Chocolate Cake with Ganache filling and Raspberry buttercream

My parents celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary last Sunday. Isn’t that awesome? and they’re pretty awesome too.

I asked my dad if I could make a cake to help with the celebration. He told me he considered just getting one from Costco. Wha???? Not that I’m against Costco (I love that store in fact…) But, I’m always needing reasons to make totally awesome cakes, and I can’t think of a better reason than to celebrate my parents being together for 30 yrs.

I even had something already picked out that I wanted to create.

Remember this chocolate raspberry cake? I loved the flavor combo, so when I saw this beauty, I knew what I wanted to do.

I loved eating this cake. It was moist, the ganache layer added just an edge of rich chocolate, all covered in a rich and smooth raspberry buttercream. My favorite was getting some of each flavor in a bite.

Chocolate Cake adapted from Sweetapolita Makes 1 jelly roll/half sheet cake

2 3/4 cups all-purpose Flour

2 2/3 cups Sugar

2 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

2 3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 cup Cocoa Powder (I used Dutch process cocoa from Sprouts and it was delicious)

1 3/4 teaspoons Salt

2/3 cup vegetable Oil

1 1/8 cups buttermilk

1 cup hot Water (I just did hot from tap, probably around 120 degrees)

2 teaspoons Vanilla

4 Eggs

*this recipe is kind of like a box mix, except you make the powder part. But then you just dump everything else in. easy*

• Butter the bottom of a jelly roll/half sheet pan (13”x18”x1”) and line it with either parchment or wax paper. Preheat oven to 350.
• Sift all dry ingredients into a large bowl (I used my standing mixer bowl).
• Add all wet ingredients and mix on medium for 2 minutes with paddle attachment, scraping the sides as needed. (I know that a hand mixer would work fine too)
• Mine seemed really airy after mixing, so if yours does too, turn it to low for another minute or 2.
• Pour into prepared pan, batter will be fairly runny.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

(for better step by step instructions look here)

1 1/3 C Egg Whites (I used 9 egg whites, it was slightly under, but totally fine)

2 C granulated Sugar

pinch of Salt

3 C (6 sticks) butter cut into 1T bits, at room temp

seedless raspberry jam, to taste (maybe 1/3-1/2 C)

• Combine egg whites and sugar in a double boiler over simmering water.
• Stir and cook until all the sugar is dissolved, candy thermometer reading about 150
• Whip the egg/sugar mixture on high until it is smooth and glossy, and the bowl and frosting feel room temperature, no longer warm. (my kitchen was really hot that day, so this took a super long time –like probably 20 minutes. I eventually stuck an ice pack around the bottom of the bowl to help it cool down faster, and that worked great.)
• Turn mixer to low and add the bits of butter 1 T at a time, letting it incorporate before adding more.
• Once all the butter is added, turn the mixer to med-high and let mix until it comes together.
• Add the raspberry jam a little bit a time, letting it incorporate before adding more.

Whipped Ganache Filling (for better step by step instructions look here)

8 oz chocolate, chopped

1/2 C heavy whipping cream

• Put chocolate in bowl.
• Heat cream over stove over medium heat until almost boiling.
• Pour cream over chocolate and let sit for a few minutes.
• Stir together cream and chocolate until all chocolate is melted and it is smooth.
• Let sit until set up and no longer runny (throw it in the fridge to make it go faster)
• Once set up, whip until light and fluffy.

*you will want to whip this as close to when you use it as possible, otherwise it might get too hard to spread easily*

Assembling & Decorating the Cake

You will want plenty of time to assemble this cake. I wouldn’t recommend trying to rush it.

• The cake needs to be chilled, so either put it in the fridge for several hours, or in the freezer for 1/2-1 hour. Cut the cake into 4 equal parts:

• The illustration on the left will give you more of a long, skinny rectangle, the one on the right is not as long and skinny. I did the one on the right.
• Place one of the quarters onto your serving tray. My cooking sheet does not have straight sides, so I cut the edges to make them straight up and down.
• Level layer if needed, and frost with desired amount of whipped ganache. Repeat with next layers alternating between buttercream and whipped ganache, and place the top layer upside down.
• Place in the freezer for 15-30 minutes, I promise this will help you frost faster and easier.
• Frost the top of the cake with desired amount, and just a thin layer of frosting all way around the sides. You’ll be adding ruffles, so you want it to be thin, it will just help the ruffles stick better.
• For the ruffles, use a petal tip (I used Wilton #104).
• Hold the piping bag at a 90 degree angle, as close to the cake as possible, with the wide part of the tip next to the cake, the skinny part farther from the cake.
• Make a back and forth motion as you work your way up the cake, layer upon layer.
• Do ruffles all the way around the sides, until it’s all covered.

