Elegant, understated, beautiful, and most of all utterly delicious! This is how I would describe my version of a Miette cake. I added this “Miette” cookbook to my collection a few years ago – and it has remained one of my favorites. It was written by Meg Ray, and is a collection of simple but elegant cakes from San Francisco’s most charming pastry shop – Miette.
This cake has 3 layers of chocolate cake, filled with seedless raspberry jam and a raspberry butter creamcheese frosting. THAT’S IT! It took longer to bake and cool the cake layers, than it took to decorate this cake.
You will need a pastry bag, and a Wilton 1M open star tip to achieve this design.
For my “Miette” cake, I made 3 – 6″ layers of my Mom’s no-egg chocolate cake.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2 c sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
6 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
3 c flour
2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 c vegetable oil
1 1/2 c water
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. (I do tend to combine the dry ingredients first, then add the wet ingredients. I’m a victim of habit I guess!) Mix on med/high using a whisk attachment, until well blended, about 2-3 min. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Prepare 3 – 6″ cake pans with cooking spray, then place parchment circles on the bottom of each pan.
Fill each pan with about 1 – 1 1/2c batter.
Bake on a cookie sheet, for about 30 min. Check for doneness using a toothpick. This should come out clean when inserted in the center of the cake. This recipe is known for the “dent” in the center of the cake, which will disappear when you level the cakes.
Allow to cool completely. You will need to “torte” or cut the cake layers to level them. This is done with a serrated knife.
It is critical that you remove all crumbs from the cakes – I used a paper towel to pat off every crumb. These will get into the frosting, and will detract from the simple, clean design.
I used a jar of seedless raspberry jam for the filling.
Make 1 recipe of my Butter Cream Cheese frosting, with 1 tsp of raspberry extract, and 1 – 2 tsp of the raspberry jam.
Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter (room temp)
8 oz cream cheese (room temp)
4 c powdered sugar
1 – 2 tsp seedless raspberry jam
1 tsp raspberry extract
Tint with a tiny bit of LIGHT PINK paste food coloring
Blend butter, cream cheese, jam and extract in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment. Add powdered sugar 1 c at a time. Whip til smooth and fluffy. You can add 1-2 tsp of heavy cream, if the mixture is too thick. Add food coloring, and blend to desired color.
Place 1 cake layer onto an 8″ cardboard circle. Top with a spoonful of jam, and spread thinly, to within 1″ of the edge.
Next, pipe on a layer of frosting, starting with the outside edge, and forming a circular pattern into the center. Smooth the center (leaving a 1″ border with the piping pattern intact. You want this to show between the layers.
Top with a 2nd layer, and repeat the process.
Add the final layer, and press down gently. Pipe on the frosting, but swirl the center using a small offset spatula, or spoon.
I piped a small rose to go on top of the cake, using a rose tip. I placed this in the freezer til firm, then placed it on the cake. You can also just use the 1M open star tip, and pipe a small circle rose in the center of the cake top. Garnish with a small mint leaf. So PRETTY!
