This cake is based on a design by the cake decorator Zoe Clark, she made hers with 4 tiers and with a slightly different shade of yellowy/peach on the extra tier.
To make the macaroons I used the Italian meringue method, which I have been reliably informed is the best method. The first batch I made were the pink ones, I think the egg whites may have been slightly overbeaten in this batch as the mixture was very stiff and I couldn't get rid of the peaks. However, with a bit of practice the peach and yellow macaroons came out a lot better. You can find recipes for macaroons on the internet and in many recipe books but here are my top tips for macaroon making.
Top tips for making macaroons:
- When heating your sugar and water make sure you use a heavy based saucepan and have a thermometre on hand as the temperatures need to be very precise.
- Mark out circles on your greaseproof paper using a circular cutter as a guide to give your macaroons a uniform size. Don't forget to turn your paper over to use it, otherwise the pencil will come off on the macaroons!
- To pipe, don't try to go round in a circle. Just hold the nozzle still and pipe, the shape will form on it's own. When you reach the edges of your circle template, stop putting pressure on the piping bag and quickly swirl the nozzle to avoid a peak. This can be achieved with a flick of the wrist.
- When you have finished piping your macaroons, tap the tray on the counter top to get rid of any ridges or peaks.
- Once piped, leave your macaroons for around 30 minutes before putting them in the oven. They should form a skin over the top.
- Finally, whilst cooking your macaroon should grow in size and a little foot should develop around the base of each macaroon as you can see above.
This cake really has the wow factor! I'm impressed with the macaroons too, but what I really want to know is how many of them did you use to decorate the cake?? There must be close to 100?
ReplyDeleteLaura, this looks absolutely gorgeous! I love the subtle colouring of the different layers. I made macs this week too, but using a different method. Think I also overwhipped the egg whites as the mixture was a bit thick too - so they were a bit uneven but still delicious! Just shows that you need to be careful, but even then you can still turn out macs that taste good! Anyway, your cake looks fab - it could even be a wedding cake. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Angela and Susie! Angela there are about 110 macaroons I think...but it's not as bad as it sounds...I only made 3 batches...and I think one of them was only because I wasn't happy with the colour!! :-)
ReplyDelete*faints* in awe...blooming lovely! x
ReplyDeleteThat is so pretty, just gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteWow, this is amazing! So many perfect macarons!!
ReplyDeleteThat is absolutely amazing, really stunning. Well done Laura!! Xx
ReplyDeleteGORGEOUS! Simply stunning! I love the colors!
ReplyDeleteGosh this is pretty - it's so perfect and lovely!
ReplyDeleteFunny that I bought macarons today in a shop and thought of making them! This is a very good recipe and they look amazing on a cake! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWow Laura this is so amazing! Your macaroons turned out great, I love the pretty pastel colours and it is a great idea to decorate a cake with them!
ReplyDeleteLovely! Such pretty pastel colours.
ReplyDeleteI love visiting your blog as everything always looks amazing and this is no exception. It's a very pretty and impressive cake. 110 is a lot of macarons to make!
ReplyDelete110 macarons! Girl you are crazy!! LOL Love the pastels. Never tried the italian meringue method, always made mine with the french method.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Utterly stunning! The pastel shades go really well together!
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazing, i would gratefully appreciate it if you took a look at my blog, im still new. PS im defiantly keeping a close eye on all your posts, only found you today and already im drooling :D
ReplyDeleteLaura loves cakes, I dream of cakes!! :-) This cake is one I could both dream and love! Very nice work!!
ReplyDeletefor once - speechless...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful idea!! With piping the batter, you might want to stop applying the pressure *before* you reach the edges of your circle template as they will spread a little ;) btw, if any of you want to learn how to make baker-quality macarons that look totally round and smooth then check out www.TheMacaronMaster.com :)
ReplyDeleteWow! This looks so professional, I bow down to your superior baking skills!
ReplyDeleteThis looks superb! Zoe Clarke is such an inspiration, her cakes are always beautiful. It was a cake covered in macarons in a jewellery advert that started me blogging 3 years ago!
ReplyDeletePS It was lovely to meet you at Blog Camp this weekend!
ReplyDeleteAmazing Laura! So clever too. It just goes to show that something simple in design can look incredible. My macs are still extremely variable, so even getting 110 of those is a real achievement.
ReplyDeleteOMG OMG This is amazing! Totally inspired but I've never made macarons before hehe thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone...it seems the 110 macaroons were worth it!!
ReplyDeleteMacaron lover - thanks for the extra baking tip! :-)
Oh wow Laura, that has to be the most amazingly impressive cake I've ever seen! I love it, well done!!
ReplyDeleteLaura, this is amazing. What an incredible wedding cake it would make. You can't kid me it's in the least bit easy though ;-)
ReplyDeleteHi Laura - looks great. Just wondering how you attach the macarons to the tower.
ReplyDeleteHi, I piped royal icing onto the back of the macaroons and then stuck them on...when it dries it's very firm, so it holds them in place perfectly! :-)
ReplyDelete