Because of the ruffles, there is a lot of frosting on this cake. So be sure to cut big enough on the first slice

otherwise you might have a person who’s slice is half frosting :) But it worked out, he just added another slice on top of that one.

Happy thirty years to my wonderful parents!

Chocolate Ganache x3

If you have not heard of ganache yet, I think you will be in for a treat today.  Chocolate+cream=yum.  and that’s all it is, just 2 ingredients.  Can’t get much easier, right?

I’m going to show you not only how to make it, but also 3 different ways to use it!  I love this recipe because it’s versatile, and easy to alter the level of dark flavor, while still staying consistently delicious. 

Chocolate Ganache

this is a ratio recipe, 2:1 but I’ll also include an example with exact amounts.

2 parts chocolate: (chocolate chips, a bar, or a combination)

*use the chocolate you like best (milk, semi or bittersweet), but remember that you’re adding cream, which essentially makes it more ‘milky’  Play around, mix some, see which combination you like best*

1 part heavy whipping cream

 

For example:

1 C or 8 oz chocolate (I used two 3.5 oz bars and a handful of chips)

1/2 C heavy whipping cream

• If you have a chocolate bar, coarsely chop it. Chocolate chips are fine as is:



• Set your cream in a small pot on the stove over medium heat.

• Place your chocolate in a bowl large enough to hold both chocolate and cream.

• Watch your cream.  When it starts to get foamy around the edges and bubbling like it’s almost about to boil, take it off the heat and pour it over your chocolate:



• Stir the mixture to coat all the chocolate and then let it sit for a few minutes.

• Stir your mixture to help it combine, and keep stirring until all the chocolate is melted:



• If you have a few stubborn pieces of chocolate that are refusing to melt, you can toss it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds then stir some more.

Now that it’s made, here are the three ways you can use it:

#1 use it right away.  It’s nice and runny, and is perfect if you want the drizzle look:

 

#2 let it sit until it starts to set up.  If you’re in a hurry, you can throw it in the fridge, but I like to cover it with plastic wrap then forget about it for an hour or so.  Once it’s set up, it will look like this:

um, that looks delicious.  and it is.  This is great for piping pretty chocolate decorations, or even frosting a whole cake.

#3 make some whipped ganache. After it has set up (in #2) you can beat it until it’s light and fluffy:

the color changes the more you whip it.  Whipped ganache is currently one of my favorite cake fillings.

 

Have fun! Get creative! You honestly probably can’t go wrong with chocolate and cream!

Sweetened Whipped Cream

I have a confession.  Heavy whipping cream is a staple in my house.  Yup…..  it no longer is a, “There is a special occasion treat that requires whipping cream, I’ll add it to my list,” but a “Oh no, we’re almost out of cream and milk, we need to go to the store. Now.”   It stays fresh for a long time, and I use it often enough that it’s worth keeping on hand. 

I really love being able to make my own whipped cream.  It’s super easy! and so delicious.  It will transform your waffles.  or pie.  or hot chocolate. or cupcakes.  or whatever you’re planning to put it on!

Sweetened Whipped Cream

1 Cup heavy whipping cream

1/4-1/3 Cup powdered sugar*

1/2 tsp vanilla

*just depending on how sweet you want it.   

• Put cream in a bowl, and begin to whip on medium high with either a standing or hand mixer.

• When it gets to super soft peaks:

• scrape down the sides, and add the sugar and vanilla. 

• Whip on medium-high until your desired consistency!

 

(note: this is really stiff.  probably even whipped it a bit too long.  But, it still tasted fabulous.  I have yet to mess this recipe up!)

