GRAVITY DEFYING GEMS CAKE

I had been planning to make a gravity defying cake since long but every time I used to plan it for any of the birthdays my daughters would come up with some other cartoon or princess themed cake.
So this time I thought I would make it as a surprise for them for Children's day.

I've used a Red Velvet Cake as the base cake as one of my friends had been pestering to bake one for her. So I thought a red velvet gravity defying cake will solve both the purposes. Me happy, kids happy and ofcourse my friend too very happy.

You can use any of your favourite cakes as the base. You can also use this EGGLESS RED VELVET CAKE recipe or POUND CAKE recipe or EGGLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE recipe that I've posted earlier.

I've made this gravity defying cake with whipped cream but for the first try you can make it with  DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE as chocolate ganache holds the cake well and will support the gems structure easily.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BASE

6-7 inch cake - 1 (flavor of your choice or you can choose from eggless red velvet, pound cake or eggless chococlate cake

Frosting of your choice I've used whipped cream you can use chocolate ganache

Sugar syrup

Sugar 1/4 cup

Water 3/4 cup

Boil water and sugar for 2 minutes. Switch off the gas and keep aside to cool.

FOR THE GRAVITY DEFYING STRUCTURE

Thick straw like the ones you get in Mc Donalds

Melted chocolate 1/2 cup

Gems and M&M depending upon the quantity required

ASSEMBLING THE CAKE

1. Keep the cake in the fridge for a few hours before icing it. It makes the process of cutting and icing the cake easier.

2. Take chilled heavy whipping cream in a bowl and beat it till you achieve stiff peaks. Keep it in the fridge till further use.

Heavy whipping cream already has sugar added to it and hence there is no requirement of adding sugar to it. It takes 8-10 minutes to beat the cream to stiff peaks at high speed, depending upon the quantity. Amul cream does not qualify as heavy whipping cream and it is difficult to attain stiff peaks in it. 

3. Divide the cake into two or three round halves depending upon the height of the cake. If the cake has an uneven top just cut it lightly from the top to get a flat surface.

4. Place one half of the cake on a cake board or a flat plate and soak it with the prepared sugar syrup.

5. Take the required amount of whipped cream and cover one layer of the cake all over with it.

6. Place the other layer over it, soak it with sugar syrup and apply the frosting.

7. Repeat the process with the third layer.

8. Apply the whipped cream and cover it nicely all over. Using a palette knife smoothen it from all the sides. Keep in the refrigerator to chill for about half an hour. 

9. Take it out from the fridge and apply another layer of whipped cream to get a smooth outer finish.

I was in so much hurry to reach the next step of applying gems and M&M's that I forgot to take a pic of these two steps but you can see the frosted cake in the pictures so you will get an idea of how it looked.

I've not given a very thick layer of icing as my elder one doesn't like too much of icing and also because I wanted a little bit of red of red velvet cake to peep out.

ASSEMBLING THE STRAW AND GEMS 

1. Take about half a cup of chopped chocolate and melt it in the microwave. Do not put it for a longer time as it might burn just put it for 30 seconds remove and mix with a spoon. If not melted put it again 15-20 seconds depending upon the consistency of your chocolate. Melted chocolate should not be very thin but a little thick so that the gems and m&m's can easily stick to the straw.

2. Insert the straw in the centre of the cake till it reaches the base and I forgot to take a pic here again.

3. Now start applying a little bit of melted chocolate on the straw and start sticking gems on it one by one. Do not apply melted chocolate on the whole straw together as you will not be able to stick the gems so quickly and the chocolate will dry up and harden.

4. Repeat the process till you reach the top of the straw. Take an empty packet of gems  and cut a corner of the packet to insert in the straw fill it with a little cotton to give a fluffy effect. Now apply little bit of melted chocolate on the empty gems packet and stick it over the straw. Hold it for a minute so that it sticks well.

5. Place the remaining gems on the cake to give a flowing effect. You don't need to apply melted chocolate here as they will stick to the icing. If you want them to flow to the cake board too the way I have done then apply a bit of melted chocolate on the cake board and stick the gems.

Your gravity defying gems cake is ready to surprise your kids.

Do safe guard the cake from your kids if making for a party. My cake was not fitting into my fridge and hence my kids wanted to cut it as soon as they saw it.

                                                     HAPPY BAKING!! 😊

EGGLESS RED VELVET CAKE

I had been thinking of baking a red velvet cake for long but some how it was not happening. Though I had baked it once a couple of years ago for my own birthday but I didn't prefer it much due to the amount of red colour that goes into it to get the bright red colour.
Though people also make it with beetroot puree but i haven't tried it as yet. 

Red Velvet cake is a very dramatic looking cake with the combination of bright red cake and white frosting. It is one of the most popular cakes for Valentine's Day and Christmas.

Apart from the red colour, Red Velvet cake has a mild chocolate flavor due to the little amount of cocoa powder that goes into it. It also has a very moist and tender crumb due to the buttermilk used in the recipe and also a fluffy texture due to the reaction which takes place between alkaline buttermilk with acidic vinegar.

Traditionally cream cheese frosting is used for frosting a Red Velvet cake but because it was not available at the place where I'm currently staying I've used simple Whipped cream frosting in it. 
It tasted awesome nonetheless and was polished of that very day by my kids and my friends who had been waiting for me to bake a Red Velvet cake.

INGREDIENTS 

1 cup or 150 gms All purpose flour (maida)

1 table spoon Cocoa powder

1/2 tea spoon Baking Powder

1/2 tea spoon Baking Soda
75 ml Butter milk

200 gms Milkmaid

1/2 cup or 120 gms Butter
1 tea spoon Vanilla Essence
1/2 tea spoon Vinegar
Liquid Red Food colour as required ( I've used 2 tea spoons of liquid red colour here, it varies from brand to brand)

*Buttermilk - Take 75 ml milk and add 1 tea spoon vinegar to it. Keep it aside for 10 minutes. Your buttermilk is ready.

METHOD

1. Grease a  6-7 inch baking tin and dust it with flour. Preheat the oven at 160 degrees.
2. Sieve all purpose flour (maida), baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder. Keep aside.
3. Cream the butter and milkmaid together.
4. Add the vanilla essence and half of the butter milk. Mix well.
5. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix till fully incorporated.
6. Add the remaining butter milk and the remaining dry ingredients.
7. Add the red colour as per requirement.
8. Add 1/2 tea spoon vinegar and mix until just combined.
9. Bake immediately for 35-40 minutes at 160 degrees.

PICTORIAL GUIDE

METHOD

1. Grease a  6-7 inch baking tin and dust it with flour. Preheat the oven at 160 degrees.

2. Sieve all purpose flour (maida), baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder. Keep aside.

3. Cream the butter and milkmaid together.

4. Add the vanilla essence and half of the butter milk. Mix well.

5. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix till fully incorporated.

6. Add the remaining butter milk and the remaining dry ingredients.
7. Add the red colour as per requirement.

8. Add 1/2 tea spoon vinegar and mix until just combined.

9. Bake immediately for 35-40 minutes at 160 degrees.

                                                  HAPPY BAKING!! 😊