How To Make A Letter Cake
letter cake maria provenzano
I love when there is a new trend in food. It’s either completely ridiculous or completely cool! This one is cool, my friends! We are seeing these letter cakes and number cakes all over Pinterest and Instagram, and I think they are really elegant and beautiful. I have also seen them done in a more playful way for kids, so this really opens the doors for creativity!
I made one of these letter cakes using a white cake and my chocolate buttercream frosting for my husband’s birthday in June, and it was a massive success!
How To Make A Letter Cake
Sooooo how do you make a letter cake!?! It’s actually pretty easy. You can find the recipe below in the recipe box, but here are some tips:
Use a cake that isn’t extremely crumbly! I recommend a butter-based cake vs an oil-based cake. Reason being, you are going to do some carving to create the shape, so you want the cake to harden up nicely in the freezer beforehand, and you will get the best results from a butter-based cake.
Make sure to butter and flour the sheet cake pan, otherwise the cake will be hard to get out. This simply means, spread some room temperature butter all over the sheet pan, and sprinkle on some flour. Tap the pan to move the flour around so that the entire sheet pan is covered with butter and flour. Flip over (usually over a sink) and tap off any excess flour.
Make sure your cake is COLD before cutting it into a shape!
YES! This can be made ahead of time!
Use a template for the letter (or number) so that both layers are the exact same.
Here is the link to the video from Hallmark Channel’s Home and Family segment that I did. I will post it on here as soon as I have access to it!
Save the scrap pieces of cake to make cake truffles (aka cake balls) to decorate with!! All you do is mix the pieces of cake with some frosting until you can easily roll it into a shape of a ball, place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and place in the fridge or freezer to harden. Dip the hardened ball into some melted candy coating chocolate (aka candy melts) and allow to harden! If you want to add sprinkles, add them right after you dip the cake ball.
How To Make A Letter Cake
How To Make A Letter Cake
Author:
Maria Provenzano
Ingredients
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***You will need to make the cake recipe 2 times***
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2 ¾ cups cake flour
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1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
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1 Tbsp. baking powder
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½ tsp. salt
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12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
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4 large egg whites
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1 large egg
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1 cup milk
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2 tsp. vanilla paste
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Non-stick cooking spray
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8 cups white buttercream frosting, divided
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Fresh flowers
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Meringues
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Strawberries
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**You can use any decorations that you like**
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two 18” x 13” x 1” sheet trays with parchment paper and lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray.
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In a bowl of stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Mix in the butter until the consistency becomes an even crumb.
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Add the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the whole egg until combined.
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Whisk the milk and vanilla paste together in a small bowl. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients in 1/3 increments, beating 1 -2 minutes after each addition, until fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl each time as well.
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Pour the batter into the first prepared sheet pan and smooth over with a small offset spatula into an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Repeat recipe for the second cake layer.
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Cool the cakes completely and then place in the freezer for 1 hour.
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Using a stencil, with the letter of your choice, cut out the first layer. Repeat with second cake to create the second layer.
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Place the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip.
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Pipe 1-inch diameter rounds of icing onto the first cake layer, covering the entire cake. Place the second cake layer on top and repeat piping the buttercream rounds.
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Decorate!
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NOTE: Use the excess cake scraps to make Cake Truffles! Simply mix the extra cake pieces with some frosting, roll into balls, place in the fridge, and then dip in candy melts!
Hi! The recipe doesn’t say where to add the softened butter, can you please update the recipe to include that? Thank you!
Hi! If you read carefully, it tells you in the directions. Let me know if you can’t find it 🙂 Thanks!!!!
Hi! The recipe doesn’t say where to add the softened butter, can you please update the recipe to include that? Thank you!
Hi! If you read carefully, it tells you in the directions. Let me know if you can’t find it 🙂 Thanks!!!!
I am making this for my duaght’s wedding! I am doing her initial in this recipe but would like to PD the groom’s initial in a chocolate cake recipe. Can I add cocoa to this to make a chocolate cake or would melted chocolate make a richer taste?
Oops I mistyped daughter. Sorry!
Hi!! Yes, I would use Dutch-processed cocoa powered so that you don’t have to worry about changing the amount of leavening. I would add about 1/2 cup!
Thanks, Maria! I’m using your recipe for my daughter’s wedding cake! The groom wants a chocolate layer.
I am making this for my duaght’s wedding! I am doing her initial in this recipe but would like to PD the groom’s initial in a chocolate cake recipe. Can I add cocoa to this to make a chocolate cake or would melted chocolate make a richer taste?
Oops I mistyped daughter. Sorry!
Hi!! Yes, I would use Dutch-processed cocoa powered so that you don’t have to worry about changing the amount of leavening. I would add about 1/2 cup!
Thanks, Maria! I’m using your recipe for my daughter’s wedding cake! The groom wants a chocolate layer.
How much cocoa powder should I use to make this a chocolate cake, and should I change the amount of flour? Thanks!
Hi there!!! I would add about a half cup of dutch-processed cocoa powder so that you don’t have to worry about changing the amount of leavening 🙂
How much cocoa powder should I use to make this a chocolate cake, and should I change the amount of flour? Thanks!
Hi there!!! I would add about a half cup of dutch-processed cocoa powder so that you don’t have to worry about changing the amount of leavening 🙂
I made my first attempt of this this weekend for my daughter’s wedding shower. It turned out great! I decorated it with fresh strawberries and blueberries. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I made my first attempt of this this weekend for my daughter’s wedding shower. It turned out great! I decorated it with fresh strawberries and blueberries. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I wanna make this but sometimes my cakes don’t turn out light and fluffy what is an even crumb?
I wanna make this but sometimes my cakes don’t turn out light and fluffy what is an even crumb?
Hello what size was your letter template
Hi there!
Coudl this be adjusted to make a 9×13 cake?
Hi there!
Coudl this be adjusted to make a 9×13 cake?
Hello,
I tried out the recipe and from feeling the cake it felt so soft but when I was eating it, it was very dry and crumbly. What did I do wrong?
Would this work with any cake? I’m making a German chocolate Cake with a vanilla butter cream but I want to know if it would hold up and not sink bc of the weight
It is an oil based cake with butter milk
Would this work with any cake? I’m making a German chocolate Cake with a vanilla butter cream but I want to know if it would hold up and not sink bc of the weight
It is an oil based cake with butter milk
How do you make the buttercream filling?
How do you make the buttercream filling?
How do you keep the sides of the cake from
drying out since they’re not frosted??
How do you keep the sides of the cake from
drying out since they’re not frosted??
How do you keep the cake from breaking apart when moving it from spot to spot? Out of the oven, to a cooling rack, to the board for decorating. I moved mine to the freezer/fridge between layers? My 1 broke in several places, as did my 6. I just kept gluing them with globs of frosting.
Hi! I realize you may not want to label a particular brand, but what type of cake flour did you use? Is Swans Down a good cake flour for a letter cake like this?
Hi! I realize you may not want to label a particular brand, but what type of cake flour did you use? Is Swans Down a good cake flour for a letter cake like this?
You mentioned a sponge cake in the video. Would cake flour be a pound cake? Could you help clarify?
You mentioned a sponge cake in the video. Would cake flour be a pound cake? Could you help clarify?
Is it possible to pipe white/chocolate ganache on the cake layers?
Is it possible to pipe white/chocolate ganache on the cake layers?