Apple Cake Pops

It’s back to school time!  This is our first official school year, I dropped off my oldest this morning for her first day of kindergarten.  She was absolutely beyond excited, we’ve been counting down for over week.  I wanted to make it a special day, so that each year my kids will hopefully look forward to back to school, instead of dreading it. 

My kids LOVE ‘pop cakes’ (that’s what they call em) so they were very excited to see some apple ones.  Not sure if they made the connection with apples=school, but oh well.  I’m actually not even positive I know why apples=school, but it seems like they do.  It was the perfect little treat for my daughter’s first lunch at school.  My daughter also shared with her new teacher while I was dropping her off, and my almost 2 yr old tried to grab the cake pop back from the teacher :)

Apple Cake Pops (inspired from Bakerella)

basic cake pop tutorial

baked cake + 3/4 C whipping cream

lollipop sticks

red candy melts

pretzel sticks (the straight ones): break off an end to stick in for the stem

green candy melts (or green leaf shaped sprinkles of some kind)

• Instead of rolling the cake mixture into round balls, try to make them shaped more like an apple.  I did thinner on bottom, and fatter on top, with an indent where the pretzel stick would go.  I also poked a hole in the middle of the indent with a lollipop stick. 

I made my own leaves with green candy melts: 



• melt green candy melts in a disposable piping bag, cut off the tip, then pipe leaves onto wax paper.  After the candy melts harden, they come right off.  It was fun practicing piping, and since I made so many I got to pick my favorites.

• After they are chilled, dip them into melted red candy melts, and stick in the pretzel and leaf before the red candy hardens.



There you go!  I hope everyone has a smooth transition during this busy time of year!!

How to make “Buttermilk”

The only time I ever have real buttermilk in my house is when my husband isn’t traveling, and he feels like making some mean, from scratch, buttermilk pancakes.  Yeah, not so often.  But, I have some recipes that call for buttermilk, so…..  what’s a girl supposed to do? Make a special trip to the store for a quart of buttermilk only to use 1/2 C?  I don’t think so.  This is WAY easy, and you’ll never know the difference in your baked goods!  I got this tip from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, they call it sour milk.

Sour Milk (substitute for buttermilk)  makes 1 cup

1 Tblsp distilled white vinegar

almost 1 Cup milk

Pour 1 Tablespoon vinegar into a 1 Cup measurer.

Add enough milk to fill the cup measurer to the top.

Stir the mixture to combine, then let sit for 5 minutes before use.

Done.and.done.  Wasn’t that easy?

If you don’t need a whole cup, just adjust the recipe:

for 1/2 C, pour in 1/2 T vinegar, and fill to 1/2 C with milk.

Chocolate & Raspberry Cake

Last summer my husband and I were in downtown Seattle, and we stopped in a cute little bakery.  I remember I got a couple little handmade chocolates, and he got a pile of raspberries, covered in chocolate.  and he loved it.  We’ve talked about it a couple of times since then.

So, when I asked him what cake he wanted for his birthday, I wasn’t super surprised that he asked for a chocolate layer cake with raspberry drizzle of some kind.  and I remembered a cake that both my cousin (she has some great step by step photos) and my mom have made and both loved.  I showed him the pictures from the original maker and he gave the stamp of approval. 

Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Cake Makes a three layer 8″ cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup canola oil
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
Raspberry Ganache (recipe follows)
1 cup raspberry jam (I recommend seedless!)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and prepare three 8” cake pans with parchment paper and either a flour spray (like baker’s joy) or butter and dust with cocoa.
• Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and mix together to combine. ( I did this in my standing mixer, with the paddle attachment)
• Mix in the oil and sour cream (it will be thick!) then gradually beat in the water.
• Mix in the vanilla and vinegar, then beat in the eggs until batter is combined. (now the batter will be fairly runny.  I was a little nervous, but it turned out great)
• Evenly divide the batter into your 3 cake pans, bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool in pans for 20 minutes, then flip onto cooling racks and cool completely.
• While your cakes are cooling make the raspberry ganache (recipe is down the page a little bit)
• Once you have all the ingredients, you can start assembling.  Cut your cakes to be level if you want.
• Lay one layer of cake on a plate, and cover the top with 1/3 C raspberry jam.  Spread some of the ganache on top of the jam.
• Repeat with the 2 other layers, including jam on the top.

