Mother’s Day Raffaello Cake

Happy Mother’s Day to me!  When in doubt, bake a cake.

We began Mother’s Day weekend with a group of friends celebrating on Friday night.  This particular group cuts across nationalities, age, experiences, etc.  Nonetheless, we have the best time when we get together…and it almost always includes cake.

I baked the Raffaello inspired cupcake last February, but thought this was the best time to turn up the volume and bake the cake.

While the white cake layers (using 1T clear vanilla and no almond) were cooling, I prepared the coconut cream filling.  The filling needs to set-up in the fridge for several hours (with the plastic wrap resting on the surface of the cream). 

I added chopped almonds and coconut flakes to the cream filling and spooned it onto the cake between the layers.  Finally, a crumb coat.

As soon as the cake was in the fridge, I prepared the white chocolate ganache and let it cool to room temperature.  It can be a tough getting the right ratio since the white chocolate already has quite a bit of cream, but it’s ok to work with it until the consistency is just right.

When the white chocolate is ready, whip it into some vanilla buttercream (a bit less vanilla than a standard recipe). 

Then it was time to decorate!  There are so many options for this cake!  I could add almonds (whole or chopped), or coconut flakes (toasted or untoasted), white chocolate shavings, Raffaello bon bons (whole or chopped), etc etc.

This was quite a tall cake…which just makes for a more dramatic effect.  There were plenty of “oohs” and “ahhs” to go around.

I love that my life partner and I live in Germany – our travels together are pretty sweet.  At the same time, we remind each other where we came from and where we are going.  Europe is for this season and rehab is the next.  Buttercream is for every season!

Our anklebiters, January 2012.  I love these people with the white-hot fire of a thousand dragons.