Stenciled Sparkle Cakes Recipes

STENCILED SPARKLE CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter six 4-by-2-inch round cake pans, line with parchment, and butter parchment; dust with flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
• With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in zest and vanilla. Add flour in 3 batches, alternating with 2 batches of buttermilk; mix until just combined.
• Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer pans to wire racks to cool completely.
• With a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to level; split horizontally to make a total of 12 layers.
• Spread 1/2 cup buttercream on each side of 6 bottom layers, and top with remaining layers. Spread a thin layer of buttercream over each cake to form a crumb coat; refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Spread a second coat of buttercream over each cake; smooth with an offset spatula. Refrigerate 30 minutes (or up to 2 days).
• Set cakes on a wire rack set over a piece of parchment. Stir together edible glitter dust with confectioners' sugar to achieve desired color; the more sugar used, the lighter the hue.
• Cut strips of acetate to preferred width (ours are 1/2-inch wide) and rest them on top of the cakes to create a design. Parallel stripes are the easiest. You can also crisscross stripes, or cover half the cake to create a half-moon. Sift glitter dust over each cake. Carefully lift pieces; reuse to decorate remaining cakes.

STRAWBERRY SPARKLE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until stiff. Sift the superfine sugar three times and add slowly to the egg whites.
• Sift the cake flour and salt five times, and then fold slowly into the egg whites. Sprinkle in the vanilla and fold.
• Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in an unbuttered angel food cake pan.
• Set aside to cool completely, inverted on a bottle or jar that fits the cake pan.
• For the filling: Dissolve the gelatin in boiling water and add the strawberries, stirring to break up and mix the berries.
• For the icing: Whip the cream with the powdered sugar until thick.
• To assemble: Place the cake, wide-side down, on a serving plate. Cut a 1-inch layer from the top and set it aside. Cut around the cake 1 inch from the outer edge to 1 inch from the bottom. Cut around the cake 1 inch from the inner edge to 1 inch from the bottom.
• Gently remove the section of cake between the cuts and pour in the strawberry mixture.
• Place the cake layer back on top and spread the icing all over the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with whole strawberries.
• Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

SPRINKLES CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with butter and line with parchment or line two 12-cup cupcake tins with liners and set aside.
• Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
• In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the granulated sugar and butter until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg whites, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add the oil and the extracts.
• With the mixer running on low, add the dry mixture and the milk in 2 or 3 alternating batches and mix until just barely combined. Gently fold in the sprinkles using a rubber spatula until they're evenly distributed. Distribute the batter among the cake or cupcake pans, spreading it out evenly if using cake pans, and bake until lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Begin checking for doneness at 25 minutes for cakes and 20 minutes for cupcakes. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the frosting: Beat the butter until smooth with the whisk attachment and gradually add the confectioners' sugar until creamed. Add the milk, extracts and salt and beat to combine. Decorate as desired and enjoy.

SIMPLE SNOW SPARKLE CAKE

Steps:

• Once the cake has been removed from the oven, increase the heat to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Leave the cake in its tin. Put the sugar cubes in a large bowl and crush with the end of a rolling pin to a sugary rubble. Mix in the preserving sugar, pearly balls and egg white - it should have the texture of wet sand. Tip the mixture on top of the cake and level the surface. Bake the cake for 5 mins to set the sugary crust, then remove and leave to cool.
• Once completely cooled, remove from the tin and peel off the baking parchment. Sprinkle the top with edible glitter, tie ribbons around the side and decorate with your favourite figurines, if you like.

STAR SPARKLE CAKE

Steps:

• Lift the cake onto the cake board or a plate and cover with jam, marzipan and - brushing with water around the sides of the cake only - ready-to-roll icing. Trim at the base.
• Press star cutters gently into the icing, stopping when you get to the marzipan. Pull the star shapes out with the cutter, or ease it out with the tip of a knife. Stamp out a couple of small stars from re-rolled trimmings of icing (from icing the cake) and sit them inside the large star-shaped spaces.
• Sprinkle the gold balls into the gaps and tie the ribbon around the cake. Can be decorated up to a week ahead.