  *I spread the ganache on top of the jam while it was still fairly warm/runny, then waited until it was more firm to ice the rest of the cake.

• Spread ganache around the outside of the cake.

I love that you can see the yummy raspberry jam swirling throughout the top!

Raspberry Ganache

15 oz chocolate, chopped *
2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)
1 C (2 sticks) butter, cut into pieces

*What kind of chocolate depends on what you like. If you like dark, get bittersweet. If you like milk, get semisweet, or even sweeter. I prefer milk chocolate, so I would recommend somewhere around a 50% cocoa (you can mix and match chocolates to get what you like)

• Bring a small amount of water to simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
• While the water is heating, microwave the raspberries in 30 or 60 second intervals, stirring and mashing with a fork in between. Once it becomes more of a liquid than berries, pour through a mesh sieve. You should get between 1/3-2/3 C raspberry sauce. Set aside.
• Make a double boiler: place the chopped chocolate and the butter in a heatproof bowl and set over the saucepan. The bowl should not touch the water. Stir until the chocolate and butter melt.
• Add the raspberry sauce, and stir to combine.
• Take off heat, and let cool until it’s thick enough to spread, stirring once in a while.

This cake is seriously moist.  and delicious. and thank goodness my husband enjoyed it too.

Buster Bars

in other words: oreo/ice cream/gooey chocolate goodness layer dessert.  With peanuts on top.

This recipe is an old family favorite.  My younger brother requested it for his birthday, instead of cake, for as many years as I can remember.  We all love it.  Who doesn’t love an oreo crust? with a sauce tastes almost like a chocolate/caramel.  and with the salted peanuts on top, oh man. I promise you’re in for a treat.

Buster Bars makes a 9”x13” pan

1 package Oreos (I used about 40 cookies from a Costco pack)

1 cube butter, melted

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream (or enough ice cream to make a layer), softened slightly

1 cube butter

1 can evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed)

1 C milk chocolate chips

2 C powdered sugar

Spanish peanuts

• Crush all the Oreos to a fine crumb and mix together with the melted butter. Spread across the bottom of a 9”x13” pan (that can go in the freezer)
• Once the ice cream is easy to work with, slab (not scoop) it to form a layer on top of the Oreo crust.  Freeze until firm.
• While freezing, melt cube of butter and chocolate chips in a pan over medium heat.  Add evaporated milk and powdered sugar, turn heat to medium-high, and bring to boil.  Boil for 8 minutes, stirring constantly.  Let cool.
• After the sauce is cooled, pour over the ice cream layer.  (if you’re too anxious, it will totally melt the ice cream, you want to make sure the ice cream is frozen, and the sauce is cooled.)
• Sprinkle with the peanuts, then throw it back into the freezer until it’s firm. (or, until you just can’t wait any longer to eat it.)

Macaroni & Cheese

I mostly just enjoy making treats, but there are a couple of dishes that I like to make, and this is one of them.  I also love to eat this.  it is delicious. 

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law.  She made it for me one night after I had my first baby, and it think it was one of the best things I have ever eaten.  I love pasta anyway, but this cheese to pasta ratio, with a crunchy breadcrumb top is just the best.

Since then, it has been a special dinner in our family, reserved for birthdays and other occasions.  But my family has grown to love it so much, that it has moved up the ranks and is now in our regular dinner rotation.  My kids don’t even like mac n’ cheese from a box anymore, they always request this.  I can’t say that I blame them.

Macaroni & Cheese

3 Tblsp butter

3 Tblsp flour

2 1/2 C milk (my vote is the fattier the better.  I’ve never used skim, but I’m sure it would be ok)

1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese (I always buy my cheese from Costco, we like the extra sharp)

1/2 lb. colby cheese

1 Tbslp dijon (I use this:. It’s our favorite)

pinch+ of cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste (I’ve started using white pepper, I like it.)

1 lb noodles (pick your favorite.  I usually use curly elbows, but we’ve made it with penne as well.)

