Monday, October 20, 2008

Cappuccino Chiffon Cake

I am late to my own party!! I forgot to put AM on my blogger publish button! So it was actually set to publish at noon! So when I logged on this morning and saw that it was not up I went into panic mode. But I am here and excited to share our very first post from the The Cake Slice.

Our first cake as a group was Cappuccino Chiffon Cake. This cake was like a tall tiramisu cake. It was filled with espresso, dark rum, and loads of whipped cream! The instructions said to slather the sides of the cake with whipped cream but I just could not bring myself to do so.

Partly because the layers baked up so tall and even. I didn't even have to cut domes off the cakes. They just came out perfectly straight and flat. I also loved the color the espresso gave the cake.

If you are looking for beautiful presentation of a tiramisu cake then look no further. This is definitely a keeper for any special occasion. If I have peaked your interest in triple layer cakes then you can see more wonderful cakes at The Cake Slice Bakers.

You can look forward to us baking a new triple layer cake every month from Sky High: Irrestible Triple Layer Cakes By Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne.









CAPPUCCINO CHIFFON CAKE

from Sky High: Irresitible Triple Layer Cakes
by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne
Makes an 8-inch triple layer cake

1/4 cup of neutral oil (ie. vegetable, canola, or soybean)
6 eggs separated
6 tablespoons of freshly brewed espresso cooled to room temperature
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 and 1/3 cups of cake flour*
1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
Cocoa powder or cinnamon for dusting

(*The recipe calls for cake flour and if you only have all-purpose flour on hand, you can substitute 3/4 cup (105 grams) all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch.)

Espresso Syrup

1/3 cup hot freshly brewed espresso
1/3 cup of sugar
1/3 cup dark rum, such as Meyers*

(*if you want to leave out the rum you can
use molasses thinned with pineapple juice and flavored with almond extract to equal 1/3 cup. Or use 1 to 2 teaspoons of rum extract flavoring but you'll have less syrup.)

Vanilla Whipped Cream
3 cups of heavy cream
1/3 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line the bottom s of three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper but do not grease.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the oil, egg yolks, espresso, and vanilla; whisk lightly to blend. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, 1 cup of sugar, the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

3. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium-low speed until frothy. Raise the mixer to medium high and gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Continue to beat until soft peaks form. Do not whip to stiff peaks or the cake will shrink upon cooling.

4. Add the espresso-egg mixture to the dry ingredients and fold together just until combined. Add one fourth of the egg whites and fold them gently into the batter. Fold in the remaining egg whites just until no streaks remain. Divide the batter among the pans.

5. Bake the cakes for 18 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pans. Once cooled run a knife around the edge of the pans to release the cakes. Invert onto a wire rack and remove the parchment papers.

6. To assemble the cake, place one cake layer flat side up on a cake stand or platter. Soak the cake with 1/3 cup of the espresso syrup. Spread 1 and 1/3 cups of whipped cream evenly over the top of the cake. Repeat with the next layer the same steps. Finally top with the third layer. Soak with syrup and frost the top and sides of the cake with the whipped cream.

7. To decorate the cake smooth out the whipped cream as much as possible on top. Lay a paper doily on top and sift cocoa powder or cinnamon over the doily to reveal a lacy detail.

Espresso Syrup
makes 1 cup

In a bowl, stir together the espresso and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the rum and let cool to room temperature.

Vanilla Whipped Cream
makes 6 cups

Place the cream, sugar, and vanilla in large chilled mixing bowl with chilled beaters. With the whip attachment, beat the cream until stiff peaks form.

33 comments:

Rosie said...

Your cake looks so tall Gigi - I love it!

Many thanks for co-hosting the The cake Slice a wonderful baking group :) I look forward to the next bake!

Rosie x

Katie said...

Gigi your cake looks so tall and elegant. I love the cream swirls. I agree this cake's a keeper!

Mary Ann said...

