I taught a class last weekend on how to make this cake and it was a blast.  Each participant made her own chocolate ruffle cake and this one pictured here is, in fact, the work of one of my students, Amna.  Do you know how proud a teacher is when the work of her student is better than her own?  Amna’s success really made my day.  I had made a cake during the demonstration portion of the class and had stashed it in the refrigerator to photograph later. But when Amna finished hers, I knew mine wasn’t worthy of the lens.  Amna’s was spectacular.

This edible masterpiece did not come into being without a healthy dose of patience and perseverance.  Toward the end of the class when everyone was making their ruffles, we had a bit of an atmospheric disaster: The temperature and humidity of the kitchen got too high and the chocolate would not cooperate.  Ruffles were falling flat and melted, gooey chocolate was beginning to coat every surface.  Frustration was mounting and some students had no choice but to take their cakes home only half-ruffled.

But Amna stayed to the end.  We returned the chocolate-coated sheet pans to the refrigerator, opened the windows and waited.. and waited… for the kitchen to cool.  Finally, the stars aligned and things started to go our way.  We not only got some great ruffles, but some curls and dramatic spikes, too.

I think all my students would agree that the greatest lesson of the day was this:  Sometimes in baking, and in love, the unexpected happens.  All you can do is take a deep breath, exercise a little patience and understanding, and keep going.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

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Chocolate Ruffle Cake Assembly and Instructions:

1 eight-inch chocolate cake, baked and divided into three even layers (Genoise has a nice, light texture, but any chocolate cake will do.  You can’t really go wrong, so just use your favorite recipe.)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) or other liqueur of your choice

2 cups creme fraiche (cold)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 pints fresh raspberries
1 pound good-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1-inch pieces.

Materials:

Pastry brush
One 6-inch cardboard round
One sheet of .005 Mylar (available at art supply stores.)
One 18-by-13-inch jelly roll pan, washed and dried.  Do not use nonstick.

Make the simple syrup: Combine the sugar and water in a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer, stirring just until the sugar is dissolved.  Stir in the liqueur, remove from the heat, and set aside.

Prepare the creme fraiche filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the creme fraiche, sugar, and vanilla.  Beat on medium speed until the creme fraiche is stiff.

Assemble the cake: Brush the bottom of the bottom layer of cake with simple syrup, using a pastry brush.  Set the cake layer onto the cardboard round, syrup-side down.  Brush the top of the same layer with more simple syrup, then spread about 1/2 cup of the whipped creme fraiche over the top.  Arrange 8-10 raspberries over the layer, then push them down gently into the creme fraiche.  Spread another 1/4 cup of whipped creme fraiche over the tops of the berries.  Repeat with the remaining cake layers, filling, and raspberries, ending with a layer of creme fraiche over the top cake layer. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before proceeding.

Make the chocolate band: Trim a band of Mylar to the exact circumference and about 1/2 inch higher than the assembled cake.  Melt 1/4  of the chocolate in a bowl suspended over an inch of simmering water (or in the microwave in 10-second intervals on high) until the chocolate is smooth and spreadable.  It should feel warm to the touch, but not hot, so be sure to remove it from the heat just as soon as the last bit of chocolate is melted.  Lay the Mylar strip flat on a piece of wax paper and then, working with an offset spatula in one hand and the bowl of melted chocolate in the other, pour and spread the chocolate over the Mylar band, covering it completely and spreading the chocolate all the way over the edges.  The layer of melted chocolate should be about 1/8 of an inch thick.  Allow it to stiffen ever so slightly while you remove the cake from the refrigerator.  Slip your fingers under the band, grip it at either end, and then affix the band to the cake by pressing the chocolate-coated side against the cake all the way around.  Transfer the cake to the refrigerator (leaving the Mylar strip intact) once again and refrigerate for another 30 minutes while you make the ruffles.

Make the ruffles: Melt the remaining chocolate in the same fashion (using a bowl suspended over an inch of simmering water or in the microwave) and pour it over the back of the jelly roll pan, spreading with an offset spatula to a thickness of about 1/16 inch thick.  Transfer the jelly roll pan to the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.  Remove the pan from the refrigerator and slowly bring the chocolate back to room temperature.  (The room should be cool and dry, about 68F is ideal.)  At the point where the chocolate is malleable but not too soft, fashion ruffles with an offset spatula.  Holding the spatula by the handle with one hand and gripping the tip in the other, push the edge of the spatula against the pan, starting at one edge and moving the spatula in an arcing motion.  Transfer finished ruffles to a chilled plate or pan, moving them to the refrigerator in batches so they hold their shape.

