if you missed the lime and pink pepper corn cake feature of my new and very first book sugar redefined go check it out!
this last cake that i will feature for sugar redefined is super fun, cute, and very pink! it’s fruity with a bite of fresh strawberry, has a kick to it with the black pepper, and a hint of sweetness from a lovely white chocolate ganache drip.
i figured i should probably give some more detail on what sugar redefined contains. there are all sorts of weird flavors in this book that you probably would never have thought of. some ingredients are: herbs, odd spices like curry, fruits, some veggies, and even spirits because who doesn’t like a little extra in their cake? now these ingredients are paired with the best side kicks to make the oddness stick out more but also blend in and not be beyond disgusting. so when you see curry, don’t worry, it’s with something that makes it so good!
always have that creative spark; find your inspiration and make it into something great
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strawberry, vanilla & black pepper cake
makes one 3-layer, 6-inch cake
3 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
5 eggs
2 vanilla beans, scraped
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. spray and line three 6-inch cake pans. in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. scrape the sides of the bowl, add the eggs, vanilla bean, and vanilla and mix until incorporated. in a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and black pepper. add the dry mixture and the buttermilk alternating starting and ending with the dry in three parts. divide the batter evenly among the cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. let cool 10 minutes then carefully remove from the pans and continue cooling. (suggested to use a sheet pan with raised edges as this cake gets tall and more spill over the edges.)
filling
1 cup strawberries, cut and diced
buttercream
6 egg whites
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
6 sticks unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
3/4-1 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
for the buttercream, place the egg whites and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer and place that over a pot of boiling water to create a double boiler. whisk together and let sit until the sugar has fully dissolved. using a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until a meringue forms, about 3 minutes, and then slowly add the butter. let whip until fully incorporated, on high, for about 4 minutes. add the vanilla and black pepper.
ganache
2 oz heavy cream
2 oz white chocolate
1 tbsp dried strawberries, pulverized
for the ganache, place all the ingredients into a microwaveable bowl and heat in 15 second bursts, stirring, until the chocolate is melted. let cool.
assemble
to assemble, spread some buttercream on the first layer of cake, pipe around the edge of the cake, add the sliced strawberries, pushing them into the buttercream and top with more buttercream. repeat with the second layer of cake. Pour the ganache over the top of the frosted cake and let drip over the sides.
if you haven’t seen the lime and pink peppercorn cake feature please check it out! if you would like to order sugar redefined it is available in ebook format for $9.99 and is coming soon as a hard copy!
This cake is so beautiful! I love the colors. I bet it tastes absolutely amazing, too.
This looks absolutely delicious AND super cute!
yummmyyyy..:-)
This looks absolutely stunning and what an amazing mix of ingredients. Perfection x
http://www.franklyflawless.com
I adore the way the ganache is dripping down the cake. It is simply gorgeous.
You just made a cake look even more stunning! Mmmmmm
Your creations are always so beautiful and inspiring! I would have never thought of using pepper in cake! Will check out the book for sure! 💕 Evelyn, PathofPresence 🦋
Your cakes always amaze me! They are so perfect and beautiful! I can’t wait to see if I can do it myself!
Very nice!
YUMM… Do you do gluten free and dairy free alternatives? Our house is limited by allergies…
i’m a almond milk junkie so sometimes i’ll put dairy free stuff on but a dairy free butter would have to be replaced. i haven’t tried gluten free yet but it’s on my to do list!
Perfect for a tea party or baby shower!
Oh my goodness, another exquisite looking cake! The black pepper gives it a bit of a twist too.
This looks SO GOOD! Also, I really love the cake stands. Everything about this just looks so appetizing.
That looks divine as always Alyx and well done on the book, that’s awesome.
Black Pepper sounds interesting in this cake. I never would’ve thought of adding that to a sweet.
Love the flavor combinations and using freeze-dried fruits to flavor ganache/chocolate is something I’ve been consumed with! Excited to try pink peppercorn and black pepper, I really appreciate how you push yourself with interesting flavor profiles. Spices and some florals have been on my list for too long! I’m excited to push my own boundaries with flavors! And your book, congratulations!!!! I’d think self publishing would be much more difficult, risky, and expensive bravo! It’s beautiful 👏🏻 Can’t wait to get a copy, however I might wait for the hard copy, something about holding the physical book in your hand is very mad scientist to me 😋
thank you so much for your kind words sharon! it really made my day! i absolutely love trying out of the box flavors on desserts it’s so much fun to see what you can come up with and i wish you lots of luck on pushing yourself in creating your own ideas! the books was my favorite thing to do and i’m excited to say i’m working on book #2 at the moment. it’s available as a hard copy now and you can totally find it on amazon. let me know what you think!