Fire and Blood Layer Cake ~ Recipe | Queenslee Appétit (2024)

Ingredients

Filling:

• 1 recipe of my Homemade Strawberry-Raspberry Sauce

Glass Fire Shards:

• 1 small bag of red hard candies
• 1 small bag of yellow hard candies
• 1 small bag of orange hard candies

Red Velvet Cake Layers:

• 1 and ½ cups (192g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoon (15g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 and ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil
• 1 and ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon red food colouring
• 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, room temperature
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon white vinegar

Black Velvet Cake Layers:

• 1 and ½ cups (192g) all purpose flour
• 1 and ½ cups (301g) granulated sugar
• ¾ cup (75g) black cocoa powder
• 1 and ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• ⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil
• ½ cup (120ml) buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 and ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup (120ml) hot coffee or boiling water

Red Velvet Buttercream:

• 2 cups (256g) powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoon (15g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Few drops of red gel food colouring

Super Black Chocolate Buttercream:

• 2 cups (454g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 7 and ½ cups (960g) powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 cup (100g) black cocoa powder, sifted
• ⅓ cup (80ml) heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Few drops of good-quality black gel food colouring

Bloody White Chocolate Ganache Drip:

• 1 cup (175g) white chocolate chips
• ½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon (7g) light corn syrup
• Few drops of red gel food colouring

Instructions

For the Strawberry-Raspberry Filling:

1. Prepare 1 recipe of my Homemade Strawberry-Raspberry Sauce, and allow it to chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the Glass Fire Shards:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a large baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Unwrap all of the red, yellow and orange candies and place them into a large ziplock bag, push all the air out and seal. Use a rolling pin to finely crush all the candies. Alternatively, you can add all the candies to a food processor and pulse until they are finely crushed.
3. Method 1: Add a spoonful of crushed candies onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing each spoonful a few inches apart so they don't melt together. Bake in preheated oven for 5-7 minutes, until candy is completely melted.
4. Once melted, remove from oven and, using a toothpick, immediately pull out the ends of the candy to form a flame shape. If candy begins to Harden, place back in oven to re-melt. Allow to cool completely at room temperature.
5. Method 2: Sprinkle the crushed candies onto prepared baking sheet and spread into a thin and even layer. Bake in preheated oven for 5-7 minutes, until completely melted. Allow to cool completely at room temperature.
6. Once candy has cooled and hardened, use a heavy object to break the candy into large pieces. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

For the Red Velvet Cake Layers:

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line two 7-inch round cake pans with parchment rounds and grease the sides. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa and salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the vegetable oil and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing on low after each addition until just combined. Add 1 tablespoon of red food colouring and mix on low until fully incorporated.
5. Alternatively add dry ingredients in 3 additions and buttermilk in 2 additions to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat each addition until just combined before adding the next.
6. In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and vinegar. Add to the batter and gently fold until combined. Do not overmix.
7. Divide batter equally between the two cake pans, about 2 cups per pan. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean and cake springs back when lightly touched.
8. Remove cakes from oven (leave the oven on) and allow to cool in pans for about 10 minutes, then turn onto cooling racks to cool completely.

For the Black Velvet Cake Layers:

1. Prepare two 7-inch round cake pans with parchment rounds and grease the sides. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, add the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix on low speed until combined.
3. In a measuring cup, combine the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk and vanilla. While the mixer is on low, slowly pour in the wet ingredients. Increase speed to medium and mix until combined. Add hot coffee or boiling water and mix until combined and smooth. Batter will be runny.
4. Divide batter equally between the two cake pans, 2 cups per pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean and cake springs back when lightly touched.
5. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool in pans for about 10 minutes, then turn onto cooling racks to cool completely. At this point, you can wrap all the cake layers tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze until ready to assemble.

For the Red Velvet Buttercream:

1. Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.
3. Turn the mixer to low and gradually add half of the the sugar mixture. Once incorporated, add heavy cream and vanilla and beat until combined.
4. Add the remaining powdered sugar mixture and mix on low until combined. Increase the mixer speed to high and whip until frosting is light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
5. Add a few drops of red food colouring and beat until combined. Store frosting in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to use.

For the Super Black Chocolate Buttercream:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer, beat the butter and 4 cups of powdered sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy (start on low to avoid a sugar shower), about 5-6 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
2. Add the cocoa, heavy cream and vanilla and beat on low speed until just combined. Slowly add remaining powdered sugar ½ cup at a time and mix until combined.
3. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and whip until fluffy, about 5-7 minutes. Add a few drops of black food colouring and beat until fully incorporated. Wait a few minutes to allow the frosting to darken before adding more as needed.

For the Bloody Drip:

1. Place the white chocolate chips in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Microwave the heavy cream and corn syrup until it just begins to boil, then pour it over the white chocolate chips.
3. Cover the bowl and allow it to sit for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. Add a few drops of red food colouring and stir until combined. Set aside to cool slightly.

Assembly of the Fire and Blood Cake:

1. Place one red or black cake layer on a cake board on top of a cake turntable. Transfer a small amount of black frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round or star tip. Pipe a border around the edge of the cake layer.
2. Fill the centre of the cake with the raspberry filling and use a small offset spatula to spread into an even layer.
3. Repeat with the remaining layers, alternating between red and black. You can spread some of the red velvet buttercream in the middle layers if you prefer. Place the final cake layer top side down.
4. Frost the entire cake in a thin layer of black frosting. Tightly wrap entire cake in plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.
5. Once cake is chilled, remove from refrigerator and remove plastic wrap. Frost the entire cake in a thick layer of black frosting. Use a bench scraper to smooth the sides and an offset spatula to smooth the edges and top.
6. Add dollops of red frosting randomly around the sides and top of the cake. Hold a clean bench scraper or a straight offset spatula to the side of the cake with one hand and spin the turntable with your other hand to smooth out the frosting and create a watercolour effect. Add more dots of red frosting where needed and repeat the smoothing method until you get the desired effect.
7. Pour the red ganache into a disposable piping bag or a ziplock bag and snip off the tip. Drip the ganache off the edge of the cake and fill the centre. Use an offset spatula to spread the ganache over the top.
8. Carefully stick the glass fire shards into the top and sides of the cake. Slice and serve!

Notes