This is a blast from the past; If you were a reader of An American Housewife back in 2008 you might remember this cake I made for my Grandmother.
We were due to travel about three and a half hours away for a double birthday party. My Grandmother and my Father in Law. I was to bring dessert and decided to please both the 'chocolate' and 'vanilla' groups of people, I would do a triple chocolate cake for the FIL and a white on white for my Grandmother.
I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do when I started, but I made this basic white cake that is a favorite of mine when I know the cake has to travel or be sturdy enough to hold towers or shapes.
White Cake
2 boxes white cake mix
2 c flour
2 c white sugar
1 1/2 t salt
2 2/3 c water
1/4 c canola oil
2 t vanilla
2 t almond extract
16 oz. sour cream
8 large egg whites, room temperature
Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat just to blend. Add the water, oil, vanilla, almond extract, sour cream and egg whites and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into 2-4 greased and floured pans (shape of your choice, 2 9X13 or 4 smaller round), filling each pan about half full. Bake at 325° F oven until cake tests done in the center.
After cooling the cake started with a layer of frosting and then planned to cover it all in white fondant. I had only worked with fondant once or twice before, so I was going to 'wing' it and hope for the best.
After a thin layer of butter cream icing I put the cake in the freezer while I prepared the fondant.
I flavored the fondant with a bit of almond extract and got busy rolling, rolling, rolling....
Once the cake was covered I used the buttercream icing to decorate it.
I had NO IDEA what I was doing or how to do it... but I had a 'general' idea in my head of what I wanted to accomplish so I just went with the flow and this is what I ended up with. I did tiny dots of white icing on top of white fondant. I used a butter knife to lightly press lines in the fondant.
I used more fondant to make 'bows' that I dusted with edible glitter dust, and left them to dry and harden on a pasta drying rack.
The cake traveled well for the 3 1/2 hour drive and it was a hit. To date it's one of my favorites that I've made; I think because I love the simplicity of white on white with just a touch of gold.
You might also be interested in edible glitter dust, a drying rack or white fondant;
