Recipe courtesy of Rachael Teufel
From:
Food Network Magazine
Geode Cake
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- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 9 hr (includes overnight chilling)
- Active: 1 hr
- Yield: 1 geode cake
This Instagram sensation started as a simple post. In 2016, Denver-based cake maker and Food Network Challenge winner Rachael Teufel was asked to create a cake inspired by an amethyst. She came up with a rock candy geode and shared a photo, and everyone went nuts. Now, with more than 48,000 posts, #geodecake is officially a thing: Beyoncé celebrated her birthday with a black-and-gold one. See how Rachael creates this gem.
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 9 hr (includes overnight chilling)
- Active: 1 hr
- Yield: 1 geode cake
Ingredients
Directions
Special equipment:
1 cake turntable, 2 cardboard rounds (one 6 inch and one 8 inch), 1 offset spatula, 1 bench scraper, 1 small paintbrush and 3 12-inch wooden skewers- Trim the cakes to make them level. Working on a turntable, stack the 6-inch cakes on a cardboard round, spreading the buttercream between them with an offset spatula. Stack the 8-inch cakes the same way on an 8-inch round.
- Cover each layer cake with a thin layer of buttercream (this is the crumb coat), smoothing it with a bench scraper. Refrigerate until firm, 1 hour. Cover with more buttercream; chill overnight. (Reserve 1/2 cup buttercream for step 4.)
- Add the geode to the 6-inch layer cake: Using a paring knife, carve out an irregular piece from the side of the cake. Be careful not to cut deeper than one-third of the diameter of the cake in order to maintain the cake’s structure.
- Frost the inside of the cutout, then gently add the rock candy. (Don’t press too hard or the frosting will ooze out.) Using a spoon, sprinkle sanding sugar around the edges of the cutout to fill in any gaps.
- Dilute a few drops of food coloring with a splash of vodka or lemon extract. (Test your color on some spare rock candy.) Using a paintbrush, paint the center of the geode in an irregular shape; do not oversaturate.
- Add a few more drops of vodka or extract to dilute the remaining food coloring; apply the lighter color around the dark center of the geode. Continue diluting the food coloring; paint outward until all the rock candy is covered.
- Mix a few pinches of silver luster dust with a few drops of vodka or lemon extract. With a clean brush, paint the edges of the geode silver, then apply the gold leaf around the silver paint in spots.
- Decorate the 8-inch cake, placing the geode on a different part of the cake. Insert skewers into the 8-inch cake, cutting them level to the top, then carefully add the 6-inch cake on top so the cardboard round rests flat on the skewers.
