Wilton Course 1, Class 3 and A Recipe

Updated:

A reader emailed me to let me know that she made this recipe and added eggs and the cake didn't sink! I tried it out and it was perfect. The recipe below reflects those changes.

This is my final cake for my Wilton class. I'm not totally thrilled with it, but I think it's fair. I do have to say that the actual cake and frosting were excellent but the roses are much harder then they look.

I made a dozen roses in class but these were the best looking ones. I think they look like purple cabbages :-) The main issue I have with the roses is that the edges are jagged. In the Wilton instruction book, the roses are perfect and smooth. Clearly they are not using the same icing and they're photo shopped. Even the instructors roses were jagged so I don't feel too badly.

I do have to say though that I don't think icing roses are my thing. I understand they have their place on Grandma's 80th birthday cake, but I don't see myself putting them on very many cakes in the future. I'd still like to practice with other icings to see if I can get them smoother. I thinned my icing a bit and that helped, but the roses sagged a bit because the icing wasn't so stiff. Oh well.

My shell/snail border turned out okay. I think the bottom turned out better than the top, but with practice I'll get better.

Moving on to the cake... this recipe comes from Sky High Cakes. It has some excellent recipes in it, so I turned to them for this one bowl chocolate cake and instant fudge frosting. The frosting was super simple to make because it's made in a matter of seconds in the food processor. You MUST make this frosting. It smelled so good too.

And the cake was equally good but it SUNK in the middle. (Ingrid, I know you're laughing at me!) I made it twice because I thought I had done something wrong the first time, but it sunk AGAIN the second time around. It rose just fine in the oven but once it came out and cooled, it sunk and became fudgey in the center. (I had to level off my cake with extra frosting.) It was still very tasty so I'm not considering it a full blown disaster. I think it would be excellent baked into cupcakes and topped with a scoop of ice cream. NOTE: The addition of the eggs resolves the sinking in the center of the cake.

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake from Sky High ~makes two 8 or 9-inch layers

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8 or 9-inch pans. Line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper, butter the paper.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Use a wire whisk to blend the dry ingredients thoroughly.

Add the oil and 1/2 cup of the water to the dry ingredients. Add another 1/2 cup water, eggs and the vanilla; again whisk until smooth. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans.

Bake the cake layers for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes; then invert onto cooling rack. Remove the paper liners and let cool completely at least 1 hour before frosting.

Instant Fudge Frosting from Sky High

• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 sticks (12 oz.) unsalted butter, room temp.
• 6 tablespoons half-n-half
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to incorporate. Process until frosting is smooth.

~Makes 5 cups (I halved this recipe for a 9-inch 2 layer cake).

NOTE: A large food processor is the best piece of equipment to use for this frosting recipe. It whips up a perfect fudge frosting and there is no need for a boiled syrup.