Wooden bucket of roses cake ! (For 10-12 persons)
For the cake
200g of cream cheese (I use 'Philadelphia' brand)
300g pastry flour
255g unsalted butter or margarine
2g salt
8g baking powder
250g castor sugar
5 eggs
4ml of vanilla essence + 4ml of almond essence
125g of Chocolate chips
Note: You will need an 8 inches round baking mold to bake this cake
For the decoration
1kg of modelling sugarpaste
50g of unsalted butter
100g of icing sugar
20g of cocoa powder
1 tablespoon of milk
Gel food coloring (golden/ dark yellow, chocolate brown, leaf green, pink, red and peach by Americolor)
Edible marker pen (optional - refer photo step 26 )
1 mirror frame decorative mold (optional - refer photo step 26)
1 Best rose fondant cutter ever (refer photo step 7)
1 toothpick for making the wood texture (refer step 15)
1 fondant plunger in roses leaf (refer photo step 14)
1 fondant ball tool (refer photo step 8)
About 10 Oreo biscuits for making the 'soil' (refer photo step 22 and 23)
50g of corn flour or icing sugar for dusting (see note 2 below)
Procedure
Step 1 : In your standing mixer bowl, mix butter, sugar and cream cheese on a low to medium speed.
Note: You may also use your hand mixer .
Step 2: Scrape your bowl from time to time (stop your mixer first ) to ensure uniform mixing ! As soon as your mixture (butter/ sugar/ cream cheese) is smooth and fluffy (indicated by a paler yellow color), stop your mixer.
Step 3 : In a bowl add your flour, salt, baking powder (all sifted together if possible) and mix all together to obtain your dry ingredients mixture. Then add the latter, together with your eggs (in minimum 2-3 instances) while your machine is on its lowest speed.
Step 4: Once all the ingredients are well combined (careful not to overmix), add in your vanilla and almond essences together with your chocolate chips and perform a final mix (few seconds) just to combine evenly.
Step 5: Transfer your cake batter in a lightly greased (lined with parchment paper) 8 inches round baking mold (flatten the surface using your favorite spatula) then bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees Celsius for about 1 hour or until a brochette pick comes out clean when inserted in the center..
Step 6: Out of oven ! Allow your cake to cool completely (use this time to prepare your decorations ).
Step 7: Get your cake decoration tools ready ! Color about 100g of modelling sugar in 3 different colors of your choice respectively (total 300g), keep another 100g in white color for white roses ...
Step 8: Use your 'Easiest rose cutter ever' to cut different pieces of modelling sugar paste (below - left) while using a fondant ball tool to thin the edges .
Step 9: Make a thin line with water slightly above the middle horizontal line as shown below (left) and fold accordingly so that the 'petals' are aligned.
Step 10: Again brush a line of water just at the folding line and roll in one motion to form a rose bud ! Separate the petals using a toothpick or anything pointy you have at hand ...
Step 11: For larger roses, just repeat step 8 to 10 while adding each band where the previous one ended .
Step 12: Again separate the petals every time for a more realistic effect .
Step 13: Repeat until you finish all the 100g white modelling sugarpaste and 300g coloured modelling sugarpaste from step 7 .
Step 14: Color about 30g of modelling sugarpaste in green and cut out leaves while ensuring to press firmly on the plunger so that the leaf 'veins' are well visible - Allow to dry and harden.
Step 15: Cut bands (about 8mm thickness - width 6cm x height 8 cm) of modelling sugarpaste and using a toothpick, 'draw' curves to create the woodgrain effect as shown below. Allow to dry and harden.
Step 16: Meanwhile in your mixing bowl, add your icing sugar, cocoa powder and butter and mix all together on high speed. When everything is combined, add one tablespoon of milk and perform a final mix until you obtain a smooth chocolate buttercream !...
Step 17: Spread a good coat of your buttercream over your now cool cake as shown below.
Step 18: Start to add your 'wood slices' around the perimeter .
Step 19: Then place your cake in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes (have a break - drink some tea ).
Step 20: After 20 minutes in the refrigerator, your modelling sugarpaste has certainly hardened even more. Start to brush firstly a coat of yellow/ gold food coloring followed by a darker brown food coloring as shown below.
Step 21: Do not forget to color the inside as well ...
Step 22: Time for making some 'soil'. Take your Oreo biscuits, remove the white icing, place them in a clean plastic bag and crush them using your rolling pin or anything appropriate you have at hand.
Step 23: Once your 'soil' is ready add them on your cake surface.
Step 24: Eventually add your roses and leaves ...
Voila !
Step 25: You may personalize your cake using a mirror frame decorative mold + a small piece of modelling sugarpaste + an edible marker pen to write the name of your special person as shown below ...
Voiiiiiiiiila !
THANK YOU FOR WATCHING !...
