Recipe: Wedding Cake - A Labor of Love (serves 50-75)

Betsy

From: "Joel W./Mirjam D."
Date: 8 Apr 1994 22:34:22 -0400

A friend of mine recently made her daughter's wedding cake. I
thought it was a wonderful thing to do. She got the recipe from
a House Beautiful magazine, and gave me a copy. While my
oldest daughter is only 10 years old, I hope I will be able to give
her this labor of love. If I start now I should be ready in time ;-)

Wedding Cake -- A Labor of Love (serves 50-75)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Orange Pound Cake

The cake layers can be prepared up to one week prior to the
wedding, but no less than two days before. They can also be
made further ahead and frozen. All ingredients must be at room
temperature.. Leave everything out at least 2 hours. Use a
heavy-duty hand mixer for the cake batter and chocolate filling

Solid shortening
2 pounds sweet butter
10 cups sugar (5 pounds)
2 dozen large eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated orange zest
3 tbs orange extract
3 tbs vanilla extract
13 1/4 cups unleavened sifted cake flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups orange juice concentrate
4 cups sour cream

Grease with shortening 9 round cake pans, 3 in each of the
following sizes: 12 inch, 8 inch and 5 inch (all 3 inches deep)
and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar on low speed
until light and pale yellow. Beat in the eggs, orange zest and
extracts. Slowly add the flour, baking soda and salt,
incorporating fully after each addition. Mix in the concentrate
and the sour cream. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix to
smooth out any lumps.

Divide the mixture into prepared pans so that each is equally
full. Bake in a preheated 325 degree F oven for 35-40 minutes
or until cakes pull away from the sides of the pans and cake
tester comes out clean. Check cakes after 30 minutes. (Do not
let pans touch each other or the sides of the oven. It is important
not to overcrowd the oven. Unbaked cake layers can sit at room
temperature until oven space is available.) Remove cakes from
oven and allow them to cool in their pans on a wire rack.

Baked cooled cakes can be wrapped in their pans and
refrigerated up to one week, or frozen.

***

Dark Chocolate Filling

The filling can be made up to a week in advance and
refrigerated.

3 cups heavy cream
4 tbs sweet butter
3 pounds semisweet chocolate, finely chopped with a heavy
knife

In a large saucepan bring cream and butter to a rolling boil.
When the cream mixture rises in the pan, add the chocolate,
stirring constantly. Remove the pan from heat and stir for 5
minutes. Cover the filling and store at room temperature for 3
days of refrigerate up to one week. Bring the filling to room
temperature when ready to use. It may be necessary to heat the
filling in a double boiler to achieve a spreadable consistency.

***

Rolled Fondant

The fondant can be made up to a week ahead, but must be
applied to the cake at least two days before the wedding.

4 pounds confectioners' sugar, plus extra for kneading
1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
2 tsp orange extract
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup cold water
2 tbs gelatin
Yellow food coloring
Red food coloring

In a large mixing bowl, sift the confectioners' sugar. Make a
well in the center of the sugar and add the corn syrup and
extracts. Do not mix.

In a small saucepan add the water and sprinkle the gelatin over
it. Let stand one minute. Heat the gelatin and water over
medium heat for 1/2 a minute or until it is hot and the gelatin is
fully dissolved. Pour mixture into the well. Quickly stir the
mixture with a heavy wooden spoon from the center out to
evenly disperse the gelatin.

When the mixture becomes too thick to stir, turn it out onto a
work surface dusted with confectioners' sugar. Knead the
fondant until smooth and doughlike. If the fondant is sticky (this
tends to happen in humid weather), knead in more confectioners'
sugar.

Knead in food coloring until desired color is achieved. Add
coloring a few drops at a time, as a little goes a long way. Store
fondant in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator up to one
week. Bring to room temperature, then knead well prior to use.
If fondant is too dry, add a few drops of water. If fondant is too
sticky, add more confectioners's sugar. Cover with plastic wrap
and let it rest in an airtight container for several hours before
using.

***

Decorative Icing

It is best to prepare this icing just prior to using it.

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1 egg white
Water

In a small mixing bowl combine sugar and cream of tartar. Add
the egg white with a hand mixer on low speed, mix for 3
minutes, or until the icing is bright white and the consistency of
very softly whipped cream. If the icing is too thick, add a few
drops of water. If the icing is too thin, add confectioner's sugar.

Keep unused icing covered with a damp towel when not in use.

