Sunday, April 22, 2012

Three Tier Multi-Colour Macaroon Cake

Posted by - Laura loves cakes (www.lauralovescakes.blogspot.com)

If you have a friend or family member who likes cake but who also likes macaroons and you can't decide which to make them...why not give them both in this three tier multi-colour macaroon cake. You can choose any colour of macaroon you like, I quite fancy making another one with a rainbow or macaroons and it looks quite impressive without being too difficult!


This cake is based on a design by the cake decorator Zoe Clark, she made hers with 4 tiers and with a slightly different shade of yellowy/peach on the extra tier.


To make the macaroons I used the Italian meringue method, which I have been reliably informed is the best method. The first batch I made were the pink ones, I think the egg whites may have been slightly overbeaten in this batch as the mixture was very stiff and I couldn't get rid of the peaks. However, with a bit of practice the peach and yellow macaroons came out a lot better. You can find recipes for macaroons on the internet and in many recipe books but here are my top tips for macaroon making.

Top tips for making macaroons:
  1. When heating your sugar and water make sure you use a heavy based saucepan and have a thermometre on hand as the temperatures need to be very precise.
  2. Mark out circles on your greaseproof paper using a circular cutter as a guide to give your macaroons a uniform size. Don't forget to turn your paper over to use it, otherwise the pencil will come off on the macaroons!
  3. To pipe, don't try to go round in a circle. Just hold the nozzle still and pipe, the shape will form on it's own. When you reach the edges of your circle template, stop putting pressure on the piping bag and quickly swirl the nozzle to avoid a peak. This can be achieved with a flick of the wrist.
  4. When you have finished piping your macaroons, tap the tray on the counter top to get rid of any ridges or peaks.
  5. Once piped, leave your macaroons for around 30 minutes before putting them in the oven. They should form a skin over the top.
  6. Finally, whilst cooking your macaroon should grow in size and a little foot should develop around the base of each macaroon as you can see above.

22 comments:

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

The cake is stunning!! I never heard that there was an Italian method for making French Macaroons :). Great tips - thank you for sharing them.

Rena said...

Oh my gorgeous!
What type of cake is under there? Stunning, absolutely stunning. That cake needs a party immediately!

Unknown said...

Simply great! Love the pink-peach-yellow theme. As always you have dona a fantastic job :D!

Sabina Sala said...

it's great!!!!
sabina

April said...

Spectacular!! Love the tips on making macaroons!

x

Betsy Brock said...

This looks like so much fun! And I love to bake. I'm going to join in for May. :)

My Inner Chick said...

This cake is unbelievable. Sooooo gorgeous. Did you actually make this? WOWWWWWW.

Mary Bergfeld said...

What a glorious creation. I am in awe of your skill. The cake is beautiful. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Butter Hearts Sugar said...

Wow! such a gorgeous cake, I love the colours! I've never tried the Italian macaron method, yours look great so uniform with perfect feet.

easyfoodsmith said...

OMG! What gorgeous cake! It is looking great. Well done!

Angie's Recipes said...

What a masterpiece!

Unknown said...

OH MY WORD!!! those looks absolutely adorable!!! a two in one treat :) rock on Alida :)

Little Mommy Kim said...

gorgeous!

LinsFood said...

This is such a pretty cake!

Unknown said...

holy hanna montana! i'm not much of a baker - this is amazing to me! well done!

Catch My Words said...

That's a beautiful cake!

Catch My Words
http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

Jennifer Dawn said...

Gorgeous cake!

PC said...

This is the sweetest site I ever come across - you must be a sweet creative angel!

cookingvarieties said...

hi Laura, many thanks for coming over. this sure is a beautiful looking cake.
The colors look vibrant and appetizing. i dont know how to make this. ha ha. have a nice day

Torviewtoronto said...

beautiful choice of colours cake looks fabulous

beti said...

what an amazing cake! it looks beautiful and like it requires a lot of work but it's definetly worth it

Winnie said...

It's a stunning cake!
Unique and very elegant

Sorry for my late comment (I've been terribly busy lately)