Learn about three of my favorite layer cake recipes!
We will begin the course with my Simply Delicious class: Classic American Birthday Cake with Whipped Milk Chocolate Ganache. We will be baking up moist, finely textured, buttery layers of yellow cake and building it up with fluffy and sweet milk chocolate ganache. It’s iconic for good reason, and the recipe and technique you will learn in this class will take your skills and knowledge to a whole new level.
Once we have a solid foundation of basics out of the way, we will be making a Vertical Lemon Cake in our Step It Up class. In this class you will learn how to make a perfect and simple sponge cake all dressed up with homemade lemon curd and mascarpone whipped cream. It is assembled in an exciting new way that is so much easier than it looks and it will be sure to surprise and delight your guests.
At the end of the course, it will be time to Challenge Yourself with my Classic French Marjolaine. You will learn how to make a hazelnut dacquoise and a French buttercream that will get layered together with a silky dark chocolate ganache. It is a fittingly elegant end to any dinner party and for sure, to a month of cake-making!
As always, look out for this month’s two exclusive bonus recipes: Pistachio Pound Cake with White Chocolate Glaze and Coconut Cupcakes!
Class Sessions
Classic American Birthday Cake
24:05
A classic yellow butter cake has its origins in pound cake, the difference being the addition of leavening like baking soda and baking powder. These leavenings became commercially available in the 19th century, eliminating the need to rely solely on whipped eggs, egg whites or yeast to aerate cakes and resulting in a lighter and fluffier dessert. The yellow color comes from the yolks of eggs. Yellow cakes are always made with whole eggs or only yolks compared to white cakes that are made only with egg whites.
Vertical Lemon Cake
25:20
It is unclear who can be credited with essentially dividing a Swiss roll into thirds and standing it on end to create a vertical cake. By the 18th century, sponge cakes of the likes that we are familiar with today, with separately beaten whites and yolks for leavening, began to emerge. From that came creations such as the Victoria sponge, Battenberg cake, Swiss roll and finally, sometime recently, the Vertical Cake.
Marjolaine Cake
21:54
Marjolaine Cake was invented by the famous French chef Fernand Point at his restaurant La Pyramide in Vienne, France, in the 1930s. This cake is a refined version of dacquoise, which is a cake made up of hazelnut or almond meringue layers sandwiched with whipped cream or buttercream.
Your Instructor
Gemma Stafford
For a decade, Irish-born chef Gemma Stafford has been bringing her passion for teaching people to bake with confidence to her online baking show and brand, “Bigger Bolder Baking.” Gemma’s unique combination of expertise, bold recipes, and approachable techniques have led to appearances as a judge on Netflix’s “Nailed It!”, Food Network’s “Best Baker in America,” and Hulu’s “Baker’s Dozen.”
Bonus Material
All About Cakes Class Resources
Classic American Birthday Cake - Resources
Classic American Birthday Cake - Recipe
Marjolain Cake - Resources
Marjolain Cake - Recipe
Vertical Lemon Cake - Resources
Vertical Lemon Cake - Recipe
Bonus: Coconut Cupcakes Recipe
Bonus: Pistachio Pound Cake with White Chocolate Glaze Recipe
Bonus Materials available for download after purchase.
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