Cake 2: Piping Practice

This cake was all about piping. I wanted to get a feel for the piping bag, frosting consistency, and temperature. I decided to go with a star tip and went to town over the entire surface. I found a great recipe for a classic butter cream at Savory Sweet Life.

Vanilla Butter Cream

And thanks once again to the internet, I found an incredible chocolate cake recipe at I Am Baker that calls for buttermilk and coffee. The result is a seriously moist cake.

Fresh from the oven

To push this cake over the edge I found an equally fantastic recipe for caramel filling at Cake Central. I've got at least three cups left over and have been dreaming of dipping apple slices since I took the first bite!

Caramel filling

I learned three things this time around:
1. Don't overfill the piping bag (yes I read all the warnings, but I just couldn't resist) unless you want frosting all over your hands and inevitably all over your face.
2. Piping is WAY easier if the frosting is fresh and at room temperature.
3. Cake photography has a definite learning curve!

All Finished

I topped this cake off with the number 6 to celebrate the 6th anniversary of the Etsy Metal Team (of which I am a proud member)! You can learn more on the Etsy Metal blog, see my cake featured in the anniversary post, and find out which of our shops are having sales to celebrate the occasion! 

A slice of delicious

I have a feeling this cake is going to be difficult to top taste-wise. The caramel sauce soaked into the rich cake creating, quite possibly, the most decadent cake experience I've had to date.

Happy Birthday Etsy Metal! 

Thanks for reading! I'm off to find some apples!