I had never heard of a 'coquette aesthetic', but I was challenged to make a cake ahead of Galentines' Day. Okay. Done. Additionally, this style reminded me of one of my favorite outfits that Jennifer Garner wears in our February Movies & Munchies pick 13 Going on 30.
On the Screen
Jenna Rink (played by Jennifer Garner) wore a series of adorably chic outfits that captured her "young at heart" self, given that she was a 13-year-old in a 30-year-old body! More about that soon.
The movie opens with Jenna (played by Christa B. Allen) as an awkward teenager who craves the acceptance of the most popular girls in school. Who can't relate to that? It would be so nice if we could all be comfortable in our own skin earlier in life. Am I right?
At her own birthday party, the mean girls play a trick on Jenna and she lashes out at her best friend, Matt, a chubby kid who lives next door. Matt had spent weeks making her a model dream house as a present, complete with wishing dust. Distraught and hiding in the closet, Jenna wishes that she were "thirty, flirty, and thriving" - as her favorite magazine Poise tells her she should be aspiring to be. Some of the wishing dust falls on her and she wakes up as 30-year-old Jenna, a star editor at Poise along with a co-worker (played by Judy Greer) whose real identity we don't discover till later in the film.
As with all rom-coms there is a hefty suspension of disbelief that is required to enjoy the film. Between the actors (adult Matt is played by Mark Ruffalo, Andy Serkis plays her boss at the magazine, and there is a hilarious cameo by Jim Gaffigan as a cabbie who had been her teenage crush), the music, and the outfits, I thoroughly enjoyed 13 Going on 30. I hope the rest of the crew enjoys this rom-com this month.
On the Plate
I was inspired into the kitchen to make a sweet cake head of Valentines' Day that matched some of the outfits Jenna wears. In one of my favorite scenes, she wears dons a modest yellow skirt with a sweet floral corset-style top accessorized with a floral necklace, ring, and barrette. I'm not sure her outfit technically qualifies as 'coquette aesthetic' but I like both the outfit and this cake!
Truth be told: both of my kids were not confident that I could pull off a coquette aesthetic cake. One kid admitted, "It's not really your style." The other kid declared, after I finished this, "Wow, Mom! Why does it looks so good?!" Harsh.
Ingredients
Cake
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 cup organic granulated sugar
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon lime extract
zest from 1 organic lime
1 cup whole milk
1-1/2 cup gluten-free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour)
1/3 cup almond flour
3 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
lime curd for filling (my Lime Curd with a Touch of Matcha)
Also needed heart-shaped baking pans
Buttercream
5 large egg yolks
1/3 cup water
1 cup organic granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon organic corn syrup
2 cups butter, softened
4 drops lime essential oil
green food coloring, as needed (I prefer vegetable and fruit-based dyes)
For Serving
organic chamomile flowers
satin ribbons tied into tiny bows
candles, if it's for a birthday!
Procedure
Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare baking pans by buttering them. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until lightened and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Add in the egg yolks, lime extract, and lime zest. Mix again, then pour in the milk.
In another mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients: gluten-free flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift the dry ingredients into the batter and fold in gently with a spatula until just moistened.
In another mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until medium peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter, taking care not to deflate the egg whites too much.
Divide the cake batter evenly between four cake pans (the original recipe said three, I wanted to do four layers). Place pans on baking sheets and place them in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the layers are firm and golden. Remove the trays from the oven and cool the cakes completely on wire racks.
Buttercream
Place egg yolks in a mixing bowl and beat on high until they are thick, pale, and ribbon off the whisks.
Combine water, sugar, and corn syrup in a small saucepan. You can attach a candy thermometer to the side; I just kept testing until it reached soft-ball stage. If you're using a thermometer, heat until it reaches 238 degrees F. For testing otherwise, dip a spoon into the syrup, then into ice cold water. The syrup should immediately set up into a soft ball. Mine took about 8 minutes to reach the correct consistency.
Once the syrup is ready, remove it from the heat. While one hand hold the mixer, use the other hand to pour the syrup into the yolks. When all of the syrup is added, turn the mixer up to high and beat until the yolks have doubled in size and have reached medium peak stage. The bowl should be cooled and just lukewarm to the touch. Mine took about 9 minutes.
Begin adding butter, one tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition. The more butter you add, the more firm the buttercream will be.
Once your buttercream resembles what you think of as buttercream, add in the lime essential oil and the food coloring.
For Serving
Once the cake layers have cooled completely, use a serrated knife to cut the layers flat. Place a cake layer on your serving plate and pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge. Spoon the lime curd into the center and spread it to the rim. Place a second layer on top.
Smooth the buttercream over the top and along the sides in a smooth layer, then place the remaining buttercream in a piping bag. Decorate the cake with buttercream frills. Dot with chamomile flowers and press the ribbons into the buttercream.
Chill to harden, but let it stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving.
That's a wrap for my February #MoviesandMunchies offering. I can't wait to see what the others make. Stay tuned!
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