By Chef Lori Grein
To celebrate our 30th Birthday, we've created blogs and videos on all things Birthday Cake.
Candy Boutique Cake is an excuse to pile all your favourite candies into one scrumptious sponge. What fun! An explosion of flavours nestled in a moist cake using Kinnikinnick White Cake Mix. Layered with cream filling and fruit. Iced with creamy butteriness & chocolate. Topped with a cornucopia of candy. Here's the full recipe.
Here's all the tips and tricks for making this everyone-can-share cake a reality. From how to build a cake that's straight and flat on top, to how to best apply the icing–four different types in this recipe. So much easier than you think. Watch the video first, and then see the detailed photo-story for more in depth know-how.
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I added the celebration to the sponge by adding confetti sprinkles to the mix. Beware! You must fold the sprinkles in seconds before pouring the batter in the pan. Otherwise the sprinkles dissolve in the mix, making one greyish-green-looking mess. |
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To assemble, preferably using a turntable, trim the tops off each sponge so you end up with four even layers.
To stop the cake sliding around as you put it together, stick a cake board to the turntable with a piece of wet kitchen towel, then stick the first layer of sponge (flat base-side down) to the cake board with a dollop of icing. Press the cake onto the board ever so slightly to get it to stick. Spray the sponge with simple syrup to keep it moist.
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Next, the filling. This cake has a cream filling with layers of fruit. So here’s an important tip. When you fill a cake with cream, jam, or fruit, you need to build a barrier to hold the filling in. If you don’t, it will squeeze out the sides with the weight of layers put on top. That’s a nightmare to try icing.
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To build a barrier, simply pipe a circle of icing around the edge of your cake layer about half an inch from the edge. Fill in the circle from the centre outwards with cream cheese and fresh sliced strawberries. When you add layers on top the weight presses down and pushes the barrier icing right up to the edge. |
Repeat with the remaining layers, making sure each layer is level. Slightly press each layer on the sides and top as you build up, to help keep things straight. For the top layer, place the cake layer flat base side up (don’t spray with simple syrup). This gives your cake a flat even top. Press the layers together ever so slightly so they stick together.
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It’s time for the crumb coat. Fill a piping bag and run the icing along the side of the cake and where the layers join. This fills in any gaps and secures the layers in place. Remove excess icing using a large flat scraper against the side of the cake as you turn it on the turntable. Set the excess icing aside in a separate bowl, it’s got crumbs in it now so you don’t want to use it. |
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Set the crumb coat by putting the cake in the fridge for 20 minutes. Take it out and coat the rest of the cake with the final layer of icing, start from the top, then the sides, finishing back at the top again. You should always set a final layer of icing before decorating, but especially for this cake, I strongly recommend freezing because white chocolate drip is easier to work with on a frozen cake. |
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Twenty minutes after putting the cake in the freezer, start making the white chocolate ganache drip.
For full details on how to best apply a ganache drip check Building/Icing Cakes 101. To sum it up here, melt the white chocolate into whipping cream, colour and cool it. Check it’s just the right consistency, pour it into a piping bag.
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While turning the cake on the turntable squeeze the ganache drip from the piping bag along the top edge of the cake (half an inch in from the edge) pulling it towards the edge every few seconds to create the drip in a smooth rhythm. If a drip gets hung up, help it along by adding a little more chocolate drip or use your small offset palette knife to help pull it down. |
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Once the drips have set slightly (tacky to the touch), fill the top of the cake in, using piping bag in a circular motion working from the edge in towards the centre. Be careful not to get too close to the edge or it will add additional drips on the side. Use a small offset palette knife to spread the chocolate on the top. |
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You need to move fast as the white chocolate will set quickly on the frozen cake. Do not overcorrect; if you try spreading the chocolate once it begins to set, you’ll end up with a mess on your hands. Remember, whatever imperfections you think you may have can easily be covered up with your design. |
Now the fun part! Decorate with all your favourite gluten-free candies.
Get everything ready you think you might want to add. Use an assortment of colours, textures, shapes and sizes.
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Add height with sweets like suckers or candy floss work great. Decorate the side with confetti sprinkles, candy or the occasional piped rosette using any remaining icing. I also added Candied KinniKritters® (Hyperlink) to this creation for a touch of whimsical fun. |
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To attach candies to the cake, use the tackiness of the chocolate drip or your buttercream icing. A great trick is wet your finger very lightly to pick up small sprinkles and then touch the side of the cake and they’ll stick.
Let your imagination go wild!
And remember to post any pictures your’re inspired to make on our social media feeds, tagging @Kinnikinnickgf and we’ll share it.