tiered cake

This is a recipe for a completely homemade 2 tier wedding cake. For best taste and texture, and to avoid overwhelming your mixer, make each tier (cake) and each batch of frosting separately. 

Simple Homemade Wedding Cake Recipe

(433 grams) cake flour (spoon & leveled)

teaspoon salt

teaspoon baking powder

teaspoon baking soda

(400 grams) granulated sugar

3 large eggs + 2 additional egg whites,

Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (yes, Tbsp!)

(180 grams) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature

(180 milliliters) whole milk, at room temperature

(207 grams) cake flour (spoon & leveled)

(1 stick; 115 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

cup (200 grams) granulated sugar

1 large egg + 1 additional egg white,

vanilla extract

cup (120 grams) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature

cup (120 milliliters) whole milk, at room temperature

(4 sticks; 460 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

(960 grams) confectioners’ sugar

Tablespoons (90 milliliters) whole milk or heavy cream

salt

(2 sticks; 230 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

sugar

cup (60 milliliters) heavy cream or whole milk

teaspoon pure vanilla extract

salt,

Before beginning this recipe, watch the video tutorial above, read the entire blog post, read the recipe instructions, and review the recipe notes. Make sure you&#8217;re prepared with the recommended special tools, which are listed right above this recipe.

Make each cake separately. Start with the bottom tier (9-inch cake)

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 9&#215;2 inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans.

Whisk the cake flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the 3 eggs, 2 egg whites, and vanilla extract on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. (Mixture will look curdled as a result of the egg liquid and solid butter combining.) Beat in the sour cream. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk until combined. Do not over-mix. Whisk it all by hand a few times to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick. You&#8217;ll have 8-9 cups of cake batter. Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Weigh them to ensure accuracy, if desired. Bake for around 23-26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.

For the top tier (6-inch cake) 

prepare three 6&#215;2 inch cake pans just as you did with the 9-inch cake pans in step 2. (Greasing with parchment paper rounds.)

Prepare the 6-inch cake batter the same exact way as the bottom tier. You&#8217;ll have about 4 cups of cake batter. The batter will be thinner than the bottom tier&#8217;s cake batter. Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Weigh them to ensure accuracy, if desired. Bake for around 18-22 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.

Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of all the cakes to create a flat surface. This is called leveling off the cakes. Discard the leveled off piece (or crumble over ice cream!).

Make the frosting for the 9 inch cake (which is enough for the piping detail, too)

In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, more milk if frosting is too thick, or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.

You can prepare the rest of the frosting now (step 11), if desired, or begin decorating the 9-inch tier. Place your 9-10 inch cake board on your cake turner. Place 1 cake layer on your cake board. Using a large icing spatula, evenly cover the top with a scant 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with a scant 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Using about 1-1 and 1/4 cups of frosting, spread it all over the top and sides in a thin layer, also called a crumb coat. A large icing spatula and bench scraper are helpful for applying the crumb coat. Set leftover frosting aside at room temperature. If you are decorating this cake in stages over 1-2 days, cover and refrigerate this leftover frosting.

Using the cake board to pick up the cake (be careful, it&#8217;s heavy), place the cake in the refrigerator to help set the crumb coat as you work on the top tier.

Make the frosting for the 6 inch cake, just as you prepared the 1st batch of frosting. (Step 8.) Before adding any salt, taste the frosting, then add a pinch if desired. I always add a small pinch.

Place your 6-inch cake board on your cake turner. Place 1 6-inch cake layer on your cake board. Using a small icing spatula, evenly cover the top with a scant 3/4 cup of frosting. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with a scant 3/4 cup of frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Using about 3/4 cup of frosting, spread it all over the top and sides in a thin layer, also called a crumb coat. A small icing spatula and bench scraper are helpful for applying the crumb coat. Set leftover frosting aside at room temperature. If you are decorating this cake in stages over 1-2 days, cover and refrigerate this leftover frosting.

Using the cake board to pick up the 6-inch cake, carefully place the cake in the refrigerator to help set the crumb coat as you work on the exterior frosting on the top tier.

