Valentine Sweetheart Cake

3 recipes White Cake
3 recipes Butter Frosting
Milk
Sifted powdered sugar
(4) 24-oz. packages ready-to-use fondant
Copper paste food coloring
Water
2-gram container super pearl dust

• 6-x-6-x-2-inch baking pan
• 10-x-10-x-2-inch baking pan
• Parchment paper
• Long serrated knife
• 5-1/2-inch square cardboard covered with foil
• 9-1/2-inch square cardboard covered with foil
• 4 plastic dowel rods (3 1/2 inch)
• Small saw (to cut dowels)
• Metal spatula
• Large square cake plate (12 x 12 inches or larger)
• 2 Decorating bags
• 2 Standard couplers
• No. 5 Round decorating tip
• No. 7 Round decorating tip
• Fondant smoother
• Pastry wheel
• Rolling pin
• Cooling rack
• Quilt batting
• 2-inch paintbrush
• Kitchen shears

(Note: Make 3 recipes for Valentine Cake)

2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening or butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 egg whites
1 1/3 cups buttermilk

1. Grease and flour pans.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl beat shortening or butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each.
4. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
5. Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 30 minutes for the 10-inch baking pan and for about 30 to 35 minutes for the 6-inch baking pan, or until cakes spring back when slightly touched.

(Note: Make 3 recipes to decorate Valentine Cake.)

1/3 cup butter
4 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Additional milk

1. In a large mixing bowl beat butter until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in 1/4 cup milk and vanilla.
2. Gradually add remaining powdered sugar, beating until combined. If necessary, beat in a little additional milk to make frosting that is easy to spread.

1. Grease and flour cake pans. Line bottom with parchment paper: grease paper. Prepare 3 recipes of White Cake, spoon into the prepared 6-inch and 10-inch square pans; fill each half full (about 5 cups batter for the 10-inch cake pan; 2 1/2 cups batter for the 6-inch cake pan).
2. (Note: Cover and refrigerate remaining batter while first two cakes bake.) Bake in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 30 minutes for the 10-inch baking pan and for about 30 to 35 minutes for the 6-inch baking pan, or until cakes spring back when slightly touched.
3. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans: remove papers. Cool right side up on wire rack.
4. Use remaining chilled batter to make second cakes of each size. After cooling, use a long serrated knife to trim rounded tops of cakes.

1. Make 3 recipes of Butter Frosting. Note: Cover and refrigerate frosting when not in use. To make cake tiers, place a 6-inch cake layer, right side up, on the 5-1/2-inch foil-covered cardboard. Spread 1/2 cup of the prepared butter frosting over top of cake.

2. Place remaining 6-inch cake, top side down, on frosting. Repeat with 10-inch cake layers and 9-1/2-inch cardboard to make 2 tiers, using 1 cup of frosting between 10-inch cake layers.

3. Reserve 2 cups of frosting to decorate. To frost cake tiers, thin remaining butter frosting with milk to make it spreading consistency. Place a large amount of icing on the center of the 6-inch cake top. Spread across the top, pushing toward edges. Cover sides with frosting.
4. Repeat procedure with 10-inch cake tier. Set aside tiers. Measure height of 10-inch tier. Use a small saw to cut 4 dowels exactly the same length. Insert dowels into the cake to provide support for the 6-inch cake.

1. Lightly dust work surface with sifted powdered sugar. Knead well 2 1/2 pounds of fondant. (Tip: Cover extra fondant with plastic wrap or a lint-free towel to prevent drying out.) Roll out fondant to approximately a 15-inch square with rolling pin, lifting and moving fondant to prevent the surface from sticking. Add powdered sugar if needed.
2. Lift rolled fondant with a rolling pin. Place fondant onto 10-inch cake. Smooth the fondant down sides of the cake. Lift the fondant edge with one hand while the other hand smoothes the sides. Smooth edges with the fondant smoother to remove creases. Trim excess with a pastry wheel; save trimmings.
3. For the 6-inch cake, tint 1 1/2 pounds fondant with about 1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon food coloring to desired color. Knead well to evenly distribute color. Repeat above process for the 6-inch cake, using 1 pound of tinted fondant (roll fondant approximately 12 inches square for 6-inch cake).
4. For the lid on the 6-inch layer, roll out the remaining 1/2 pound fondant to a 7-inch square. Notch out 1-inch squares from each corner (see Illustration A). Lightly brush water on top and just below the top edge of the fondant-covered cake. Roll fondant over a rolling pin and position. Wet the inside corner of the four overhangs. Pinch together and trim off excess with scissors.
5. To assemble cake, transfer 10-inch tier to cake plate. Place a small amount of butter frosting on top of 10-inch cake to adhere 6-inch cake. Place 6-inch cake tier on top of 10-inch tier, resting the cardboard on the dowels of bottom cake. Set aside.

Download Illustrations A & B

1. Knead 16 ounces of fondant until smooth on a lightly dusted surface. Roll fondant into a 12-1/2-x-10-inch rectangle. Cut strips for bottom borders for both tiers and strips for the streamers of the fondant bow (see Illustration B). Use a pastry wheel guided along the side of a ruler to cut strips.
2. Cut strips in the following lengths: 2 strips at 12 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches (for the 6-inch cake layer), 4 strips at 10 x 1 1/4 inches (for the 10-inch layer). Cut 2 strips 5 x 1 1/4 inches and 1 strip 8 x 1 1/4 inches (for the streamers).
3. Dust top of fondant with powdered sugar. Moisten the bottom of the 6-inch cake with water. Repeat procedures for the 10-inch cake tier, using four 10-inch strips of fondant.
4. With shears cut a V-notch into the remaining 3 strips on one end of each strip. Adhere each streamer to the 6-inch cake with a small amount of butter frosting. To achieve natural-looking streamers, slightly bend the edges and notches of the strips.

Knead 12 ounces of fondant until smooth on a surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Roll the fondant into a 20-x-6-inch rectangle.

1. Cut 16 strips of fondant to 5 x 1 1/4 inches.

2. Taper both ends of each fondant strip.

3. Form loops by brushing a small amount of water on one end of each strip. Place a small amount of quilt batting near the moistened end, fold the strip over the batting and press the ends to secure. Place the loops on a cooling rack lined with paper towels. Allow to dry for at least 24 hours.

To finish, remove the batting from the loops. Position 8 loops to form the bottom row. Adhere loops with a small amount of butter frosting. Form a second row with 5 loops, positioning them between the loops below. Use the remaining loop to fill in the center of the bow.

1. Tint 1 cup of reserved butter frosting with copper icing paste to match fondant. Fit a decorative bag with a coupler and a No. 5 tip. Fill the bag with frosting. Pipe a continuing string of frosting, curving it up, down, and around on the 10-inch tier (do not pipe over the border).
2. Cover top and sides of cake, without letting piping touch or cross. Fit the other decorating bag with a coupler and a No. 7 tip. Fill bag with untinted frosting. Pipe polka dots along the 6-inch cake tier sides. Let the dots dry slightly; lightly press a finger into the dots to round slightly.
3. Place pearl dust in a small bowl. Dab a 2-inch paintbrush into the pearl dust. Shake off excess and carefully fan pearl dust on the entire cake and bow.
4. Decorated cake makes 36 servings.