So I’ve been enjoying experimenting a bit with different buttercream flowers on my cakes lately and it’s been so fun! I made a “painted” rose cake last week where I mostly used a palette knife to create petals and it gave an interesting three dimensional effect to the surface but this time I wanted to try and make some buttercream orchids. I had actually experimented piping them a few weeks ago, using them as cookie toppers and they worked well but I think a cake is the best venue for this flower 🙂 I should mention that I ordered two piping tips for this cake that made a huge difference, they’re shaped like curved tear drops and are a total game-changer, 120 and 127. You can use there to make many different typed of petals and I highly recommend them.
Can you see all the browned butter and vanilla bean flecks in the buttercream and cake??? Also I gotta say, love the color scheme and especially the green and brown I got by using match cocoa powder for the buds and stem. Painting the leaves with a palette knife was definitely interesting but it would have been so much easier if I wasn’t on my knees below the cake trying to stay out of the camera’s frame! Maybe next time…
How to Make a Brown Butter Cake
- Preheat the oven to 345F. Butter and flour three 6-inch pans. I use damp cake strips on my pans for even baking. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and stir. Cook until the butter has browned and turns into a golden color. Pour the butter into a bowl and transfer to the fridge to bring it to room temperature. Keep an eye on the consistency while it’s in the fridge and stir frequently. Take it out when it congeals. Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, including sugar.
- Beat the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined. Divide the mixture evenly into the buttered cake pans. Add damp baking strips. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch. Let the layers cool in the cake pans for about 4 min, then dump them out onto a wire cooling rack.
- In a medium saucepan add the remaining sugar and 1/3 cup water then place on medium-low heat. Stir until sugar melts and becomes clear. Maintain at medium-high heat until temperature reads 235-240F. Beat the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar. Slowly add in 1/3 cup of sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Drizzle the sugar into the mixer immediately. Run mixer until meringue is cool/tepid. Switch to a paddle attachment. Add room temperature browned butter into the running mixer one tablespoon at a time. Add the vanilla. Beat until butter is combined and mixture has reached a silky consistency. Transfer to a piping bag. For the plain Italian buttercream, repeat the same steps but with regular, room temperate butter instead of brown butter.
- Pipe the brown butter Italian meringue between each layer. Pipe a crumb coat and smooth with a bench scraper and offset spatula.
- Pipe an outer layer of white Italian meringue buttercream. Smooth with a clean bench scraper and offset spatula. Sketch out the leaves.
- Cut square pieces of parchment paper. Use gel food coloring to dye the buttercream soft shades of pink, yellow and green. Transfer the pink to piping bags fitted with a 120 tip, 127 tip and a 401 tip.
- For the smaller orchids, use the 127 tip to make a small base on the parchment paper and piping nail. Pipe 2 large semi circular flat petals using the 127 tip with the thick side facing inward. Use the 401 tip to create 2 hooded petals in the center.
- For the larger orchids, repeat the same process as above using the 120 tip for the base. You can pipe some yellow in the center using a small round tip. Add little details with dark coloring. Chill until ready to serve.
- For the stems, microwave candy melts. Add matcha and cocoa powder until you get a desired color. Freehand pipe the orchid stems. Double over the candy melt to make them a bit stronger. Let them cool and carefully remove.
- Use a palette knife to paint on the darker green Italian meringue buttercream. Add the largest stem.
- Pipe a dollop of buttercream as glue for the orchids. Add flowers along the stems.
An intoxicating brown butter vanilla cake that's covered in hand piped Italian meringue orchids!
- 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 213g
- 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar 303g
- 1/4 tsp baking soda heaping
- 1 tsp baking powder heaping
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup brown butter 170g, unsalted, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream 120ml, room temperature
- 1/2 cup whole milk 120ml, room temperature or warm
- 3 egg whites room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract nice
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 8 large egg whites room temperature
- 2 2/3 cups sugar 550g, divided
- 2 pinches kosher salt
- 2 cups browned butter 454g unsalted room temperature
- 2 cups butter 454g, unsalted room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 2/3 cup water 160ml
- parchment paper
- ½ cup candy melts 84g
- 1 tbsp matcha powder
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
Preheat oven to 345 degrees F. Butter and flour three 6-inch pans. I use damp cake strips on my pans for even baking.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and stir. Cook until the butter has browned and turns into a golden color. Pour the butter into a bowl and transfer to the fridge to bring it to room temperature. Keep an eye on the consistency while it’s in the fridge and stir frequently. Take it out when it congeals.
Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, including sugar.
Beat the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl.
Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined.
Divide the mixture evenly into the buttered cake pans. Add damp baking strips.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch.