Remove the bottom tier from the refrigerator (along with the cake board) and place on the cake turner. Apply the remaining frosting for the bottom tier on the cake, reserving about 6-8 Tablespoons for piping detail. I recommend a large icing spatula and bench scraper to apply the outer layer of frosting. For the decorative textured frosting as pictured, see my video above. As shown in the video, use a small icing spatula and run it around the cake while spinning with the cake turner. You will love this look because it&#8217;s very easy, but resembles beautiful ruffles. Carefully lift the cake (with the cake board) and place on your serving platter or cake stand.

Wash and dry 4 cake dowels. Measure the height of the bottom cake. Measure and cut the cake dowels to match. Staying within a 6 inch circle diameter (you can use another 6 inch cake board to &#8220;imprint&#8221; a 6-inch circle in the very center of the top of the 9-inch cake), insert the dowels into the cake, spacing them about 2 inches apart to form 4 corners of a square. Push the dowels straight down until each touches the bottom cake board. Set aside.

Remove the top tier from the refrigerator (along with the cake board) and place on the cake turner. Decorate just as you did the bottom tier, including the ruffled textured frosting. I also turn the cake on the cake turner and apply this ruffled look on top of the 6-inch cake, too. This is optional. Along with the cake board, carefully lift the small cake and gently place it in the very center of the bottom tier.

Piping

After placing the small tier on top, you can pipe leftover frosting around the bottom of it. This covers up any spaces or smears that may have appeared when arranging the top tier. I pipe dots of frosting with Wilton piping tip #12 between the tiers as well as around the bottom of the whole cake. They resemble pretty pearls. To smooth down pointy peaks on these &#8220;pearls,&#8221; moisten your fingertip with water and gently press down on the peak.

Add any decorative pieces, such as artificial flowers.

Cake is best enjoyed within 3 days

Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. After a few hours, the frosting will &#8220;set&#8221; and you can lightly cover with plastic wrap.

Cover any leftover cake tightly and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

I made a sample of this cake for tasting this weekend, the flavor was so good, the cake was a little dry.  I did not let the cakes cool completely in the pan, I took them out and let them cool on a rack.  Could this have made it dry?  What can I do to make sure the cake is moist?  I will be making this into a naked cake.

Thank you so much! I made it and the cake tasted delicious! Everyone loved it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQHrGw6me7o

How to make a simple, yet elegant homemade wedding cake. This vanilla wedding cake has 2 tiers and comes with full assembly instructions.

Get the full recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-wedding-cake/

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Simple Homemade Wedding Cake Recipe | Sally's Baking Addiction

A moist cake drenched with vanilla syrup. Use as the basis for a range of fabulous celebration cakes

Easy vanilla cake

pack unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

golden caster sugar

seeds vanilla pod vanilla

eggs,

plain flour

full-fat Greek yogurt (I used Total)

self-raising flour

tbsp semi-skimmed milk

vanilla pod vanilla paste

Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease a round, deep 20cm tin, then line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper.

Using electric beaters or a tabletop mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and ¼ tsp salt together until pale and fluffy, then pour in the eggs, one at a time, giving the mix a really good beating before adding the next.

Add 1 tbsp of the plain flour if the mix starts to look slimy rather than fluffy. Beat in the yogurt. Mix the flours; then, using a large metal spoon, fold them into the batter, followed by the milk.

Spoon the mix into the tin and bake for 1 hr 20 mins or until well risen and golden – a skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean.

Meanwhile, make the syrup by gently heating 50ml water with the sugar and vanilla in a pan until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. Once the cake is out of the oven, leave to cool for 30 mins in the tin, then use a skewer to poke holes all over the cake, going right to the bottom. Pour the syrup over, letting it completely soak in after each addition.

Leave to cool completely, then either wrap the cake well or fill and ice it. If you wrap it with baking parchment and cling film, the unfilled cake will keep well for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to a month.

For ideas on how to decorate the cake and to try out some variations on this basic cake mixture, have a look at the 'Goes well with' recipes for Simple elegance wedding cake, Birthday bug cake and Summer celebration cake.

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