Checkerboard Cake Tutorial

Learn how to make your own checkerboard cake

Checkerboard Cake

This cake looks fantastic, on the inside and out. Don’t mind the crumbs while putting this cake together, because I promise, the fun you will have afterwards, is worth the mess! I couldn’t wait for us to cut the cake, to reveal the inside.

I baked this cake for Sanjay’s farewell. He’s moved to the UK now. And it’s very cold there, so to help him celebrate his last bit of warmth here in SA, I made this fun cake. He also loves to play golf, so I completed the cake with some fondant golf decorations.

Here's how I made my Checkerboard Cake.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1 vanilla butter cake, 20 cm

1 chocolate butter cake, 20 cm

Large serrated knife for creating layers

Round wax paper template, 12 cm

Toothpick

Small sharp knife
Round cookie cutter, 5 cm

Cake board, 20 cm

Chocolate butter icing

Palette knife

DIRECTIONS:

1.       Have your 2 cakes ready to assemble into your masterpiece.

Vanilla and chocolate cakes

2.       Place one of the cakes on a cutting surface. I started with the chocolate cake.

Ready to cut

3.       Using a large serrated knife, cut the cake in half to create 2 layers.

Chocolate cake in 2 layers

4.       With a toothpick, secure the 12 cm round wax paper template to the cake. Using a small sharp knife, cut out a 12 cm cake round.

Template secured in place

5.       Next, create a 5 cm cake round using a cookie cutter.

5 cm cookie cutter

6.       You will then be left with 2 cake rings and 1 cake round.

7.       Do the same with the vanilla cake.

8.       Now you will have 4 cake rings and 2 cake rounds altogether. You are now ready to layer your checkerboard cake.  

9.       Begin with a 20 cm chocolate cake ring. Place this ring on your cake board. this will make it easier to move your cake later.

10. Using a palette knife, spread a thin layer of butter icing on the outer edge of a 12 cm vanilla cake ring. Place this cake ring inside the chocolate cake ring.

11.   Now take a 5 cm chocolate cake round and spread a thin layer of icing on the outer edge. Insert the chocolate cake round into the vanilla cake ring. Spread a thin layer of icing on top of this first layer.

Cake layer with chocolate ring on the outside

12.   Continue to layer your cake by alternating the chocolate and vanilla cake cut outs. Don’t forget the icing between the cake rings. This will prevent the cake falling apart when you cut it.

Cake layer with vanilla ring on the outside

13.   Once you have completed 4 layers, your cake will look something like this.

Cake layers

14.   Now you can cover your cake with a crumb coat, and decorate as you like.

Finished cake

I would love to hear from you about your baking adventures. Let me know how your cake turns out.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Spicy carrot cake, in miniature

Carrot Cupcakes 

I had a lot of fun decorating these little carrot cakes. The best part of baking, I think, is making that sweet swirl on top of a delicious cupcake.

I used my large, open star nozzle for piping the cream cheese swirl. And sprinkled some chopped pecan nuts on top to finish them off.

Sharing IS caring, after all. And I couldn’t possibly eat them all by myself. So I called my old friend Krelin, and arranged a tea date. It was good catching up, especially with some yummy carrot cupcakes in hand.

Here’s how I made my carrot cupcakes. Let me know how yours turn out. 

Time to bake!

Carrot Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Adapted from: Recipes from the Royal Kitchen compiled by Heilie Pienaar 

INGREDIENTS:

For the cupcakes:

60g (¼ cup) butter, soft

¼ cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 ¼ cups self-raising flour, sifted

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 pinch salt

²/₃ cup (160ml) low fat milk

½ cup grated carrots (about 2 medium carrots)

1 small handful of chopped pecan nuts

For the cream cheese butter icing:

50g butter

1 ½ cups icing sugar, sifted

The juice of half a lemon

1 package (175g) plain, low fat cream cheese

DIRECTIONS:

For the cupcakes:

1.       Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 12 hole muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2.       Cream the butter in a mixing bowl, until light. Add the sugar and continue beating until light and creamy.

3.       Beat in the egg.

4.       Mix in the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, while alternating with the milk. Be careful not to over mix.

5.       Fold in the grated carrots.

6.       Spoon the mixture into the liners, until about ²/₃ full.

7.       Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean, once inserted.

8.       Remove the cupcakes from the pan, and allow to cool on a wire rack.

For the cream cheese butter icing:

1.       Cream the butter in a mixing bowl until very light.

2.       Add the icing sugar and lemon juice and beat until smooth.

3.       Beat in cream cheese until just incorporated. Do not over mix.

4.       Pipe the icing over the cooled cupcakes as desired. Decorate with the chopped pecan nuts.

Time to decorate!