Create the ruffle top:Remove the cake from the refrigerator and carefully peel away the Mylar strip.  You should have a glossy, solid band of chocolate encasing the entire cake.  Arrange the ruffles in concentric circles over the top of the cake starting at the outside edge, setting them into the creme fraiche at a slight angle so they are sticking up and jutting out in all directions.  Finish the cake with one perfect raspberry in the center of the ruffles.

Final step (and this is essential): Eat it with someone you love.

But, no, my mom doesn’t bake. My birthday cakes came from Safeway.  So this must be someone else’s mom’s buttermilk cake.  Alas, Mom’s Buttermilk Cake is just a name.

But I’d like to meet the mom for whom this cake is named because it’s darned good.  Buttermilk imparts a slightly tangy flavor to the dense, moist cake, which cuts the sweetness of the whipped cream and adds a nice depth of flavor.  It’s pretty easy to make and is the perfect summertime dessert. Thanks, mom (of somebody else.)

Make the Cake:

4 yolks
2/3 cup buttermilk (divided)
1.5 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups sifted cake flower
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Materials: One 8-inch cake pan, bottom lined with parchment paper.  (It isn’t necessary to grease the sides of the cake pan.) 

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine the yolks, 1/3 cup of the buttermilk, and vanilla in a small bowl and whisk lightly with a fork to combine.  Set aside.  In a larger bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.  Add the butter and remaining buttermilk to the dry ingredients, and beat on low speed to combine thoroughly.  Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes to aerate the batter and build the cake’s structure.  Add the buttermilk mixture to the batter in 3 batches, beating for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate.  Beat the batter for another minute on high speed.

Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and springs back to the touch.  Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Make the Whipped Cream:

1 pint heavy whipping cream (cold)
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat the cream on medium speed until it starts to thicken.  Gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, then add the vanilla.  Continue beating on medium-high until the cream is thickened and holds its shape.  Be careful not to overbeat or the cream will become grainy.  (Once it reaches this point, it can’t be salvaged.)

Prepare the Strawberries:

Wash and dry 2 pints ripe strawberries.  Trim them and remove greens.  Slice evenly and set aside.

Assemble the Cake:

Remove the cooled cake from the pan and slice it into 3 layers using a serrated knife, using a decorator’s turntable (if you have one) to rotate the cake as you slice to ensure even layers.  If the top layer has a rounded top, trim it flat and discard the scrap.

To prepare for the bottom cake layer, first tape a doily to an 8-inch cardboard round using double-sided tape.  Place the round with doily on a cake plate. If you don’t have a cardboard round, you can cut your own out of scrap cardboard, or you can place the cake directly onto a cake plate.  Place a dollop of whipped cream onto the doily (or cake plate) and then place the bottom layer on top of the cream.  The cream will act as glue to hold the bottom layer in place.

Spread 1/3 of the whipped cream over the top of bottom layer, then arrange the strawberries in concentric circles over the whipped cream.  You’ll want the whipped cream and berries to come all the way to the edge of the cake so they are visible between the layers of the finished cake.  Repeat with the middle and top layers of the cake. Serve immediately.

Remember, it’s okay if your layers are a bit uneven or the cream spills out over the side of the cake in some places.  This is mom’s buttermilk cake.  It isn’t supposed to look like it came from the grocery store.

Tips: The cake layers can be made up to a month ahead and frozen, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.  However, the finished cake should be assembled as close to serving time as possible because  the whipped cream will start to break down and the stawberries will begin to water within an hour of assembly.

Things you’ll need:

• small saucepan
• candy thermometer
• stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment

Ingredients:

• 1 lb granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 8 yolks
• 6 sticks unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla

Combine the sugar and water in the saucepan and stir just until combined and the sugar is dissolved. **Do not stir once the mixture starts to heat.** Use a candy thermometer to monitor the syrup’s temperature, making sure not to let the tip of the thermometer rest on the bottom of the pan, which causes an inaccurately high reading.

Heat until the mixture reaches 240 F. Be patient — you’ll notice that the first 220 degrees go by in a flash, while the last 20 degrees seem to take forever.

If sugar crystals start to form on the side of the pan, wash them down with a damp pastry brush, as pictured.

Meanwhile, whip the yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. When the syrup has reached 240 F, immediately remove from heat and pour it directly from the saucepan into the mixer bowl over the yolks in a thin, steady stream while the whisk is still in motion. Be careful not to let the syrup hit the whisk, or the syrup will splatter and harden on the side of the bowl. Aim for the space between the whisk and the side of the bowl. This process should take several minutes–don’t pour the syrup in all at once.

What’s going on here? We’re cooking the eggs with the hot sugar syrup. Nobody likes to eat raw eggs.

