Champagne Layer Cake (Breakfast at Tiffany’s)

Posted on February 2, 2012 by cakeboule

I love the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s and my dream one day is to go to New York and visit Tiffany’s and stand outside like Audrey whilst stuffing a big slice of something scrummy in a very unlady like fashion whilst slurping on a glass of champage and staring through the window as they would never let me in. I would be stood staring longily at all the sparkly diamonds I will never be able to afford. This would result in me being escorted off the sidewalk and deposited blocks away but at least my belly would be fed and my inner magpie fascination with anything that glitters will be sustained before they take me away.

In a mid winter moment of madness I decided that the closest I am going to get to Tiffany’s in New York would be a mock up in my own home. To make sure the fantasy is relived as close as possible to my dream I am in the conservatory staring at the blue cloudless sky with my hat, coat and gloves on in true New York winter style.

I have cut a door wedge sized slice of ‘Tiffany’ blue champagne cake and I am taking the biggest bite I can as icing is ouzing up the corners of my mouth and I feel like a very naughty girl completely free of my incesscant need for table manners. I nostalgically raise my cool frosted glass of steady streaming bubbly in a toast to my first ever layer cake as the glass partially slips from my knitted hands and although I manage to catch it but precious bubbles splatter across the floor – is it alright to lick the floor I wonder? I decide I better not so I leave the bubbles there happily foaming away and mingling with cat hair as I remind myself that this is a moment I won’t get back.

I return to my little fantasy World and take a big sip of the remaining chamapagne nectar and realise I am missing one key element; sparkly diamonds to look at of course!. I get a flash moment of ‘ah ha’ and I smile to myself as I reach in my coat pocket for my phone. A few swipes and clicks later the Tiffany app appears and I give a huge sigh of happiness as a girl can dream and I can always get a straw for that champage and cat hair later.

Like a squirrel I hide away food and blog posts and this was due for release at New Year but then I realised that both Sweetapolita and I had used the same video to inspire our champagne cake. One recipe, two different cakes and you can see her beautiful pink chamapge cake pops here so there really is not excuse to grab a bottle of bubbly and start baking. This recipe would be perfect for an engagement, wedding or dare I say it Valentines Day.

Recipe converted into metric from this youtube video

Equipment

Stand mixer
Sugar thermometer
2 x 8 inch or 20cm round cake tins (at least 3 inches deep)

Champagne Cake Ingredients
450g plain flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
175g butter at room temperature
1 tsp quality vanilla essence
6 egg whites at room temperature (keep yolks for frosting)
250g caster sugar
474 mls of champagne (the rest will be used for frosting)

Instructions (because I had to watch it a million times so you don’t have too – all part of the service)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees / 180C / 160 Fan
2. Grease, flour and line two 8 inch / 20cm baking tins (round) with greaseproof paper. The nice man in the video shows you how to do it but I am obviously a bit special and failed.
3. Sift all the dry ingredients into a large bowl
4. Cream the room temperature butter and sugar fluffy and light in colour (about 5 – 8 minutes) using a hand or stand mixer
5. Slowly add the room temperature egg whites to the butter mixture with the mixer still running (medium speed) until fully combined
6. Half way through remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl
7. Add half a cup of dry ingredients at a time into the cake mixture whilst still mixing and then half a cup of champagne. Alternate this until all is gone and resist temptation to drink the champagne as all of it is needed.
8. Divide the mixture into the two tins (weight them if like me you have the need too) level and place in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until the cake starts to come away from the side of the tin and is golden brown.

Champagne French Buttercream

Ingredients

240ml champagne (leaves with you some left but you do not get to drink it as it is still needed – sigh!)
170g Sugar
340g Salted butter at room temperature

Instructions

Pour the champagne and sugar into a pan
Pour egg yolks into the mixer and beat on a high / fast speed throughout the duration you are heating the sugar using a whisk attachment.
Heat the sugar and champagne until 121c or 208F – you will need a sugar / jam thermometer for this. Do not panic that this is taking ages as it does (approx 8-10 minutes in my case). If you see any lumps of sugar or think it is going to burn / caramelise give the pan a swirl but do not stir it with a spoon (naughty).
When the sugar and champagne reaches temperature begin to pour it into the egg mixture very slowly as this will gently cook the eggs. Avoid pouring the sugar syrup over the whisk else you will be pulling sugar off your eyebrows / cat / husband later in the evening as well as scraping it off the floor, ceilings and walls as I did.
Keep mixing until the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch (approx 8+ minutes)
Add the remaining champagne slowly and mix to combine fully
Add ¼ tsp of food colouring. I use sugarflair colourings as they produce rich colours without adding extra liquid to the mixture.

