the center of the oven as possible with at least 3 inches between them.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare cake pans by rubbing with shortening (not butter, because flour will not stick consistently to it), dusting with flour and shaking out excess. (You can also use kitchen parchment to line the pan bottoms).
In a medium bowl, lightly combine egg yolks, 1/4 of the milk and the vanilla.
In a large mixing bowl (at least 5-quart capacity) combine all dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 1 minute to blend. Add butter and remaining milk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Beat at medium speed (high speed if using a hand mixer) for 11/2 minutes to aerate and develop the cake's structure. Scrape down the sides.
Gradually beat in the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides.
Scrape batter into prepared pans, filling about halfway, and smooth with a spatula. Arrange pans in the oven so air can circulate around them. Do not allow them to touch each other or the oven walls. Bake 25 to 35 minutes for 6-inch layers, 35 to 45 minutes for 9-inch layers and 40 to 50 minutes for 12-inch layers or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center.
In the 6-inch and 9-inch pans, the cakes should start to shrink from the sides only after removal from the oven. The 12-inch layers should bake until they just start to shrink from the sides. (Note: Do not underbake the 12-inch layers.) To promote more even baking, turn the 12-inch layers 180 degrees (halfway around) halfway through the baking time. Do this quickly so oven temperature does not drop.
Allow cakes to cool in pans on racks for 15 minutes (20 minutes for 12-inch layers). Loosen the sides with a spatula and invert onto greased wire racks. To prevent splitting, reinvert and cool completely before wrapping airtight with plastic wrap and foil.
When preparing the cake more than 24 hours ahead or if extra moistness is desired, sprinkle layers with 3 cups of Basic Syrup (see recipe).
Finished height of each layer is about 11/2 inches. Cakes can be stored in airtight wrap for two days at room temperature, five days refrigerated, two months frozen. Cakes should be served at room temperature.
Makes 100 to 150 servings, depending on size of slices.
Analysis based on 100 slices.
Per slice: 275 g calories; 15.2 g fat (9 g saturated fat; 50 percent calories from fat); 92 mg cholesterol; 141 mg sodium; 33.1 g carbohydrates.







Recipe

Here's what you'll need to bake the best cake for the reception

Before you attempt to bake and decorate a three-tier wedding cake, be sure you have the following equipment:
* A heavy-duty electric mixer with a 5-quart bowl
* Another 5-quart mixing bowl (only if you make batter and frosting on the same day; otherwise you can use the mixer's bowl for frosting, too)
* 2 12-inch-diameter cake pans
* 2 9-inch-diameter cake pans
* 2 6-inch-diameter cake pans (If you plan to use other graduated sizes of pans, invert and stack them to judge if the proportions are attractive)
* 6 metal racks for cooling cakes
* 1 18-inch diameter heavy-duty cardboard circle covered in foil (available at kitchen- or cake-decorating supply stores) to use as base for cake
* 1 9-inch and 1 6-inch plastic separator plate, each fitted with plastic pillars (available at cake-decorating-supply stores)
* 2 yards of tuck-and-ruffle, optional (a paper ruffle to decorate the edge of the cardboard base)
* 1 16-inch cloth pastry bag, lined with plastic and fitted with plastic coupler (at kitchen-supply stores)
* 3 different metal tips for the pastry bag -- rose tip, star tip and straight tip are likely to be most useful (at kitchen-supply stores)
* 1 cake comb for making vertical striations on sides of cakes, optional (at kitchen-supply stores)
* Lazy Susan or other turntable big enough to hold largest cake layer, optional (makes frosting the cake easier)
* 1 large, very stiff pancake turner or large, stiff metal spatula for lifting tiers
* 1 large serrated knife for leveling lopsided layers
* Assorted spatulas
* 1 large cardboard box slightly larger than the cake's base support and higher than the cake, if cake will be transported (you can also transport frosted layers separately, if you allow time to do assembly and final decorating before reception)