Let the layers cool in the cake pans for about 4 min, then dump them out onto a wire cooling rack.
In a medium saucepan add the remaining sugar and 1/3 cup water then place on medium-low heat. Stir until sugar melts and becomes clear. Maintain at medium-high heat until temperature reads 235-240F.
Beat the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar. Slowly add in 1/3 cup of sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form.
Drizzle the sugar into the mixer immediately.
Run mixer until meringue is cool/tepid.
Switch to a paddle attachment. Add room temperature brown butter into running mixer one tablespoon at a time.
Add the vanilla.
Beat until butter is combined and mixture has reached a silky consistency.
Transfer to a piping bag.
- Beat the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar, slowly add in 1/3 cup of sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form.
- In a medium saucepan add the remaining sugar and 1/3 cup water then place on medium-low heat.
- Stir until sugar melts and becomes clear.
- Maintain at medium-high heat until temperature reads 235-240F.
- Drizzle the sugar into the mixer immediately.
- Run mixer until meringue is cool/tepid.
Switch to a paddle attachment. Add room temperature butter into the running mixer one tablespoon at a time.
Add vanilla.
- Beat until butter is combined and mixture has reached a silky consistency.
- Save about 1.5 cups for the orchid flowers.
- Transfer the rest to a piping bag and snip off the tip.
Cut square pieces of parchment paper. Use gel food coloring to dye the buttercream soft shades of pink, yellow and green.
Transfer the pink to piping bags fitted with a 120 tip, 127 tip and a 401 tip.
For the smaller orchids, use the 127 tip to make a small base on the parchment paper and piping nail. Pipe 2 large semi circular flat petals using the 127 tip with the thick side facing inward. Use the 401 tip to create 2 hooded petals in the center.
For the larger orchids, repeat the same process as above using the 120 tip for the base.
You can pipe some yellow in the center using a small round tip. Add little details with dark coloring.
Chill until ready to serve.
Microwave candy melts.
Add matcha and cocoa powder until you get a desired color.
Freehand pipe the orchid stems. Double over the candy melt to make them a bit stronger.
Let them cool and carefully remove.
Pipe the browned butter italian meringue between each layer. Pipe a crumb coat and smooth with a bench scraper and offset spatula.
Pipe an outer layer of white italian meringue buttercream. Smooth with a clean bench scraper and offset spatula.
Sketch out the leaves. Use a palette knife to paint on the darker green italian meringue buttercream.
Add the largest stem.
Pipe a dollop of buttercream as glue for the orchids. Add flowers along the stems.
Gorgeous! Can’t wait to try it.
How long should you let the iced cake set before beginning to apply flowers?
Mb,
Chill the cake for about 20-30 minutes or until the outer buttercream is stiff! Hope you enjoy!
John
Hey John,
The cake is AMAZING! There is nothing equivalent- the brown butter is a game changer.
What can i do if my brown butter buttercream is runny? it pours straight out of the piping bag!!
omg…..that looks SO GOOD!!!! Must try☺
Elly,
Thanks so much! You MUST!
John
John, I made this cake last night!! So moist and delish…I didn’t have the time to make the Ital. meringue but instead made a simple brown butter buttercream. I def have to try the meringue but only have a hand mixer which I know will work but would be so much easier with a stand mixer. This cake is a keeper and your tutorials are awesome…so thank-you from Montreal:)
Does it usually take the entire batch of buttercream to ice the cake and layers the way you do? BTW your work is amazing!!!
Erin,
Thank you very much! It all depends on how much you want to use for the cake and flowers! You may have some left over, but you could always use the extra for cupcakes!
John
Wow! The cake is so beautiful John! You are incredibly talented! I really enjoy your blog and lovely creations.
Michele,
Thank you very much! Hope you get to try it!
John
John, you are a true artist. Those flowers are gorgeous, but the brown butter cake has me sold! I adore brown butter in baking. I think I have posted at least 7 recipes using it in baking. Your videos make me think I can create everything you do. I love to see that you weigh your batter. I also do and sometimes my sister rolls her eyes at me!
Salt and serenity,
Thank you very much! I’m so happy I could inspire you! My kitchen scale is a life saver!
John
This is hands-down one of the best cakes I’ve ever had!! It was soooo good! The brown butter balanced it out so nicely and added that hint of almost caramel taste! My Italian buttercream turned to liquid after I added the liquid brown butter (probabaly because it’s so hot in Vegas right now!!) but chilling it and adding the solid butter fixed it right up! Thanks for sharing!!!
Can I substitute sour cream with anything? I rarely use sour cream in any of my desserts and it’s quite expensive in my area.
Dora,
You can substitute with plain yogurt!
John