2 Tblsp butter melted

3/4 C panko bread crumbs

• Cut the cheese into 1/2” cubes, and start a pot of water to boil for the pasta.
• Preheat over to 350 and butter a 2 qt baking dish
• Melt 3 T butter in a pot over med-low heat.
• Add the flour, turn to med-high heat and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly. 
• Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly and cook until thickened.
• At some point during this, add the pasta to the boiling water to cook according to package directions.
• Add about 2/3 of the cubed cheeses to your sauce, and cook over low heat until cheeses are melted.
• Stir in dijon, cayenne and s&p.
• After draining the pasta, stir together pasta, cheese sauce, and remaining cheese cubes in the 2 qt dish.
• Melt 2 T butter and mix with the panko crumbs.  Sprinkle over top of noodles.
• Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes until golden brown on top and bubbling.

I love that you don’t melt all the cheese cubes into the sauce.  Instead, they all melt while baking, so while you’re eating it, you get extra little pockets of gooey cheese. Yum.

This dish is also great for reheating, so don’t worry if there are leftovers, it will taste great the next day too!!

Flower Cupcake Tutorial

Have you ever been to the site i am baker? She has a seriously amazing blog, and that’s where I learned how to do this:

Aren’t they so cute? I’m am really happy with how they turned out, so I want to show you how I did it. 

You will need:

• Cupcakes.
• Frosting.  I used Swiss meringue buttercream, but you could easily use buttercream.
• At least 1 petal tip, I used Wilton #103 (yellow) and also #124 (purple)
• A bag to hold the frosting and petal tip (decorator’s bag, ziploc with a corner cut off…)

Start with the wide tip at the edge of the cupcake, add pressure to make a little dollop, then push the tip into the dollop a bit, and with continued pressure drag to the center of the cupcake.  Repeat all the way around.  Pushing the tip back into the dollop is what makes the line in the petal.  If that doesn’t make sense in words, I did make a video, I hope it’s helpful!

*note……  the only noises in the video are of my kids =) love them, but they are kinda loud….*

Hopefully your cupcakes won’t be sunken in like mine (it was a new recipe I need to change a bit) But even if they are, I actually kind of like the depth it gives to the flowers.

You can leave it with one layer of petals, or add another layer (or 2):same concept, just a smaller layerI honestly can’t decide if I like the single color, or 2-tone better.  What do you think?

How about some mini cupcakes?

I think this one might be my favorite little one:

on a random side note, Have you ever seen “The Swan Princess”? It’s an animated movie that came out in 1994.  and it.is.awesome.  It has great songs, that my siblings and I still sing sometimes, and now, so do my kids.  A part of one of the songs goes like this, “Practice, Practice, Practice!”  So to bring it back to cupcakes…..  That’s my best advice for piping.

If you decide to try this, (or any of the recipes on my blog), feel free to post some pictures on the www.facebook.com/fredellicious Facebook wall! I’d love to see it! Have a good day!

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

This frosting is super rich, smooth, and buttery. and I can’t lie, I love butter. So, I think this recipe rocks! It is a lot different than a typical buttercream, but it’s sturdy=great for stacking cakes and more elegant/gourmet=perfect for fancy cakes. It’s also great because you can add so many different flavors: lemon or strawberry for example.

This recipe can seem a little complicated, there are a few steps. I recommend reading the entire recipe before starting. And if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to comment or email!

Swiss Meringue Buttercream (adapted from a few different recipes I’ve found)

Things that will be helpful, but are not required:

• double boiler

• standing mixer

• candy thermometer

2/3 C Egg Whites (from about 5 Large eggs)

1 C Sugar (not powdered!)

1 pinch of salt

1 1/2 C (3 sticks) unsalted butter cut into 1T bits, room temp

1 tsp vanilla

Start with a double boiler. Don’t have one? Make one! That’s what I do. Start with a pot, and add an inch or two of water. Put it over medium heat. Then, place a non-plastic bowl (for 1 less dish, use the bowl from your standing mixer if it works) and place it in/on the pot:

the bowl needs to sit high enough so that the bottom is not touching the water.