***

Assembling the Cake

Supplies:

2 cups orange marmalade, warmed and strained
1 pound of cornstarch
1 of each: 12 inch, 8 inch and 5 inch round cake cardboard
Serrated knife, preferably with a round tip
Paring knife
Butter knife
10 inch icing spatula
Serving platter
Rolling pin
Pastry wheel
Scissors
25 8 inch lollipop sticks or chopsticks
Paper towels
Pastry bag with coupling to fit decorating tips
Round decorating tips, one with a 1/16 inch opening (Ateco #2)
and one with a 1/8 inch opening (Ateco #6)
Florist oasis
4 inch shallow plastic plate
Fresh flowers (consult a florist to make sure the flowers that
actually touch the cake are not poisonous)

Assembly:

Remove cake layers from pans by place each cake pan over
medium heat, rotating pan until its bottom feels warm, about 5-
10 seconds. Flip layers out onto counter, make sure all cakes
end up right-side up.

Using a long serrated knife, level and trim off the top of each
cake layer. All cake layers should be of equal height. Make
any needed adjustments. Uneven layers result in an uneven
cake.

Place a cake layer on each of the appropriate size cardboard
rounds. Spread these bottom layers with the chocolate filling
not quite to the edge. Place the second layers on top and spread
with filling. Top with the third layers.

If necessary, trim cake cardboards with a scissors so that they
are exactly the size of each tier.

With a spatula, thinly coat sides and top of each tier with
strained marmalade. Set tiers aside to dry until they feel tacky
before applying fondant.

Begin with the 12 inch tier. Knead the fondant icing until its is
smooth and elastic. Dust the work surface with cornstarch and
roll out about 2/3 of the fondant into a 25 inch diameter circle
that is 1/4 inch thick. If it is too thin it will tear. Wrap unused
fondant in plastic wrap and set aside. Rotate fondant every
second roll so it doesn't stick. Use additional cornstarch as
needed to prevent the fondant from sticking to the work surface
or rolling pin.

Dust the top of the fondant round with cornstarch. Roll the
fondant around the rolling pin and drape it over the 12 inch tier.

With the palm of your hand, smooth the top surface and then
gently bring in sides of the fondant to attach to the cake. With
the palms of your hands, rub slightly up on sides to form an even
top edge. If fondant pleats at the bottom, gently unpleat and
smooth out with the palms of your hands.

Place the 12 inch tier on a serving platter. Smooth the fondant at
the bottom edge to meet the platter and trim off excess fondant
at the bottom with a pastry wheel. Knead all clean scraps into
remaining fondant, rewrap and set aside.

To support the 8 inch tier, cut 12 lollipop sticks or chopsticks to
the exact height of the 12 inch tier. Trim and insert them in a 7
inch circle straight through the 12 inch tier until they reach the
cardboard bottom. Dab a little water in the center of the 7 inch
circle to act as glue.

Roll out about half of the remaining fondant into a circle 16
inches in diameter and cover the 8 inch tier.

Place it on the 12 inch tier.

Cut 8 lollipop sticks to the exact height of the 8 inch tier and
insert them straight through, arranging them in a 4 inch circle.
Dab the center with water.

Roll out the remaining fondant and cover the 5 inch tier. Place it
on the 8 inch tier.

Allow fondant to harden at least 12 hours before moving cake or
putting on the decorative icing.

Fit the larger decorating tip into the pastry bag. Fill the bag with
decorative icing. Test the icing consistency by making a few
pearl dots on a plate. If the pearls have points, thin the icing
with a little water. If the icing is runny and does not hold the
pearl shape, mix in confectioners' sugar. Pipe all over the
borders with pearl dots.

Switch to the smaller decorating tip. Test consistency again.
Pipe side design.

Lily of the Valley, paper white narcissus and Rosa "Vanilla"
with the palest golden blush may be nestled on top (secured in a
presoaked oasis set in a plastic saucer), with a single bloom on
the second tier and frill of sweet peas circling the base. The
flowers must be arranged the day of the wedding. They will
stay fresh for seven hours if they have a long drink before they
are cut for placing on the cake.

Completed cake should NOT be refrigerated and will keep up to
four days.

To serve the cake, slip a butter knife between the tiers and
separate the cakes. The top tier is traditionally reserved for the
bride and groom's first anniversary. Wrap it in layers of
alternating plastic wrap and foil and freeze. Using a serrated
knife, cut the second tier into slices. The third tier should first
be cut eight inches from the edge in a concentric circle. Slice
the perimeter of the circle first, then the inner circle.

Slices of the cake can be served with fresh berries and vanilla ice
cream.