Since I have my laptop in the kitchen, I'm tempted to liveblog my cake-making today. I'll do it as long as I'm running on schedule. :) Delivery is set for 500p, with a 50-min drive.
Pre-Blog: Most of cake baked. Top tier (6" pecan spice), second tier (9" pecan spice), third tier (12" toasted coconut), and one layer of bottom tier (16" vanilla bean - but without the bean...) are already baked and wrapped and ready to go. I even have a couple 4" pecan spice layers that I may make into a special bride-and-groom cake for them to share. I had leftover batter, but the bride and groom never get any cake that they don't feed each other after cutting, so this seems like a good use of my little layers.
1017a: Oven preheating. About to make second layer of vanilla bean cake. I'm going all Rachael Ray with a garbage bowl. Someone stop me. [WTF - they sell these? Use a mixing bowl, people!]
1020a: Almost forgot to take out butter to soften!
1022a: Playlist choice for today is High School Favorites. REM, 10,000 Maniacs, Milla Jovovich, Don Henley, Tracy Chapman, Gin Blossoms. Decided yesterday (with ridicule from a certain music snob) that Third Eye Blind is good kitchenwork music. But that's on my College Favorites playlist.
1034a: ...Leonard Bernstein!... Ha ha ha.
1113a: Six minutes to go on the cake in the oven. Apricot filling ready to go between some layers. Took the picture of my pans above.
1125a: Vanilla layer out of oven. Very soon I am going to have to make a decision whether to bake another. They're baking deeper than I expected, but they're still a bit shallower than the others. Well, if some is good, more is better... This means I need more eggs. :-\
1151a: All (except the hot one out of the oven) layers are leveled. Coconut tier filled and squared off, same with top anniversary tier and the bonus tiny tier. I'm really pleased with the vanilla bean-less cake - it's a new recipe. Tight, dense crumb that trims easily, tastes like pound cake. The coconut tier is messy - very crumby and just sort of dissolved when I carved out a well for filling. I'd better go get some eggs.
1239p: Back from my egg run. Oven re-heating.
118p: Third bottom vanilla layer in the oven - 26 min to go. Quick kitchen cleanup, then I'm going to start buttercreams and level the now-cool vanilla layer.
135p: No matter how innocuous it is, "beating butter" for buttercream just sounds dirty. "whipping butter" isn't much better. Tee hee. Maple buttercream about to fill pecan spice cake. Just need to hollow out a well for it.
Maple Buttercream150p: Last cake is out of the oven. Pecan spice cake filled and edges trimmed. Time to coat all but largest tier with crumb layer of buttercream to prepare it for fondant.
202p: Water simmering in double boiler to melt chocolate for espresso ganache. Brewing espresso.
243p: Ganache is filling the vanilla layers. Just waiting for the third vanilla layer to cool so I can trim it and put it on top. About to crumb coat the other tiers.
252p: Sky over the airport is getting very dark, and I'm starting to hear thunder. Should also hear some aborted landings, if it's typical operations. [254p: Yep, there's one, as if on cue. Spirit, I think?]
331p: All layers crumbcoated. Rolling out fondant means I have to move my computer so I have enough room. I severely overestimated my powdered sugar needs. And forgot I had a big ol' bag in my pantry. So now I have three unopened seven-pound bags of confectioner's sugar in my pantry. Yipes!
427p: Fondant on all but one layer. My layer supports are too tall for them, so I'm going to have to improvise. Running a little behind schedule, but still on target.
455p: Okay, everything that's supposed to be covered in fondant is covered in fondant. Plus some other things. Like the chef. Okay, off to put on some clean clothes, real shoes, and then these go in the car.
458p: Whoops. Never mind. I should make a small batch of royal icing before I go.
525p: Fortuitous discovery of dowels in the house! Engaging in an activity with a saw that is highly likely to end in serious injury.
817p: Cake is delivered and assembled, but no photos yet because the tiers need ribbons, which I had to pick up on the way home. I'll add those before the reception tomorrow!
Done!
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