For decorating and layering please see the video.

Word of Warning
I thought this cake was wonderful once baked and layered and I did the London Tipton thing which involves me prancing aorund the kitchen like an excited puppy whilst clapping my hands and yelling ‘yeh me, yeh me’. Sadly my elation lasted until the morning as I felt the need to put the cake in the fridge and it never did taste the same after even after being out at roon temperature. So the overall verdict is: it looks good, ice and eat it on the same day if possible avoid my mistake of having an incessant need to refrigerate everything…

A Review and Hotel Chocolat Giveaway

Posted on January 29, 2012 by cakeboule

Win your Hotel Chocolat ‘Head Over Heels’ box featured and reviewed below! Full details are at the bottom of this review – Good Luck. The winner of the box was the Daisy Cake Company who can be found here - congratulations and enjoy!

Review Of Hotel Chocolat (all views are my own and I have not been paid for this review – click to see my disclosure rules). We are always happy to review products fairly so please feel free to contact cakeboule at gmail dot com.

Hotel Chocolat sent me the ‘Head over Heels’ selection from their beautiful valentine range. Immediatley I choose a small selection of Hotel Chocolat virgins whose first words were ‘Who’s Hotel Chocolat?’ but after a quick google were up for the challenge. These ladies are self confessed chocolate addicts who aim for vast quantities to hit the chocolate spot rather than quality (Thorntons probably being the highest on their list so far) and none of whom would ever dream of paying £25 for a box of chocolates. So Hotel Chocolat this is going to be your toughest taste test yet as these are hardened testers who enter this review unconvinced by prestigious brand chocolate and pretty packaging as all they are looking for is a chocolate kick. Will you transform these normal unconvinced everyday girls into Hotel Chocolat lovers and make them fall ‘Head Over Heels’ or will you be blown out the water faster than a nerd on a first date?

Mission : “Would you be happy to get this box for Valentines Day?”

The Mission Testers:
ProTester Big Bump – religiously eats chocolate by the bag full (one is never enough) and prefers dark strong chocolate flavours to satisfy her intense cravings. In younger years she has been known to carefully peel out chocolate from her Mother’s Easter egg without disturbing the foil so nobody would know it had gone (ingenious!).
ProTester I’m in Charge – set out the chocolate tasting rules with expert military precision and for that we were grateful. She has been known to sneakily eat her son’s chocolate bars when really desperate for her chocaholics fix but got caught out when she forget to hide the wrapper. She prefers milk chocolate to dark generally.
ProTester OCD (note taker) – one of those annoying people who can stop after one chocolate and still has half an easter egg left festering in the cupboard which flew out of the cupboard and hit her on the head recently.

Testing Procedure: Each chocolate was cut into 3, smelt, centres licked and then sucked into oblivion.

The Box Test – If you were left these what would you think?

Pro Tester Big Bump: I’d know someone had brought me a quality gift just by the feel and look of the box but I would still not believe they cost £25 – I would have to google it to see how much they were.
ProTester I’m in Charge: The layout of the box and chocolates says quality and there is not a hint of tackiness at all.
Pro Tester OCD: How much! I like to have things I can keep but I would keep the box as it so pretty but I would never dream of paying that much for a box of choclates so I am not convinced.

Opening the Box: Bowled over or Chocolate flop?
ProTester Big Bump: menu given is well crafted and on quality card stock continuing to make you realise this is not your ordinary box of chocolates that you would find in Aldi. The menu lacks a gluten free symbol which would be very helpful to those who are coeliac.
Pro Tester I’m in Charge: Opens the box, wafts her hand towards her nose and breathes in the aroma deeply (similar to the dog version of I am going to smell you before I lick you). The smell of dark, rich chocolate aroma hits you with force as you pull off the outer layer. The chocolates are beautifully presented with an interesting combination of decoration and colour. You don’t see this in a box of milk tray.
ProTester OCD: The smell is divine – they should make plug in air fresheners that go through the different chocolate smells.

The Chocolates : Worth the Money or Never Repeat Again?

Strawberry & Black Pepper
An unusual combination which had a very rich with a very smooth strawberry truffle with the bite of black pepper as a punchy aftertaste like pleasure and pain rolled into one chocolate. ProTester Big Bump: This was the odd ball but lovable.

Champagne Truffle
Hardness of the chocolate is balanced well against the smoothness of the intoxicating hit of champagne and you can literally feel the fizz and bubbles in your mouth – how do they do this? ProTester Big Bump: I hate milk chocolate and champagne but I could literally eat my body weight in these. Can they make champagne that tastes like this please!

