Champagne Cake
Date completed: 12/31/2020
My very first project! On New Year’s Eve I decided to tackle the Party Cakes chapter of Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson. This chapter fittingly featured a Champagne Cake that seemed perfect for NYE.
What is a champagne cake? According to this recipe: a vanilla cake with custard layered in between and topped with a whipped cream + custard combo. You use champagne in both the cake and the custard.
I especially enjoyed making the custard on the stove because I had never tried that on my own before (only in a cooking class). I worried about accidentally scrambling my eggs, but I whisked away carefully and ended up with a satisfyingly smooth result. My little whisk made the ultimate sacrifice for this custard, falling apart at the last moment.
To assemble the cake I needed to cut each of the sponges in half to create the layers. Luckily I remembered a secret weapon I could break out: my cake cutter! A simple contraption with a wire between two poles, this handy tool easily carved the sponges into four even layers.
The recipe impressed me because the custard made exactly the amount I needed between each layer. I then impressed myself with my ability to add the whipped cream frosting without too much drama. I have a track record of subpar cake-frosting skills so this was an unexpected win!
I decided the cake needed a little something special on top. Garrett and I had made Christmas cake pops the previous week so I still had vanilla candy melts in the cabinet. I melted those down, piped them into stars in different sizes, and added a little edible gold glitter I found in the cabinet as well. This turned out pretty cute!
Taste report:
Lovely! The champagne gave it a light (almost almondy?) flavor. The 4 layers of sponge with 3 layers of custard provided a mixture of texture. I have to admit being most enamored by the whipped cream + custard frosting. Delicious!
Garrett said the whole thing reminded him of a Twinkie, but we agreed this cake was a winner!
Mess report:
This cake made for a lot of dirty dishes to clean up because of all the components!
All in all, I would definitely make this cake again!
