One slightly annoying part of recipe testing is figuring exactly how much of this or that you’re going to need. After working on a series of baking projects, I inevitably always end up with a hodge podge of scraps. In an effort to reduce food waste and challenge my creativity, I like to see where else those scraps can get used.
This week I found myself with a great combination of stuff! I had some lovely syrup leftover from macerating rhubarb with a little sugar and rose water. In the freezer there was some yellow cake from an old test. I had just made a big batch of italian meringue buttercream for my terrarium cakes, although I admit I always like to have extra buttercream ready to go in the freezer. Lastly, I had my homemade pink food dye made from dehydrated beet powder.
These elements came together to make the cutest little mini cakes! I used a small ring cutter to punch out circles of cake. The cake got soaked with rose rhubarb syrup then stacked and frosted with vanilla buttercream that had been colored with just a touch of beet powder. I layered on some darker pink buttercream and splotches of straight up beet powder for an abstract effect. For the final garnish I used fresh lavender that I had in my garden!
So there you go: a cute set of cakes that look entirely like their own project, made entirely from scraps!
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