Sunny Hintze from Sunny Days Cakes and former Cake Wars winner shared her award-winning mirror cake recipe with us. To see more from Sunny go here.
Lemon Mirror Cake:
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus for greasing the cake pans
• 7 large egg whites
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1/3 cup lemon zest (6 or 7 lemons)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups cake flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
o For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8-by-3-inch round cake pans with butter.
o In a bowl, whisk the egg whites, 1/4 cup of the buttermilk, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla until combined. Set aside.
o Combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on low speed for 1 minute. Add the butter and the remaining 1 cup buttermilk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened, then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add one-third of the egg white mixture, beat on low speed until blended and then on medium speed for 20 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and repeat two more times with the remaining egg white mixture.
o Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack and let cool completely.
Ingredients
• 1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
• 2/3 Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1/2 Cup + 1 Tbsp Water
• 2 tbsp Gelatin
• 1/2 Cup Water
• 2 Cups Real White Chocolate Chips
• Gel Food Coloring
• 1 Chilled Cake
Instructions
1. Add the sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and water to a medium-sized saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Pour the water into the powdered gelatin and mix with a spoon. Leave to swell for a few minutes.
3. When the sugar, milk and water mixture begins to simmer, remove from the heat and add the swelled gelatin. Stir until the gelatin has dissolved.
4. Pour the hot liquid on top of the chocolate chips and leave to sit for 5 minutes to melt.
5. Use a whisk to stir the glaze until the chocolate has completely melted.
6. Add the gel food coloring and stir until well-mixed. Leave the glaze to cool.
7. Once the glaze has cooled to 90º F / 37º C, pour it over the chilled cake which is on top of a cup, sitting on a tray or plate with a edge to catch the drips.
8. Leave the glaze to set for 15 minutes before using a spatula to remove the drips.
9. Transfer the cake to the fridge to set for a few hours before serving.
