Coffee French Buttercream and Coffee Syrup [opera cake]

We'll use the same coffee 'shots' to flavor the buttercream and the soaking syrup for the sponge.
You'll need:

4 tsp instant coffee
2 tbsp hot water

Mix them together and set aside.  

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This is probably one of the richest buttercream.  like ever.  okay lets get started.

French Buttercream
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup +2tbsp water
2 egg yolks (be sure to use organic eggs)
1/2 cup of butter

Start by measuring out 1/2 cup of butter.  A cup is approximately 230 grams, so 1/2 cup is 115 grams– which I divided it into perfectly.  perfectly.  oh the beauty.   Keep the other half of butter on the counter, we'll use it to make the ganache and the chocolate base later on.

On medium-high heat, combine water and sugar.  Here I'm using caramel sugar to give it a better taste, but you could use caster sugar just fine.  We're going to bring this up to soft ball stage or 238˚F, so be sure to use your thermometer for this. If not, just keep testing by dropping the syrup in ice cold water.  If the syrup is firm and soft - hence soft ball stage, it is ready.

Meanwhile, start whisking the egg yolks.

 Don't worry its not burned.  Its just the color of my sugar.  Once it reaches 238˚F, remove from heat and, with mixer on low, pour the hot syrup in a thin stream.  Not while the mixture is on high.  never when its on high, cause the whisk is gna splatter the sugar and its going to be all over the side of the bowl too.  You don't want web-by sugar strands all over your hair.  Trust me.

 Sugar on the side of the bowl is most annoying.  Anyway whisk until the yolks are pale and thick.  Ribbon stage is ideal.  While you're waiting, you should probably make the coffee syrup(bottom of the post).

 Add half of your coffee syrup, scrape the side of the bowl, whisk a little more, and you're done.  Chill in the fridge.  

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Coffee Syrup

Other half of the coffee

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

Combine the water and sugar in a glass.  Microwave until all sugar is dissolved.  Add in the coffee after.  DON'T do this.  please.  

 all was good here.

 Don't do it like me and use coffee flakes.  Takes forever to come together.  seriously.  The syrup is thick.  its not watery.  The flakes don't melt.  It clumps.  nightmare.

 

Painting on Fondant

Fondants are great, fondants are fun.  

Fondants are useful too.

And sometime you do want to make fun cake toppers.  

I don't know, maybe you feel like painting too.

So why not combine? 

The key things you will need:

–Colorless alcohol such as Gin, Vodka, Tequila, sakes

–Gel food coloring

–Fondant

–Paint brush

Okay lets start! 

Dust your work surface with a mixture of corn starch and icing and roll out your fondant to your desired thickness.  Make sure you don't make it too thin, or else it'll be very easily broken. ⇓⇓⇓

⇐ I tried to be cool with my gloves.

Brush off any excess corn starch/icing, makes life easier :) 

You can trim the fondant to the size you need and leave it out in a counter to dry, but if you're in a hurry, or just lazy like me, just keep going.

Onward! 

Take a shot of alcohol and prepare to have some fun (kidding).  You'll need some sort of painting palette, but I don't have one.  So I used the chocolate silicon mode.  Same thing.  Don't follow me.

You need alcohol because it evaporates quicker, dries faster, and the fondant won't melt.  Also the fumes makes you high.

Treat it like water color, mix color gel with drops of alcohol until you get the color you want.  Start by boxing in the shape of what you're going to paint, same as what you learned in art class of course.  I like to slowly layer, but its up to you.  

Once you got the outline done, trim the fondant.  Use the trimming as a scratch pad :) All is cool.  All is well. 

I felt like an art kid. I really should be taking IB art.  

Im great.  

Once you're done,  leave it out to dry.  Mine took days, cause its hot-humid Thailand.  

If you're planning to put this on a buttercream/mouse cake, or anything moist, please coat the bottom of the fondant with white or dark chocolate.  It blocks out the moisture, preventing the water soluble fondant to melt. 

I gave this another go.  I think I have improved, eh?

Getting used to the new medium. ⇓⇓⇓

Thank you for reading!