
Whole Grain Cake
Steps involved
Make cake layers
Make buttercream (no color)
Make meringue wheat
Set aside 3/4 cup buttercream and color rest blue; color 3/4 cup wheat color
Assemble and ice cake
Decorate with meringue wheat heads and buttercream stems
READ BEFORE CONTINUING: The following recipes are scaled to make the cake pictured above -- a 4 layer cake made with 6-inch round cake layers. If you wish to make a smaller cake, please scale down these recipes.
recipes used
1 vanilla cake recipe using Kodiak Cakes Flapjack and Waffle Mix in the Buttermilk & Honey Flavor in place of the flour and baking powder
I've listed the modified recipe below1 - 1.5 batches Italian meringue buttercream
I made this buttercream lightly honey flavored by adding 3 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to my 1.5x batch (can add less or more to taste)
I always like to have extra buttercream rather than not enough, so if you're not sure how much to use, I would recommend 1.5
1 batch of meringue to make the wheat heads - recipe below
Vanilla Cake Using Kodiak Cakes
Yields: 4, 6-inch round cake layers
Ingredients:
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
14 oz. sugar
6 oz. egg whites, room temp (I sometimes use cartoned egg whites) - equivalent to 6 egg whites
14 oz. Kodiak Cake Flapjack and Waffle Mix (Buttermilk & Honey Flavor)
1/2 tsp. salt
10 oz. milk, room temp (I heat in the microwave before using)
1-2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 oz. unsweetened applesauce, room temp (I heat in the microwave before using) (can substitute with vegetable oil)
Preheat oven to 335° F and prepare four 6-inch round cake pans
Measure out flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine and set aside
Measure out milk, vanilla extract, and applesauce. (This is where I warm in microwave until it's room temperature) Combine and set aside.
In a bowl/mixer cream butter until smooth
Add sugar and mix until light and fluffy
Slowly add egg whites and mix until combined
Add about 1/3 of your dry mixture and mix until combined. Add roughly 1/2 of your wet mixture and mix until combined. Add next 1/3 of dry mixture, mix, add second 1/2 of wet mixture, mix, add last 1/3 of dry mixture, mix until combined
Divide cake batter evenly among pans
Bake in preheated oven for 25-35 minutes or until done. I like to use the spring test, where you gently press the center of the cake with your finger - if it springs back it should be good to go. If it leaves a dent, you'll need a few more minutes.
Once removed from oven, cool cakes for 5-10 minutes and then remove from pans to cool further
Tips:
Once the cakes are cool enough to handle, I like to level the layers, wrap them in plastic wrap, and freeze them until I'm ready to use.
Meringue Wheat Heads
Ingredients:
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
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Food coloring (Wilton Color Right Food Coloring System)
2 drops yellow
1 drop brownPiping Bag
Preheat oven to 200° F and line 1-2 pans with parchment paper
Whip egg whites until frothy
Add cream or tartar and whip until soft peaks form
Slowly add sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form
Add 2 drops of yellow and 1 drop of brown food coloring from the Wilton Color Right System
Whip color in until combined
Add meringue to piping bag and cut a small hole at the bottom or use a small round piping tip.
Refer to the video HERE to pipe wheat heads. Pipe a blob, slowly release pressure, and "flick" piping bag away. Pipe one column of wheat berries, flicking the piping bag to the left after each berry. When done, attach another column to the right side of the column you just piped, but this time flick the piping bag to the right. Add another column of wheat berries on the seam between the two columns flicking the piping bag upward after each berry.
After all of the wheat is piped, put the pans in the oven and bake for 2 hours
Remove from oven and let cool completely
Colors used
To get these colors, I used Wilton's Color Right Food Coloring System.*
For the cake layers:
No food coloring used
For the icing:
The colors may differ depending on how much icing you're coloring and the starting color of your buttercream (certain butter brands are more white or yellow which can make the buttercream whiter or more yellow). These are the amounts I used and should get you close.
All over icing:
Blue: 10 drops
Wheat stems: I used about 3/4 cup of icing
Yellow: 8 drops
Brown: 2 drops
Orange: 4 drops
Supplies/tools
To find the tools I use for almost every cake I make and decorate (including pans, cake boards, icing smoothers, etc.), click here.
The supplies/tools below are specifically for decorating this cake, which I used in addition to the ones in the link above.*
*Some of these links may be affiliate. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I earn a small amount from some purchases, however, this does not affect my recommendations.
Decorating the cake
After the cake has been assembled and iced and wheat meringues are done:
Gently remove wheat from parchment paper once cool
Stick wheat heads to cake (may need to brush the back with some icing to help it stick to the cake)
Pipe stems from the wheat head to the bottom of the cake using matching buttercream in a piping bag with a small hole or a small round piping tip
Slice and enjoy :)
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