Elisha's Birthday Cake

So far, my cakes have been on the fun and whimsical side. I really wanted to show that I could do something that is classy and sophisticated.

This cake accomplished two things for me: I got to work more with flowers and also the chance to do a damask style cake, which I have been wanting to do for awhile.

I wanted the flower to look like a chrysanthemum, which I guess I sort of accomplished. I would have liked it more if it was more cupped than flat. I followed the steps on this guide that I found. I probably didn't get the result that I wanted because I didn't have the right tools. Or maybe I just wasn't doing it right.

The damask design was inspired by several cakes that I found online. I found beautiful cakes like this one, but I don't have any piping skills so I knew I couldn't do anything that was too intricate. So, I really took inspiration from this cake instead.

To make the design I had to improvise with the cutters that I owned using a combination of cutters and a thin, sharp knife to make a lot of the individual pieces. To finish, I piped the small dots with royal icing.

The actual cake is chai flavored with a cinnamon buttercream. I took the recipe from Martha's Cupcakes and instead of making mini cupcakes, as the recipe intends, I used 2 6-inch round pans. For the buttercream, I used a basic swiss meringue recipe and just added about 2 teaspoons of cinnamon at the end. I just eyeballed it, adding cinnamon until I got my desired flavor.

Cinnamon Buttercream
yields 2 cups

2 egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon, or to taste

In a heatproof bowl of a electric stand mixer, combine egg whites and sugar. Over a pot of simmering water, whisk the mixture until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is slightly warm. Remove from heat.

With the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high until they form stiff peaks, about 6 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment and set mixer to low. Add the butter, a few tablespoons at a time allowing each addition to be fulling incorporated. If the mixture separates, beat on medium for a few minutes. Once all the butter is incorporated add the vanilla just until combined. Add cinnamon.