Atlassian Bake Off: Kicking off the Competition!
Greetings, fellow bakers! I kicked off the Great Atlassian Bake Off with this tasty cake:
It's a delicious chocolate chip layer cake with vanilla buttercream and blue sprinkles!
I've always enjoyed parties: making the invitations, crafting the decor, and hosting friends. Fancy cakes were a natural addition to this skillset, and I picked up cake decorating during quarantine 😀
A few things I learned along the way:
- The right tools matter! I never knew how bakeries achieved such smooth frosting on their cakes... turns out, a turntable + scraper makes all the difference.
- Room temperature ingredients are key. Yup, you gotta leave 'em on the counter for several hours to let 'em come to room temperature. I got impatient a few times and decided that the butter was soft enough or the milk was warm enough, and I struggled to get the ingredients to mix properly. So plan ahead and make sure you're working with ingredients as room temperature!
- Be careful substituting ingredients. I had a big fail when I tried to make dripping chocolate. I used fat-free milk to thin the chocolate... and ended up with a watery mess! Most recipes will specify the type of flour, milk, and cocoa powder, so read the instructions carefully.
A few resources that were VERY helpful in my learning journey:
Sally's Baking Addiction, Sugar + Sparrow, and How to Cook That with Ann Reardon
I adapted this recipe a bit from Sweetest Menu (scaled it down to a 2-layer cake), here's the original recipe for easy reference:
INGREDIENTS
Vanilla cake
230 grams (1 cup or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
200 grams (1 cup) caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temperature
315 grams (2 and 1/4 cups) plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
240 ml (1 cup) milk
2 tablespoons full fat sour cream
150 grams (1 cup) mini chocolate chips*
Vanilla buttercream
230 grams (1 cup or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
625 grams (5 cups) icing or powdered sugar
3–4 tablespoons milk
100 grams (2/3 cup) chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS
Grease and line three 6-inch round baking pans (or two 8-inch round baking pans). Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced.
In a large mixing bowl, add the butter, sugar and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Sift in flour and baking powder. Add milk and sour cream and beat on a low speed until combined. Finally, chocolate chips and stir.
Divide batter evenly between cake tins and bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Carefully remove the cakes and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
To make frosting, beat butter with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, then add the vanilla. Add icing sugar, one cup at a time. Add a tablespoon of milk as needed. Continue until you have used all the icing sugar and milk and the frosting is smooth and creamy.
Use a serrated knife or a cake trimmer to even the top of both cakes. Place one cake on a small cake board, then cover the top with buttercream. Place the second cake on top. Cover top with buttercream.
Add third cake on top. Cover the entire cake, top and sides, with remaining buttercream. Use a cake scraper to remove excess buttercream on the sides. Sprinkles chocolate chips on top.
NOTES
*Sometimes chocolate chips can sink to the bottom of a cake, which is why mini chocolate chips are recommended. Alternatively, finely chop or grate a block of chocolate by hand and use that instead.
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Thanks!
Ashley Faus
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