Tiered Macaron Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Make the macarons: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the powdered sugar, almond flour, and ½ teaspoon of salt, and process on low speed, until extra fine. Sift the almond flour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.
• In a separate large bowl, beat the egg whites and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt with an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the granulated sugar until fully incorporated. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form (you should be able to turn the bowl upside down without anything falling out).
• Add the vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the food coloring and beat until just combined.
• Add about ⅓ of the sifted almond flour mixture at a time to the beaten egg whites and use a spatula to gently fold until combined. After the last addition of almond flour, continue to fold slowly until the batter falls into ribbons and you can make a figure 8 while holding the spatula up.
• Transfer the macaron batter into a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
• Place 4 dots of the batter in each corner of a rimmed baking sheet, and place a piece of parchment paper over it, using the batter to help adhere the parchment to the baking sheet.
• Pipe the macarons onto the parchment paper in 1½-inch (3-cm) circles, spacing at least 1-inch (2-cm) apart.
• Tap the baking sheet on a flat surface 5 times to release any air bubbles.
• Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until dry to the touch.
• Preheat the oven to 300˚F (150˚C).
• Bake the macarons for 17 minutes, until the feet are well-risen and the macarons don't stick to the parchment paper.
• Transfer the macarons to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
• Make the buttercream: In a large bowl, add the butter and beat with a mixer for 1 minute until light and fluffy. Sift in the powdered sugar and beat until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat to combine. Add the cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat to combine, until desired consistency is reached.
• Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
• Add a dollop of buttercream to one macaron shell. Top it with another macaron shell to create a sandwich. Repeat with remaining macaron shells and buttercream.
• Place in an airtight container for 24 hours to "bloom".
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Bake a single batch of cake batter in 2 (9-inch) pans, then a double batch in 2 (12-inch) pans. Assemble with a double batch of lemon buttercream. Insert some straws in the center of the 12-inch layer and cut them even with the top of the layer. Place the 9-inch layer on top. Use some of the buttercream to pipe a border at the base of the cake. Decorate with fresh raspberries.
• FILLING AND ICING A CAKE Though there are many techniques for filling and frosting a cake, they all have one common goal: to cover the cake neatly and efficiently. Many professional cake decorators use a turntable. The cake is placed in the center of the turntable and the icing is applied to the sides of the revolving cake. Others hold and turn the cake on one hand and spread the icing with a spatula held in the other. Both of these methods work well and easily, but require a certain amount of practice and dexterity to achieve. If you only intend to finish a few cakes a year, by far the easiest method is to put the cake on the platter from which it will be served and spread on the frosting from the top down, as in the following instructions:
• 1. For a single-layer cake, turn the cake upside down on the serving platter so that its flat bottom is up.
• 2. Brush all excess crumbs off cake, platter and work surface.
• 3. If you wish, cover the platter with narrow strips of waxed or other paper inserted under the edge of the cake to keep it free of drips. Pull the strips of paper away (pull from a short end) after cake is frosted. (Or, turn the cake over onto a piece of stiff cardboard, roughly 1/4-inch larger all around than the cake, then slide frosted cake from cardboard to platter. This method is better if you wish to finish side of cake with chocolate shavings, nuts or other solids.)
• 4. To frost with ganache and buttercream, apply a thin layer over the cake with an offset metal icing spatula. Spread it first on top then on the sides to seal the outside of the cake and prevent the cake's crust from crumbing up into the frosting. Chill cake for 10 minutes to set this first coat.
• 5. If you are frosting a two-layer cake, place one layer on platter, bottom side down. Spread a 1/2-inch layer of the frosting over the top of this layer. Place second layer on frosting bottom side up. Proceed with steps 3 or 4, above.
• 6. To put the final coat on the cake, place 4 or 5 dabs of the frosting on the top of the cake. Use the spatula to join the dabs and cover top of cake. Spread from center outward so excess frosting falls down sides of cake.
• 7. To finish the sides, hold spatula handle upward, blade about 1/8-inch away from side of cake, and spread any frosting already on side of cake smooth. Add more dabs of frosting to sides of cake if necessary so it is covered evenly. Finish the top by spreading any icing standing up around edge of cake evenly in toward the center. Hold spatula at a slight slant across the top of cake.
• 8. If you with to press toasted nuts, shaved chocolate or other solids onto the side of a cake, do so immediately. Hold cake on one hand and tilt toward the nuts or chocolate. Bring the cake directly against them. Use other hand to press nuts onto cake. Use a spatula to press chocolate so it doesn't melt against your hand.
• CAKE DECORATING Although dozens of books are published each year on this subject alone, you need not have a degree in cake decorating to produce a great-looking cake. There are many ways to finish a cake without resorting to a pastry bag and tubes, although piping decorations onto a cake can be easy -- and fun. Remember the one cardinal rule of good decorating: use decorations appropriate to the flavors in the cake. Streaking a coffee frosted chocolate cake with chocolate is appropriate. Piping rosettes of coffee buttercream around the top edge of the cake would also be appropriate. Topping the rosettes with strawberries would not!
