The Lawyer Cake (and White Chocolate Buttercream)

So my cousin graduated from law school, and I decided that was a worthy occasion for a cake.

The cocoa powder is artistically dusted on. Yes, artistically.

Over the phone, she said she wanted a white cake with something berry-flavored. Now, my cousin also went to pastry school, and is well aware of the thousands of avenues I could take with that. But then again, I work eight hours and attend school for five, and needed the cake by Saturday, so I didn't have time to get too creative. Beauty in simplicity, right?

I baked the cake at school. I'm not a kitchen module right now. My grade is probably suffering now because I left the computer class during our twenty minute break and returned to Microsoft Purgatory all bright-eyed and butter-scented forty minutes later, but whatever. The point is, I made Rose Levy Berenbaum's White Velvet Butter Cake, tripled the recipe and mixed it all up in the giant freestanding Hobart and it was gorgeous.

Brushing the layers with simple syrup.

 As for the filling, I went to the 24-hour grocery store around eleven at night and dodged all the shelf-stockers and forklifts for a big bag of frozen raspberries, blackberry jam, gelatin, and whipped cream. I wasn't even sure what I was doing yet at the time, but I ended up with a raspberry mousseline filling courtesy of Nick Malgieri, and decided to alternate layers with the blackberry jam.

And raspberries and white chocolate are a classic combo, so why not the Italian White Chocolate Buttercream from Bo Friberg's Professional Pastry Chef?

Perfect.

Graduation ceremonies are boring as hale, so I went up on the roof and got a photo.

I didn't assemble the cake till we were in Pasadena. I know bakers ship and fly cakes all over the place, but I ain't ready for that yet. After driving all the way down, I stayed up till four in the morning obsessively preparing and spreading on the white chocolate buttercream. Those photos are actually the second version - the first one was the same, but with a snail border on top. It was pretty, I guess, but I wouldn't know because I scraped it all off and started anew before anyone could see it.

GLARING IMPERFECTIONS oh just kidding it's gorgeous

Look. I'm obsessive. But I was also exhausted and falling asleep over my piping bag, and let's face it - I'm a beginner to the world of cake-decorating. There were plenty of glaring flaws only I or another baker would notice, but whatever. By the time I flopped on the couch to sleep I was happy. Or maybe I'd given up?

Of course I was nervous just before the cake was cut. I'm always nervous. The layers could be dry. The filling could have separated again. The shoddy job I did of cutting the layers would be revealed when the entire cake fell apart. But it turned out beautiful.

Good Lord look at those uneven lines. How do I live with myself.

So beautiful.

No one complained. In fact, they complimented me. I even got hugs. After everyone had a piece, they cut more to wrap up and take home, leaving just an empty cakeboard.

I'll count that as a success.

 

Chocolate Buttercream (Italian Method)

Based on The Professional Pastry Chef, Fourth Edition

(I kind of cut the recipe in half, and used extra white chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa butter, so mine was a little too soft. I added just enough confectioners sugar to tighten it up a little. This recipe would be brilliant on any white, yellow, white chocolate or even milk chocolate cake. I don't know about a dark chocolate torte, as when I want dark chocolate I want everything super-dark. A bit heavy for a sponge cake, though. )

(Also I highly recommend buying this book if you have any interest at all in baking and pastry. The original formulas were inscribed in stone by the finger of the Kitchen God himself, and I'm not even kidding that much.)

• 1 pound unsalted butter, softened
• 7 ounces sugar, about a rounded 3/4 cup
• 40 ml water
• 2 tsp corn syrup
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 16 ounces white or sweet dark chocolate, melted and about 110 degrees F
• 1 cup confectioners sugar

1. Cream the butter till light and fluffy, then set aside.
2. Combine sugar, water, and corn syrup in a saucepan. Brush the sides down with water and boil to 240 degrees F without stirring. While this is happening, beat the eggs, white, vanilla, and salt, preferably in a stand mixer, or else just with a beater or your own badass wrist, for about a minute. Then once the sugar is up to temperature, pour it in a steady stream, whipping the whole time at high speed. (This is why I recommend a machine.)
3. Keep whipping, turn the speed lower, and add the creamed butter gradually in pieces. Once it's all worked in, remove about a third of the mixture, stir in the chocolate smoothly, then return it all back to the rest of your buttercream and mix it all together. Sift in the confectioner's sugar.

Don't let this sit out in a warm temperature, it will melt. It's perfectly fine at room temp and will keep for three to four days. You can put it in the fridge as well, just take it out in plenty of time to soften. If it does separate, just mix it all up again and you're golden. This recipe is incredibly easy, just make sure your sugar is at the right temperature and don't add it too fast. Have fun.