"Woods are filled with the music of birds, and all nature is laughing under the glorious influence of summer." ~ Charles Lanman
Over the weekend I had the opportunity to decorate a cake -- a little pleasure I have not made time for in a while. There is something so homey about the smell of freshly baked layers cooling on the counter, ready to be topped with fluffy buttercream frosting.
When I took my first cake-decorating course as a newlywed, my first purchase was a set of petal pans. I have always loved the graceful curves of this design, so I knew it would be a favorite look. What I didn't realize was how time-consuming and tedious it could be to frost all of those curves. Eventually I parted ways with my scalloped pans, but the recent trend toward "naked" cakes revived my interest.
Thanks to this Sweet Creations Layer Cake Pan Set, I can now make lovely scalloped cakes without the fuss of trying to cover the edges. One standard cake mix provides enough batter to fill the two shallow cake pans twice. A cake leveler is included in the kit, but the layers baked up so evenly that I did not need it. Swirls of fluffy Orange Buttercream and a smattering of delicate hydrangea blossoms completed the design.
Orange Buttercream
Enjoy a refreshing yet subtle taste of citrus.
1/2 cup shortening
1 stick margarine
4 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1 pound confectioners sugar
In a large bowl, beat shortening, margarine, milk and orange extract with a mixer at medium speed until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar until smooth. Add more milk, a little at a time, if the frosting is still too thick to spread easily.
This four-layer scalloped beauty made a perfect addition to the cake walk at a carnival-themed dinner at our church. I can see many possibilities for this pan set so hope to have more varieties to share soon.
"Each fairy breath of summer, as it blows with loveliness, inspires the blushing rose." ~ Anonymous