Now add your egg whites, granulated sugar and salt, and whisk together

Keep whisking/stirring. It doesn’t have to be vigorous, just enough to keep it all mixed together, and to prevent the egg whites from cooking around the edges. Believe me, you don’t want scrambled eggs in your frosting. Continue until at least 1 of 2 things happens: 1. your candy thermometer reaches about 160 degrees F and/or 2. If you dip a finger in and rub it against your thumb, it is completely smooth, the sugar is dissolved:

it will probably take 3-5 minutes

Transfer this mixture to your standing mixer. (I definitely recommend standing mixer, but it’s doable with a hand mixer too!) Use the whisk attachment and turn it on high. Let whip until the egg mixture becomes room temperature (the bottom outside of the bowl no longer feels warm) and you have pretty glossy peaks forming:

this can take anywhere from about 5-10 minutes

If you’re using a standing mixer, while the mixture is whipping is when I cut my butter into 1T bits. I like to cut the butter when it’s cold, it seems easier, then lay them out on a plate and microwave it for just a bit to get it to room temp

note: those are 2 Tblsp slices, I cut them in half before adding.

Once your eggs/sugar mixture is room temp with the glossy peaks, turn your mixer to low, and start adding the butter 1T at a time. Only add 1 at a time, and be sure that each incorporates, probably 10 seconds, before adding another bit of butter.

after you’ve added all the butter, it might look kind of weird:

a little soupy and probably not what you were expecting. Fear not! We’ll fix it.

• Turn your mixer on high, and whip away!

It might take another 5-10 minutes to get the mixture to come together, and it will start to look like this:

Isn’t it pretty??

Once it looks like this you can add your vanilla extract (or another extract) and mix it on medium to incorporate it.

Now, to help with air bubbles, I suggest switching to the paddle attachment and mixing on low for a couple of minutes. Then you’re ready to use!!

Because of the high butter content in this frosting, you will want to store the frosted cakes/cupcakes at room temperature. Otherwise, it will probably melt, or if you refrigerate it, it will become hard. Also be careful if you’re piping with it, since you’re holding it in warm hands, it can melt even faster.

If you want to store for future use, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a few weeks. Before using, bring to room temperature, and whip to get light and fluffy.

Raspberry & White Chocolate Cupcakes

I actually had a hard time naming this post, because they are white cupcakes, filled with raspberry jam, with a white chocolate butter cream.  Got it?

How about now?

I know it’s a long description, but these are tasty!!  And I really wish that I had thought to bake these in blue cupcake holders, because that would have been super cute for the 4th.  Blast.  But you could do it. Or white holders with blue sprinkles? Or forget what they look like and just eat them……  because they taste great.

I started with 1/2 batch of the same recipe for white cake as this post.  But you could make it with a white cake mix, just know that it will make more than this recipe.

Raspberry & White Chocolate Cupcakes (makes about 20)

1 stick unsalted butter, room temp

1 1/6 C sugar (I just filled my 1/3 C measurer half full)

2 XL or 3 L eggs room temp

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 C flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 C milk warmed in the microwave a little bit to bring to room temp

• Preheat oven to 350F and line the cupcake pans
• Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside
• Cream the sugar and butter, then add eggs one at a time, letting each one mix in before adding another
• Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated
• Then, alternating between wet and dry, add the flour and milk
• Divide evenly between the cupcake holders and bake 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick comes put clean
• Let cool in pan for about 10 minutes then flip on a cooling rack to cool completely

 

• While the cupcakes are cooling, I like to make the frosting.  I made a white chocolate buttercream, it compliments these cupcakes perfectly.

White Chocolate Buttercream (if you made a box cake, I would recommend doubling this recipe)

1/2 C (1 cube) butter, room temp

1 1/2 C powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

4 oz white chocolate *to make sure it is truly white chocolate, the ingredients need to include cocoa butter.  If it’s made with palm kernel or some other kind of oil, it will have a vanilla/candy melt flavor not white chocolate.  I buy Baker’s white chocolate squares

• melt the white chocolate squares in the microwave, in 30 second intervals, stirring after every 30 seconds. Then let cool

• Cream butter.  Add powdered sugar 1/2 C at at time, making sure it’s completely mixed in before adding more.
• After adding all the sugar, add the vanilla and mix in.  turn on medium high and mix for a couple of minutes
• Add all of the melted/cooled chocolate and mix on medium high until all incorporated, scraping sides as needed

 

• When the cakes are all cooled, fill them with jam.  I used the seedless raspberry, but I’ve also made these with strawberry jam and that is delicious as well.  This is totally your preference.

After they are filled, go ahead and frost them! I (surprise) used a 1M wilton tip for frosting

Enjoy!!