• POPULAR DECORATIONS All the following decorations are easy to do. For best results practice making the decoration on a plate or the back of a cake pan before attempting it on the cake.
• STREAKING: Use an ounce of chocolate melted with 1/4 teaspoon oil. Place in a plastic bag (snip off corner), squeeze bottle or paper cone and streak top of cake with parallel lines. Make sure to come completely off the top of the cake, before starting another line, to avoid loops at the edge or side of cake.
• WRITING: Writing HAPPY BIRTHDAY and the birthday person's name on the cake is pretty much obligatory for a birthday cake. Use your regular handwriting, whether cursive or printing, and practice a few times on a cake pan or plate the same size as the cake top, so you can center the message evenly. Use the same tools and material as STREAKING, above.
• ROSETTES: To make a good rosette, hold a pastry bag with star tube straight up and down about 1/2-inch above the cake top. Squeeze gently from the top of the bag and describe a letter "C" with the end of the tube. After completing the rosette, release the pressure and pull away sideways, not upward.
• STARS: Hold the bag and star tube as for rosettes, above. Squeeze once, to press a star shape from the bag. Release pressure and pull away straight up from star.
• SHELLS: Hold bag with star tube at a 45 degree angle to top of cake, with tube just touching cake top. Squeeze, pull sideways around the top edge of the cake and release pressure in one quick motion to make a pointed shell shape. Start next shell over point of previous one.
• BORDERS: A border is an excellent finish for the top or bottom of a cake. Use ROSETTES, SHELLS or STARS. ROSETTES and STARS may be placed at a distance from each other, or touching, according to your preference. For further decoration top a rosette or star with a nutmeat, inverted chocolate chip, large chocolate shaving or a piece of fresh or candied fruit, if appropriate to the flavors of the cake for a further decoration.

Steps:

• Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift together the almond flour and powdered sugar into a medium bowl. 2. Discard any large chunks that remain in the sieve. Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients together until all one color.
• In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.
• Add ⅓ of the granulated sugar and salt beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Add another third of the sugar and salt, and beat again until stiff peaks return. Add the remaining sugar and salt, and beat until the egg whites are shiny and fluffy.
• Add the almond flour mixture to the bowl with the egg whites. With a rubber spatula, fold to incorporate into the egg whites, 35-45 strokes, or until the batter falls on itself but a slight peak remains. Fold in the vanilla and yellow food coloring, being careful not to overmix.
• Fit an extra-large piping bag with a large, round tip. Cut off the tip right above the opening of the piping tip. Using a paintbrush or skewer, paint the inside of the piping bag with the pink, orange, green, and blue gel food coloring, working carefully so the colors do not overlap and muddle together. Carefully transfer the yellow macaron batter into the piping bag using an ice cream scoop.
• Trace a 7-inch (17 G) circle onto 2 sheets of parchment paper and tear off a third unmarked sheet. Dab a small amount of macaron batter in the corners of 3 rimmed baking sheets to prevent the paper from sliding around, then flip the parchment over onto the pans.
• Fill each circle with the batter. Carefully tap the baking sheet on a flat surface 2-3 times to smooth the batter and release any air bubbles, then use the tip of a skewer or toothpick to pop any remaining bubbles on the surface. Using the remaining batter, pipe small 3-inch round macarons onto the remaining baking sheet. Let the macarons rest at room temperature for 45-60 minutes, until a skin forms on the surface and the batter no longer sticks to your finger when gently brushed over the tops.
• Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
• Bake the small macarons for 17-18 minutes and the large macarons or 28-30 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Gently remove the macarons from the baking sheet and let cool completely on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.
• Make the white chocolate ganache filling: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the white chocolate and cream. MIcrowave in 30-second intervals, stirring between, until melted and smooth, 2-3 minutes total.
• Transfer the ganache to the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes, or until just thick enough to pipe. 13. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with an open star tip.
• Flip a large macaron shell over so the flat side is facing up and place on a cake platter. Arrange the halved strawberries around the edge of the bottom macaron, leaving ¼-½ inch (6 ml - 1.24 cm) of space between each one. Pipe rosettes of ganache in the spaces between the strawberries and one large rosette in the center of the macaron. Top with the remaining large macaron shell. Fill the mini macarons with a small amount of ganache, then sandwich together. Reserve the remaining ganache in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the cake.
• Transfer the large macaron cake and small macarons to the refrigerator to settle and fuse together, at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours.
• Pipe small rosettes of ganache on top of the macaron cake, then place the small macarons on top. Decorate with more halved strawberries and white chocolate ganache rosettes.
• Note: If superfine almond flour is not available, add the almond flour to a food processor and pulse until very finely ground before making the batter.
• Enjoy!