Mocha-Pistachio Wedding Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F, with racks in the upper and lower thirds.
  2. Generously butter two 6-by-3-inch round cake pans, two 10-by-3-inch round cake pans, and two 14-by-3-inch round cake pans; set aside.
  3. Bake the white cakes: Divide about a third of the cake batter among one each of the 6-inch, 10-inch, and 14-inch pans, so that each is filled with about 1 inch of batter.
  4. (You will need about 2 cups batter for the 6-inch pan, 5 cups for the 10-inch, and 10 cups for the 14-inch.)
  5. Set aside remaining cake batter.
  6. Bake until the cakes are golden and a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes for the 6-inch layer, 30 minutes for the 10-inch layer, and 40 minutes for the 14-inch layer.Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool completely.
  7. Cakes can be refrigerated in their pans, and wrapped in plastic, for up to 1 week.
  8. Bake the pistachio cakes: Add the pistachio extract to the remaining two-thirds batter, and fold to combine.
  9. Distribute the pistachio cake batter among the remaining pans so that there is about 1 1/2 inches of batter in each pan (about 3 cups batter for the 6-inch pan, 7 1/2 cups for the 10-inch, and 15 cups for the 14-inch).
  10. Bake until the cakes are golden and a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes for the 6-inch layer, 35 minutes for the 10-inch layer, and 50 minutes for the 14-inch layer.
  11. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool completely.
  12. Store cakes as above.
  13. Prepare the cake layers: Working with one layer at a time, remove a cake from the refrigerator and place on a clean work surface.
  14. Trim the tops of the white cakes to make level; set aside.
  15. Trim the tops of the pistachio cakes to make level.
  16. To cut each pistachio cake into two layers, insert toothpicks at 2-inch intervals around the cakes circumference, halfway up the side.
  17. Holding the top of the cake steady with one hand, use the serrated knife to slice through the cake just above the toothpicks; carefully cut all the way through the cake with a gentle sawing motion.
  18. Set the two layers aside, and repeat with remaining cakes.
  19. Assemble the tiers: Place the bottom layer of the 6-inch pistachio cake, cut side up, on a 6-inch cardboard round.
  20. Brush the layer with some of the Simple Syrup (about 2 tablespoons).
  21. Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain round pastry tip (such as an Ateco #806), and fill halfway with Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
  22. Pipe buttercream in a circle around the top edge to create a dam.
  23. Remove the Mocha Buttercream and Mocha Pastry Cream from the refrigerator, and stir pastry cream until smooth.
  24. Using an offset or rubber spatula, spread a 1/2-inch-thick layer of Mocha Buttercream (about 3/4 cup) over the top of the layer, inside the dam.
  25. Place the 6-inch white cake layer, cut side up, on the bottom pistachio layer; brush the top with some syrup.
  26. Repeat the piping of the Swiss Meringue Buttercream to create a dam, and fill in with a 1/2-inch-thick layer of Mocha Pastry Cream.
  27. Place the top layer of the pistachio cake, trimmed side up, on the middle cake layer; brush with syrup.
  28. Using a large offset spatula, spread a thin layer of Swiss Meringue Buttercream over the assembled tier, starting from the top center and working toward the edge, and then spreading over the sides.
  29. Cover all of the exposed cake; this will help to seal in crumbs and create a flawless finish.
  30. Use the spatula to smooth as much as possible, but dont worry about making it look perfect, as it will be covered by more buttercream.
  31. Refrigerate (uncovered) for at least 1 hour or overnight.
  32. Repeat to assemble remaining tiers, placing the 10-inch bottom layer on a 10-inch cardboard round and the 14-inch bottom layer on a 14-inch cardboard round.
  33. You will need about 1/4 cup syrup for each 10-inch cake layer, and 1/2 cup syrup for each 14-inch layer.
  34. Allow about 2 1/2 cups each buttercream and pastry cream for the 10-inch tier, and 5 cups for the 14-inch tier.
  35. Assemble the cake: Remove the 14-inch tier from the refrigerator.
  36. Using the offset spatula, apply another (thicker) layer of Swiss Meringue Buttercream, starting at the top and then frosting the sides.
  37. Smooth the sides with a bench scraper, and the top with the spatula.
  38. For the cleanest surface and neatest edge, wipe off the spatula, dip it in a glass of hot water, and dry it with a clean kitchen cloth; use the warm spatula to smooth the top.
  39. Insert a wooden dowel vertically through the center of the 14-inch tier; mark the dowel with a sharp knife at the point where it is level with the top of the cake, then remove the dowel.
  40. Using garden shears, cut the dowel at the marked point.
  41. Using this dowel as a guide, cut five more dowels to this length.With a toothpick, trace a 10-inch circle on top of the 14-inch tier (hold an empty cake pan or pot lid above the cake as a guide).
  42. Insert five dowels at regular intervals in a circle, just inside the traced circle; be sure to space the dowels evenly in order to fully support the upper tiers.
  43. Insert the final dowel in the hole in the center.
  44. Remove the 10-inch tier from the refrigerator.
  45. Frost with a second layer of Swiss Meringue Buttercream, as described above.With a wide offset spatula, carefully lift the 10-inch cake from the cardboard round, and center it over the marked circle on the 14-inch tier; gently lower onto the tier, carefully removing the spatula once the cake has settled.
  46. Remove the 6-inch tier from the refrigerator.
  47. Frost with a second layer of Swiss Meringue Buttercream, as described above.Trace a 6-inch circle on the top of the 10-inch tier; lift the 6-inch tier off the cardboard round, center the cake over the marked circle on the 10-inch tier, and gently lower onto cake.
  48. Carefully remove the spatula.
  49. Transfer Swiss Meringue Buttercream to a clean pastry bag.
  50. Using a medium-size leaf tip (such as an Ateco #69), pipe leaves of buttercream in two layers along the top edge of each tier.
  51. Switch to a medium plain round tip (such as an Ateco #10), and pipe a border of beads around the base of each tier.
  52. Switch to a small plain round tip (such as an Ateco #6), and pipe three small dots in a triangle formation above the beaded borders at 3/4-inch intervals; pipe identical dot-clusters just below the bottom rows of leaves at the same interval.
  53. Decorate the finished cake with fresh garden roses, placing a few on each tier, as well as at the base of the cake.
  54. After the pistachio layers are trimmed and leveled, they are marked with toothpicks halfway up the sides, then cut in half.
  55. Each layer is lightly brushed with Simple Syrup to moisten the cake and add sweetness.
  56. A dam of buttercream is piped around the perimeter of the bottom layer to hold the filling in place.
  57. Mocha Buttercream is spread over the bottom layer of the tier within the dam.
  58. The middle layer is placed on top and spread with Mocha Pastry Cream.
  59. Using an offset spatula, the vanilla frosting is spread over the assembled tier; its best to start in the center and work out.
  60. The frosting is smoothed with an offset spatula to make a crumb coat, then the cake is put in the refrigerator to set.
  61. Running a bench scraper around the sides of the cake creates a smooth and uniform surface.
  62. Wooden dowels inserted vertically into the bottom tier provide support for the top two tiers of the cake (see here).

butter, batter, pistachio, simple syrup, buttercream, mocha buttercream, mocha pastry cream, fresh garden roses

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/mocha-pistachio-wedding-cake-390322 (may not work)

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