Every July I am faced with the challenge of outdoing the previous year's birthday cake for my best friend Laura. It was serendipitous timing as I have been deciding on what cake recipe from my new Miette cookbook to try first.
I chose the Butter Cake because it read as a cake that would stand up well to heavy frosting yet have the taste of pound cake. And when one is making a "butter" cake, one needs some butter...
I have never really experimented with different butters in baking before, so when pondering what to get in the dairy aisle I went with one of each. When making the final decision on which one to use in the cake I went with the European butter, Plugra. European butter are supposed to be the best due to a higher butterfat content.
Thirty minutes later....
I also ordered two 6 inch Miette cake pans from their website. I really liked the removable bottom insert for flawless cake removal. Also the 6 inch cake is really the perfect size. Not too big, not too small. Just enough. Personal.
At this point I wrapped each cake tightly with plastic wrap and placed in the fridge to cool completely for at least 30 minutes.
While I waited I made a simple syrup to brush on each layer of the cake. (Side note: I'm still experimenting with simple syrup and so far I'm not crazy about the final textural result of the cake...dense and crumbly does not equal melt-in-your-mouth cake..but I won't rule it out yet)
After choosing the best four layers from each cake I layered each one with simple syrup and vanilla frosting (Laura's absolute, hands-down favorite flavor...she's a class(y)ic kind of lady). Once all the layers were together I covered them in a rough crumb coat then let the cake rest in the fridge for another thirty minutes to set.
Laura's other professed favorite of favs is coconut. Anything with coconut. Birthday girl definitely deserves as least that much. So toasted coconut for the outside of the cake it is.
This is the final cake, presentation frosting layer and coconut applied.
And after a little table practice I personalized the cake with her initials LMR.
Happy Birthday, Laura!
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