Praline Truffle
This smelt as if hundreds of hazelnuts have been roasted and packed into this elegant truffle. The centre was smooth and so crammed full of hazelnut flavours that you would expect the centre to have bits of nuts in it yet this was beautifully smooth. ProTester OCD: Ferrero Rocher pales into insignificance.

Half Time Report: After just 3 chocolates the testers reported that normally they have to eat one large chocolate bar to really hit the chocolate spot and then are left thinking ”OK, what can I have next?. All felt their chocolate spot had not only been satisfied but it had been seductively massaged and caressed in a way they never knew existed.

Amaretto Amour
There are only three words for this: Oh My Goodness! Packed full of amaretto kick but in a smooth, dreamy eye closing and happy sigh experience. Pro Tester I’m in Charge: It is as if you have been tangoed with a slap of Amaretto and if I were to be tangoed there would be no better way than this. Whooo Whoooo! (Note: She was so excited by this one I was surprised not to see her bra being swung above her head whilst whooping with joy).

Milk Chocolate Truffle
ProTester I’m in Charge: Nice, but if i had this one first I might have been disappointed as the other flavours are so uniquely different and a true experience but this was an anticlimax (must have been all the whooping after the last flavour). ProTester OCD: This was like a contestant on X Factor: good but forgettable.

Raspberry Rapture
Zingy , refreshing and who knew a chocolate could be refreshing? A well-balanced blend of centre to chocolate ratio (yes the girls are getting technical now!). ProTester I’m in Charge: This reminds me of lost Summer family memories of picking raspberries and eating them in the garden with the heat beating down on our little faces. ProTester Big Bump: Raspberries can be a disappointing fruit as they can be watery and lack flavour. This has more raspberry flavour than a raspberry but not in a sickly overpowering way.

Bakewell Tart
We expected something different with this one which although exquisite did not deliver quite what it promised. ProTester OCD: Very similar to the Amaretto Amour which is good as that one was amazing but I expected a little more cherry which was lost as the amaretto overpowered it (hence no bra swinging on this one).

Black Cherry Truffle
This was saved to last as this was ProTester Big Bump’s most desired. Pro Tester Big Bump: I put this one on a pedestal in my mind and when you do that it usually falls flat and doesn’t live up to expectations. This however truly did, if this was a man it would be David Boreanaz as it is sultry, cocky with its flavour and yet still a smouldering smoothy. Baby also really enjoyed this one as he/she gave an almighty kick of adoration.

Mission Conclusion: “Would you be happy to get this box for Valentines Day?”

Despite originally saying no we would not be impressed by a box of chocolates all testers agree a resounding Head over heels – YES YES YES! Decadent chocolates, beautiful quality packaging that offer a truly a luxurious taste experience perfect for special gift , occasion or girly night. The testers reported they will certainly be going to look around for a Hotel Chocolat shop soon and quickly googled the nearest location to chocolate stalk. Men out there – take note you will most definitely be loved by buying these as a gift.

ProTester Big Bump: I would be very happy if my husband brought me these and for once I would not sit and eat the whole lot in one go as they scratch the chocolate itch quickly and in a truly satisfying way.

ProTester I’m in Charge: There have been occasions when I really wanted to treat someone for a special occasion and I never know what to get. Now I would buy them a box of these as it would really showed how much they meant to me. I’m off to look at the nearest shop!

ProTester OCD: I didn’t think I would be won over , I truly didn’t but I have to admit these are exquisite and worth every penny. I said I did not want an Easter egg this year (last years still uneaten!) I said I wanted sprinkles instead but this has changed my mind I want a Hotel Chocolat one pleeeeeasssse.

Hotel Chocolat Giveaway

Win your own box by entering the competition to win the ‘Head over heels’ selection box worth £25 by popping over to my facebook page where you will see competitions on the left side or click here to go directly to the competition page. Tell me something (a post or picture ) that made you smile on my blog and you have your first entry! You do not have to be on Facebook to join in – you can still click on this link and enter with an email address – the chocolates are worth every bit of effort I can assure you!

Winners will be announced on the Facebook page widget after the competition has closed and you will need to contact me by email (cakeboule at gmail dot com) to give me an address to send directly to Hotel Chocolat so they can send you the winning box. If you sadly do not win – do have a look at the Hotel Chocolat range and make yourself very happy or someone else.

Small Print: I have no control over how long it itakes Hotel Chocolat to post out the winnig box so please be patient.

FAQ – Entering a Rafflecopter Competition (via Facebook)
What is rafflecopter? Watch this video
Do I have to have a Facebook account? No you can enter directly with an email address
Do I have to do all the things? No just answering the first question is all you need to get an entry – the extra things just count as extra bonus points towards winning.
How to find URL of a tweet – click here