Cake fillings... the difference between "cake" and "dessert"

After baking and decorating cakes for so long, I am very picky about the cakes that I choose to eat. I love cake, but eating a piece of ho hum cake with ho hum icing is like eating... well, "just cake," and I would just as easily pass it by. But when you have a deliciously moist piece of cake with a scrumptious filling and a great icing, it becomes a delightful dessert instead of "just cake." That is hard to resist. At Cathy Leavitt custom creations, we offer a wide variety of different fillings, from fruity to chocolate to fluffy mousses. Each one, combined with the right cake and icing, can be very tempting indeed. I have combined some of my favorite flavors as our Specialty Dessert Cakes on our menu. It's hard to pick a favorite, but anything with chocolate is always a hit. Lemon is becoming a strong second. 

Dark Chocolate Cake with Raspberry and Fudge Filllings

When we add a filling to a cake, I slice each layer in half. Note: I have an Agbay cake leveler that levels the top of the cake layer and slices the layer at the same time. One of my very very favorite decorating tools. Pricey, yes, but so worth it! Over the years, I have used many cake levelers and the problem is... they just don't work. If you're serious about cake decorating, look into this amazing tool!

Each cake normally consists of 2 layers, so after you slice each layer, you have four layers. I put filling between the top 2 layers and the bottom 2 layers, and add whatever icing I'm using in the middle. Before adding the filling, be sure to apply an "icing dam." Not only does this hold in the fillings, but it keeps the cakes level. Click here to visit my tutorial on filling cakes. This tutorial also contains recipes for an easy basic mousse filling and Bavarian Creme filling. To make a yummy coconut creme filling, you can add toasted coconut to the Bavarian Creme. (And then try not to eat it all before putting it on the cake... I know this from experience.)

Dark Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Mousse

Fill cupcakes? Oh yes, but you do not need a fancy cupcake corer in order to fill them. Just load your decorating bag with a large open round tip, like #12, push it into the center of your cupcake and squeeze... just don't go overboard. After awhile, you'll get the knack of it... so easy. After you've eaten a filled cupcake, you'll not go back to one without. 

 Spice Cake with Salted Caramel Mousse and 

Cream Cheese Icing, Drizzled with Salted Caramel

 White Almond Sour Cream Cake with Raspberry 

Filling, Vanilla Buttercream, and Toasted Almonds

Chocolate Cake with Bavarian Creme,

Chocolate Buttercream, and Toffee Bits

Fresh fruit can also be used as a filling in cakes. It is best to add a thin layer of whipped cream or mousse to the cake first, and then slice and layer the fruit on top. Some other good fruit fillings to use are Solo Raspberry Filling, Dickinson's Lemon Curd (my favorite), and Cherry All-Fruit Spread. Be creative and try different combinations! 

 Yellow Cake with Whipped Cream and Fresh Strawberries

Sample Cakes for Cake Tasting-

Chocolate Mint Mousse, Shirley Temple (1 layer of vanilla, 

1 of chocolate, with Bavarian Creme and white chocolate curls),

Lemon with Lemon Curd and Lemon Buttercream

Best white cake recipe ... white almond sour cream cake!

White Almond Sour Cream cupcake with raspberry filling, vanilla buttercream, and toasted almonds

Here's another recipe that starts with a cake mix, but has lots of other ingredients added to it, so I consider it "almost scratch." I never liked white cake much until I started using this recipe. It has quickly become one of my most requested wedding cake flavors. The taste and texture are amazing, with a hint of vanilla and almond, but not overwhelming, and it is sooo moist! Any kind of filling and icing can be added. You couldn't ask for an easier cake to cut - a caterer's dream! The only drawback to this cake is that it takes a bit longer to bake - but oh, so worth the wait!

White Almond Sour Cream Cake

1 Duncan Hines white cake mix (16.5 oz.)

1 cup flour

1/2 cup + 2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup + 2 1/2 Tbsp. water

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. pure vanilla

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

7/8 cup sour cream

4 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 335 degrees. Grease and flour (2) 8 inch cake pans, and line bottom with parchment. Combine all ingredients in large mixer bowl at low speed, then beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Fill pans a little over half full (more than a normal cake batter). When making cupcakes, fill cups fuller than normal. Tap cake pans on counter to release air bubbles. Bake until done, or toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remember, this cake will take longer to bake than your normal cake.

Dolphin Cupcakes

If you follow my blog, by now you know that I don't care much for cupcakes, but... I must admit...these turned out pretty cute. A past wedding cake customer ordered these for a friend's bridal shower. They were having a beach theme, because the bride and groom are planning on getting married in the Bahamas or Virgin Islands, or somewhere tropical (I can't remember for sure) and the bride especially loved Dolphins and flowers. So, I looked for patterns online for dolphins and ocean waves, and with a little help from my Cricut Cake, this is what I came up with. The flavor was lemon with lemon curd filling and cream cheese icing. 

Looks like a pod of dolphins swimming their way into your tummy

Cupcakes...

Did I ever say how much I dislike doing cupcakes...especially for weddings? If you don't know by now, I really don't like doing cupcakes, especially when I'm working on a large catering order, and the bride wants cupcakes instead of a cake. Cupcakes rank right up there with sheet cakes in my book. They actually cost about the same as a nice cake, but...

• You need to do them the day of the wedding so they will be fresh
• They take allot of time
• They need to be placed on a special cupcake stand to look pretty
• They can be messy to eat

From now on, when I have a large catering order and the bride wants cupcakes, I'm sending them to my friend Shelly, who enjoys decorating cupcakes.

So last Saturday, I was still working on the cupcakes when we should've been leaving for the catering job. They turned out pretty, yes, but they were a pain in the ...  These cupcakes were four different flavors...fudge marble with Bavarian Creme filling, Swiss chocolate with coconut pecan filling, vanilla with raspberry mousse, and carrot. They all had cream cheese frosting. Some were decorated with fondant flowers, while others were decorated with air-brushed fondant and edible lace made from Sugarveil. I decorated an 8 inch round to place on top of the cupcake stand for the bride and groom to cut for pictures.