For my med school friend L’s birthday! A super talented friend and my fellow a cappella mate. He’s entertaining and funny as well, and has a way of making others around him as enthusiastic and excited about life, and we’ve planned some great performances together 🙂 Without him Dukappellanus would not have been born.
He suggested for a chocolate Galaxy cake, which I was more than excited to attempt, after seeing so many of it online! Went for a classic color scheme – Black, baby pink, hot pink, purple and teal, for the cosmos effect, dressed up with gold embellishments. Found these gold covered chocolate from Phoon Huat which looked like glittery moonrocks and were perfect for this cake design.
As a special touch, the buttercream were made with salted caramel (one of his favorite flavors), and as a Waffle lover (check out his Instagram for the trendiest and tastiest waffles in Singapore), what else than to hide Stroopwafels in each layer. Found them off a German supermarket near Bukit Timah randomly, but Starbucks in Singapore has them as well. I ended up quite liking the effect from having these chewy, crunchy caramel bites throughout the buttercream. And I like the sound of Stroopwafels with the Galaxy theme, not sure why but it reminds me of Stormtroopers as I write this.
We spent that afternoon of his birthday enjoying a nice gathering with some of our med school friends, playing board games and was a really nice break during the student internship period. Most of us are part of a cappella together and it was really cool how we’ve stuck through these 4 years of med school. From Rudolph, to The Greatest Show(House)man at our graduation dinner. Happy Birthday again and keep being awesome!
| Galaxy cake adapted from My Baking Addiction
Black Magic Chocolate Cake (made 1.5x the original recipe) 400g sugar Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue Buttercream 7 large (210 grams) egg whites Salted Caramel by Sally’s Baking Addiction 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar Additional Decorations Stroopwafers (at least 2) |
To make Black Magic Chocolate Cake
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and line 3 7-inch baking pans and 1 4.5-inch baking pan. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powders, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix on low until dry ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for about two minutes; the batter will be thin. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans (This amount was enough for 3 7-inch cake layers, but overflowed on the additional 4.5 inch round pan) Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. To make Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue buttercream: In a large saucepan, place mixing bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Add egg whites and brown sugar and whisk together until frothy. Whisk constantly until mixture reaches 160ËšF (takes about 3 min). Sugar should be fully dissolved (no granules when rubbing mixture between finger tips). Mixture will feel hot to the touch (or like the temperature of warm milk). Once bowl is at room temperature, switch to paddle attachment, and whip together until soft peaks form. Add butter 1 Tbsp at a time. Once all butter is in, scrape down the bowl and continue beating until it reaches a thick whipped consistency. It may look lumpy – it’s a good sign, keep beating until it changes consistency to become smooth, thick and whipped. Add vanilla extract and salt and mix on med-high until incorporated and silky. To assemble Build the cake and frost each layer with brown sugar buttercream. For the top tier, make sure to slice across to create three thin layers. Drizzle on salted caramel sauce and chopped up stroopwafers. Decorate with galaxy design (refer to video tutorial by Bake with Bernice Baran for technique tips and tricks!) |
My Dose of Sugar 