Over-the-Rainbow Orange Spice Cake {Gold Leaf Tutorial}

Over the Rainbow Orange Spice CakeI don’t know what it is about St. Patrick’s Day that makes me want to drink a tall Guinness and blast a little Flogging Molly, but every time March comes around, I can’t help but get a little giddy. I buy corn beef, slow cook it in Bass Ale and spices, and create a spicy, Guinness sauce to drizzle on top. Then I slap it between two pieces of fresh sourdough and add a little provolone. It is beyoooond amazing. I can’t take credit though. It is totally a Paula Deen recipe I found years ago in a magazine and the Hubster asks for it each and every St. Patty’s Day. And I just can”t help but oblige…wink wink nudge nudge…

But this year, there is a new dessert in town to compliment my oh-so-delicious black and tan sandwich tradition.

Over the Rainbow Orange Spice Cake

The recipe I used to create this 6-layer rainbow cake is actually pretty versatile. You can use it for a traditional vanilla cake, or you can make it more exciting by adding different extracts, spices, and other add-ins. For this cake, I added in a few spoonfuls of orange extract and baking spice to give it a more spice cake flavour. Another option would be to add in orange peel if you happen to have oranges on hand. The icing is a whipped buttercream, again flavoured with orange and vanilla extracts. It is light and fluffy and compliments the cake nicely.

Over the Rainbow Orange Spice Cake

What really makes this cake though is the green fondant clovers and gold leaf coins that decorate the bottom. I kinda see it as the gold at the end of the rainbow, ya know?

Earlier this month, I had ordered a chocolate coin mold on Amazon. I had been wanting to work with edible gold leaf for some time now and these chocolate coins seemed like the perfect opportunity, so I ordered edible gold-leaf too.

If you have never worked with edible gold leaf before, there are a few things you oughta know:

According to About.com Candy:

Definition: Edible gold leaf is a gold product that can be used to decorate food. In candy-making it can be used to cover whole candies like chocolates or truffles, or applied sparingly as a small decorative touch.

Is Gold Leaf Really Edible?

In most cases, yes. Gold is considered “biologically inert,” meaning it passes through the digestive tract without being absorbed. When selecting gold leaf, make sure to get gold that is as pure as possible–this means 22-24 carats. Gold leaf with a smaller carat value has more impurities and is less safe to eat. If you are careful and buy gold leaf that is clearly labeled as “edible” and has 22-24 carats, eating gold leaf is harmless.”

What’s important to remember is that if you plan to use gold-leaf on your cakes or other edible decorations, you need to make sure that your gold-leaf product is at least 22-24 gold carats. The product is usually labelled; you just need to check before ordering.

Edible gold-leaf tutorial

 How to apply gold leaf:

Gold Leaf Tutorial

Before I begin, let me tell you that this was the first time I had ever used gold leaf before and it is just my experience using it. If you have any tips or helpful hints, I am happy to listen!

What you will need:

  • Paper towels
  • 2 dry, small paintbrushes
  • edible gold leaf
  • chocolate coins
  • tweezers{optional}
  • latex gloves{Wearing latex gloves helps to prevent it from sticking to your fingers.}

What to do:

  • Lay down a few sheets of paper towels so that you have a clean workspace for your gold leaf coins.
  • Use tweezers to carefully lift up a small corner of the gold leaf sheet. Once you’ve caught it, use your small paintbrush to pick up the second corner and slide a small piece of the gold leaf onto your chocolate coin or edible decoration.
  • Use the other paintbrush to gently pat and smooth the gold leaf onto the decoration.
  • Continue to smooth out the remaining gaps or bubbles with your paintbrush.
  • Carefully pat down the edges with your paintbrush and remove the excess gold leaf.
  • Carefully place on cake.

Over the Rainbow Orange Spice Cake

Over-the-Rainbow Orange Spice Cake

Yield: 2 8-inch rounds

Recipe by Carrie

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 4 ounces{1 stick} unsalted butter
  • 2 eggs, 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup{4 ounces} milk
  • 2 teaspoons orange extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking spice or cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° and line 2 8-inch round pans with parchment paper; spray with flour spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and baking spice.
  3. In your stand mixer bowl, beat butter until creamy and fluffy; about 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add your sugar to your butter and beat until combined.
  5. Add your eggs and egg yolks; one at a time.
  6. Pour in your extracts; one at a time and mix well.
  7. Alternating, starting and ending with your dry ingredients, add your dry ingredients and milk.
  8. Mix for about 30 seconds and evenly pour into your prepared pans.
  9. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  10. Note In order to make the 6-layer rainbow cake, you will need to triple the recipe and use gel food coloring to color the cakes.
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Triple Chocolate Stout Whoopie Pies

Triple Chocolate Stout Whoopie Pies

I love holidays…

I mean, seriously, who doesn’t?!

In order, my favorites are:

In first place, Halloween

Then, Thanksgiving

Christmas

St. Patrick’s Day

Flag Day (my birthday)

Easter

Valentine’s Day

And dead last, New Year’s Eve

Plus, any holiday where I get the day off from school makes the list too, President’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr.–even snow days are included.

I love holidays because they are normally full of family, tradition, and food…I am typically the one in the kitchen surrounded by the ones I love, cooking or baking a recipe that has been handed down for ages or at the very least, expected each holiday.

St. Patrick’s Day is no exception.

Every year, I ask the Hubster if we can go out to the local Irish pub for someone else’s homemade Irish fare and every year he says, but what about our traditional black and tan corn beef sandwiches…and my fried potatoes and turnips…and my Irish creme pound cake….

I can just see his lower lip quivering now. ;) Just kidding.

So every year, while jamming out to Flogging Molly, I cave and make just the two of us, our Black and Tan corn beef sandwiches with fried potatoes and turnips, and my Irish creme pound cake for dessert.

This year, I am adding these adorable Triple Chocolate Stout Whoopie pies to the mix.

Triple Chocolate Stout Whoopie Pies

These whoopie pies are so rich and chocolatey and so easy to put together!

Triple Chocolate Stout Whoopie Pies

To start, I always make sure to cream my butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Triple Chocolate Stout Whoopie Pies

I just happen to have a Whoopie Pie pan, but if you don’t, then just scoop a 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter onto your cookie sheet.

Triple Chocolate Stout Whoopie Pies

I even made a few pies in the shape of a shamrock using a cookie cutter.

Triple Chocolate Stout Whoopie Pies

They can be very fragile, so make sure you allow them to cool completely before assembling.

Triple Chocolate Stout Whoopie Pies

Triple Chocolate Stout Whoopie Pies

Recipe by Carrie

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup Guiness Extra Stout

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour the wells of your Whoopie Pie Pan or get out your cookie sheet and line it with parchment or a silapat.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together the four, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  3. Combine your semi-sweet and unsweetened chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute and then stir. Continue to microwave for 30 second increments until completely melted; let cool.
  4. Once cooled, add cocoa and cream and whisk together. It may seem a bit lumpy.
  5. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the brown sugar and butter on medium speed until combined; about 1 minute.
  6. Add the vanilla and the eggs and beat until fluffy.
  7. Reduce the speed to low and add your chocolate mixture. Mix until combined.
  8. Add your flour mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the Guiness Extra Stout; beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
  9. Beat until each addition is incorporated, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides of the bowl.
  10. Fill each well or cookie sheet with 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter.
  11. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  12. Let cool cool completely before frosting.
  13. Frost with your favorite marshmallow butter cream and roll in sugar crystals.
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Triple Chocolate Stout Whoopie Pies