My little sister married end of april. And to my great joy she asked me if I would bake the wedding cake.

After talking a little bit with her and my (then still future) brother in law we decided that I bake a three tired wedding cake consisting of a raspberry white chocolate torte (28 cm diameter), a Sachertorte (24 cm diameter) and a lactoste free vanilla cream torte (18 cm diameter).

I calculated that I would need two days to make the cake: one for baking the raspberry white chocolate torte and the vanilla cream torte and one for decoration. Our Mum baked the Sachertorte after the recipe of Oma Bucholtz (fund at Schnuppschüss) 10 days before the wedding because this cake needs a long rest before serving.

For the two cakes I bake I decided to use Goldenen Ciffon dough because this cake is as airy as a sponge but withstand long cooling periods better then sponge. And who plans to make such a huge amount of dough like I did should have a very big bowl or should prepare two times half of the amount. I don’t have a big bowl and of course I did the whole recipe. That worked until I started to fold the egg white into the dough. The bowl of my kitchen machine was definitely to small to hold all of the dough.

Now I was in trouble. Luckily I own a big food saver from Ikea, which I use sometimes for making bread dough. And this container was big enough to fold in all of the egg white without any further trouble.

Baking the cake – no problem. Let them cool down– no problem. Making the vanilla cream torte – no problem.

And then I prepare the white chocolate raspberry torte. For this cake I used my adjustable cake ring. I adjust it at 28 cm and lined bottom and sides with cake – everything was still fine. I filled it with the filling – everything was still fine. I turned my back to the cake to put some bowls in the dishwasher. And then I heard a drop. And a second drop. When the third drop fell on the floor I was already back at the counter, seeing a small stream of pink filling running over the counter, down the cupboard, to drop then on the floor.

The stupid adjustable cake ring decided that it like to adjust its size just now.

I griped the cake with its plate and hold it over one of the bowls with one hand, while with the other one I tried to bring the ring to 28 cm again. The boyfriend who heard me swearing under my breath took a look in the kitchen and ran directly to fetch some water and some cloth to clean the floor.

Luckily I could save most of the filling and so I just adjust the height of the sides with a sharp knife so that they fit the height of the filling.

The next day I spent most of the time with decorating the cake. That was easier then I thought it would be. Only with the middle cake I was not happy. It was still bumpy and the dark chocolate was shining through the fondant. The next morning – the day of the wedding – I lay awake in my bed, thinking: I have still fondant left, so why don’t put a second layer fondant on the first.

And so I was at 6 o’clock in the morning back in the kitchen, removing all decoration from the cake to cover it with a second layer fondant. And now I was satisfied with this cake, too.

This are my conclusions from making this wedding cake:

1. I love the small blue silicon dough scraper, which my mum bought for me. You can scrap all filling or dough out of the bowl with it.
2. I had this stupid adjustable cake ring. I want to have a new one!
3. Making wedding cakes is exhausting but it is a lot of fun, too!

Wedding Cake

Golden Chiffon

• 18 Egg yolks
• 350g water
• 350g oil
• 350g sugar
• 700g flour Type 405
• 42 g Cream of Tatar/ Baking Powder
• 18 egg white
• 350g sugar
• 2,5 vanilla beans
• grated Peel of 2 lemons
• 7g Salt

For the golden chiffon: Mix egg yolk, oil, water, sugar and spices until well combined, the sift flour and cream de Tatar on the batter and fold it into the batter.  Whip egg white with sugar untill it forms soft peaks, then fold it into the batter, too. Mark on Baking parchment two circles in 18 cm and two in 28 cm. Spread the dough in the marked shapes. The remaining dough is spread on two paper lined baking trays. Bake at 175°C for 20 min.

Shortcrust

• 300g flour Type 405
• 150g Butter
• 100g sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 Pinch of Salt

Knead until all ingredients are combined. Cool 30 min in the fridge, then roll it into two circles with 18 cm and 28 cm diameter. Prick the dough with a fork several times to make sure that it will bake evenly. Bake 15 min at 175°C.

Assembling of the cake moulds

• 1 cake ring with a Diameter of 28 cm
• 1 cake ring with a Diameter of 18 cm
• 1 cake ring with a Diameter of 10 cm
• 2 Chiffon cake Bases with a Diameter of 28 cm
• 1 short crust cake Bases with a Diameter of 28 cm
• 2 Chiffon cake Bases with a Diameter of 18 cm
• 1 short crust cake Bases with a Diameter of 18 cm
• 2 Stripes of golden Chiffon: 7,5 cm x 30 cm
• 4 Stripes of golden Chiffon: 7,5 cm x 35 cm
• 250g raspberry jelly

Place the short crust cake base in the Cake rings f 28 cm/ 18 cm. Glaze with some raspberry jelly and top with a Chiffon cake base. Use the cake ring with 10 cm Diameter to cut a circle in the middle of the cake base with 28 cm diameter. This will be the hole for the colum of the cake stand. Cut a circle of the second cake base (Diameter 28cm), too. Place now the small cake ring in the first ring and wrap with a stripe of golden chiffon cake with a length of about 35 cm.

Line both cake rings with chiffon cake stripes. Be careful to avoid gaps!

Set aside until the filling is ready to be filled in.

Vanilla cream

for the Torte with 18 cm Diameter

• 200g cream
• 300g milk
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 Tsp Agar-Agar (3g)
• 90g sugar
• 100g egg yolk (= 6 egg yolks)
• 400g cream
• 1 Pinch Salt

Open the vanilla bean and scrap out the pulp and ad both the pulp and the pod to 200g cream, milk and the Agar, boil the mixture for 5 min. Allow the mixture infuse with the vanilla pod for another 10 min, then remove the pod. Heat the mixture to 80°C. Mix the eggyolks with sugar and stir it the hot Milk-Cream-Mixture and keep stirring for another 2 min, then remove the pot from the heat.

Let cool down to 35°C then fold the whipped cream into the cream. Fill into the prepare cake mold, cover with second cake base and cool in the fridge overnight.

Raspberry  White Chocolate filling

for the Torte with 28 cm Diameter

• 500 g white chocolate
• 100g sugar
• 850g raspberry puree (made of 1 kg raspberries)
• 8g Agar-Agar
• 1 Pinch Salt
• 500 g cream

Head the raspberry puree with agar and sugar until it starts boiling. Boil for another 2 min. Cool down to 50°C. In the meantime melt chocolate and fold it under the raspberry puree.

Let cool down to 35°C. Whip the cream and fold it into the mousse. Pour the mousse in the prepared cake rings and cover with the second cake base. Let the mousse set in the fridge over night

White  Ganache

• 800g white Chocolate
• 400g cream
• 1 Pinch Salt

The next morning: Chop chocolate in small pieces. Bring cream to boil, remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate. Let the chocolate sit in the cream for 5 min then stir until the chocolate is completely dissolved. Cool in the fridge until the mixture has a temperature of 15°C. Cream with a mixer to soft peaks.

Royal Icing

• powdered sugar
• 1 egg white
• 5 g lemon juice

Whip egg white and lemon  juice until it starts to be frothy. Now add powdered sugar until a shiny spreadable consistence is reached.

Decoration of the wedding cake

• 1,5 kg roll fondant
• Royal Icing
• white ganache
• Sugar Butterflies
• violet soft wrapping paper

Cover both tortes and the sacher torte with ganache, then roll out the roll fondant and cover the cake with fondant. Place on the tiered cake stand. Fold the wrapping paper to a band of 3.5 cm high and lay it around the bottom of the cakes. Fix with some royal icing.  Decorate with Sugar Butterflies.