Champagne Layer Cake (Breakfast at Tiffany’s)

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…