Your cake layers are beautiful! Nice job on getting them so perfect. This was really fun, I can't wait til next month!

Megan said...

Wow! That is quite a tall cake! And the sides are so perfect - very impressive.

Thanks again for putting this group together - it was lots of fun and I can't wait to make next months cake!

Maria♥ said...

Gigi that is one stunning gorgeous cake!

I am looking forward to our next bake.

Maria
x

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Better late than never! :0)

BEYOND SPECTACULAR CAKE!!! I'm awestruck.

Jodie said...

Gorgeous, Gigi! Thanks for starting this fun group!

Snooky doodle said...

this cake is really sky high. It looks gorgeous. I m really tempted to buy this book. Maybe I ll buy it for Christmas :)

Caroline said...

Gorgeous cake! You're right, it is a shame to cover up those cake layers, they came out perfectly.

Thanks for this group and can't wait for next month.

glamah16 said...

That looks wonderful. This sounds like a great group.

Deborah said...

Gorgeous job! I agree - the layers on this cake baked up so evenly. I loved it!

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

I am excited to see what y'all are making every week GiGi.
We have been working our way through The Perfect Scoop, and before that Dolce Italiano. It is a fun way to post new recipes.

Bunny said...

It's beautiful Gigi!!! Everything about it is PERFECT!! Great job!

Anonymous said...

I really like the way your cake has turned out. Also it would have been a shame to cover the sides, the piping looks wonderful!

jasmine said...

This looks woderful...love the height and creamy swirls....

j

Jacque said...

LOL, I've done the exact same thing... switching the AM and PM, and panicked when I got up.

Anyway, your cake is a tower of perfection! wow, would you look at that... it's so pretty :)

Also, thanks for starting the group.

The Farmer's Wife said...

Beautiful Gigi! I love this recipe! I am really excited to be a part of The Cake Slice...fun!

Anonymous said...

Perfect layers! Had fun doing this!

Tara said...

That cake looks so beautiful, yummy, and melt in your mouth goodness. Cannot wait to try this recipe.

steph- whisk/spoon said...

wow--that is certainly sky-high! looks amazing! looking forward to baking lots more with the gorup!

Deeba PAB said...

Stunning cake...love it & look forward to the next one. Sounds like a wonderful baking group...am very very tempted to join. This does look like a keeper. YUM!!

Anonymous said...

Gigi your cake looks like it ten-stories tall and light as a cloud. I am really excited about being part of this wonderful group. A big thank-you to you.

Anonymous said...

This is beautiful! It looks perfect. Well done!

Ann said...

That is GLORIOUS!! I'm so glad you left the sides un-frosted, bc it's beautiful! I love coffee flavored anything, so this just sounds divine.

grace said...

gigi, your cake is beautiful! i don't want you to think i'm a complete idiot, but i was waiting for an email from you to let us know about the first cake--i didn't check the site once. needless to say, i didn't make the cake this go-round...
i promise i'm not a complete idiot. :)

Sherry Trifle - Lovely Cats said...

What a glorious cake! I've looked at the pictures in the book but it's more fun to see the cake on your blog.

thecoffeesnob said...

Wow, that is a really tall and gorgeous cake! I've got that book coming in the mail- i'm soo excited!

LyB said...

That is one fabulous looking cake! I can see why you wouldn't cover it up, it's just gorgeous!

marae said...

omg gigi...your cake looks fabulous!!! i am late checking ...but WOW. and your espresso is so neatly distributed, how did you do it? LOVE IT!

alexandra's kitchen said...

what fun! I am so looking forward to all of your Sky High creations. This looks awesome. so dramatic

Rico said...

Just amazing, delicious tower of cappuccino chiffon cake filled with fluffy whipped cream yum yum!!


http://ricocoffeeshop.blogspot.com

Mari said...

The sight of this baby makes my heart go pitter-patter! I must get this book!

死食薇薇 said...

Wow- very nice. Do you have a thing for tall cakes?