Once the syrup has been incorporated, turn the mixer to high speed and let it whip away for a good 10 minutes or until the mixture has cooled to room temperature. The mixture will be thick and very light in color.

Once the mixture has cooled, you’re ready to incorporate the butter. Now, we’ve got a lot of butter to incorporate, and you can only incorporate about a teaspoon at a time. So this will take what seems like forever.

With your fingertips, break off bits of butter (in teaspoon-sized chunks) and drop them into the yolk mixture one at a time, waiting for each bit to be fully incorporated before adding the next. Pull up a stool; you’ll be at this for a while.

At about the fourth stick of butter, you’ll think you’ve done something wrong, because all you’ll have is a globby, lumpy bowl of pale yellow goo. But about halfway through the fifth stick, your buttercream will start to come together and, lo and behold, it will start to look like buttercream! It’ll be a smooth, silky mass of ivory gorgeousness. Whisk in the vanilla, or flavor it with the liqueur of your choice.

Use immediately, or store for later use.

Storage and Use: This recipe makes enough to ice and decorate a full sheet cake, which is a fairly large quantity. The good news is that French buttercream can be frozen for up to three months. Store any unused quantity in an airtight container. Beware: Buttercream absorbs freezer and refrigerator odors quickly, so remove any stinky food items.

Side note: Why’s it called French buttercream? I don’t really know, but the French method refers to the use of yolks as the base for the icing, as opposed to the Swiss method, which uses egg white meringue. I personally think the French variation is richer and has a more full flavor (thanks to the yolks), but it doesn’t give you the pure white color desired for most wedding cakes. So if you’re frosting a wedding cake and want that classic white look, go for the Swiss method. I promise I’ll post a recipe for it soon.

If you have a little girl in your life, you should at least attempt to make this cake. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t turn out perfectly — she won’t care. I’ll be making one later this month for my little friend Sasha, and I’ll be posting step-by-step instructions as I go along. I’m even thinking of posting my first ever how-to video on icing roses and piped decorations…. Stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, here are basic instructions for how to make a doll cake yourself:

Components:
1 9×2 inch cake
1 8 x2 inch cake
1 6×2 inch cake
1 cup custard or fruit filling
4 cups stiff buttercream icing
1/2 pound colored rolled fondant
1 plastic doll with articulable arms
ribbon, fairy wings and other accessories as desired (check your local fabric & crafts store)

Equipment:
cake turntable
offset spatula
icing bags
icing tips and couplers
10-inch cardboard cake round

Steps:
Torte the 9-inch cake (slice it into two layers) and attach the bottom half to a 10-inch cardboard round with a dollop of buttercream. Spread the cake filling over the top of the bottom layer. Place the top half over the filling. Repeat for the 8-inch and 6-inch cakes, but do not attach the smaller cakes to cardboard rounds. You should have three filled cakes.

With a spoon, gently scoop out a 2-inch hole from the 8-inch and 6-inch cakes before layering them on top of the 9-inch cake. To attach each cake layer to the cake beneath it, place a dollop or two of icing between them. The hollowed-out 8-inch cake should be sitting on top of the 9-inch cake, and the hollowed-out 6-inch cake should be sitting on top of the 8-inch cake. You will have stacked the cakes one on top of the other, largest on the bottom and smallest on the top. The finished cake “tower” should look like a small tiered wedding cake.

Your doll should be naked and rinsed clean. (You might also want to wrap her head and hair in aluminum foil to protect her from icing during the decorating process.) Once she’s ready, plunge her body, feet-first, through the hollowed-out cakes. Her feet should sink into the 9-inch cake base and her hips should sit directly above the top of the six-inch cake. You may need to fill the hole around her with buttercream to keep her securely in place.

Using a cake decorating turntable, trim the cake layers on an angle so that the tiers slope downward, creating a skirt shape.

Cover the entire cake with a “crumb coat,” a thin layer of icing that will lock the crumbs in place to prevent them from getting into your butterceam. Proceed with a generous layer of buttercream over the entire cake/skirt.

With an icing bag, use the rose petal tip to pipe the skirt “ruffles” around the base of the cake, coming up the skirt about half way.

Roll out the fondant and cut into tear-drop shapes to create the skirt layers, which will fall over the ruffles. Arrange these in an overlapping fashion around the skirt, over the buttercream, gathering the fondant pieces gently around the doll’s waist. Cut a small rectangular piece of fondant to form into the dress bodice, pressing it against the doll’s body.

Cover all the dress “seams” (where the fondant pieces connect and overlap) with piped icing decorations. Use a star tip to create ruffles, or the plain tip to create pearl-like dots.

Embellish your creation with ribbons, fairy wings, icing roses, etc.