I Tried Making Homemade Zebra Cakes | Claire Recreates

I Tried Making Homemade Zebra Cakes | Claire Recreates
In her exciting new YouTube series, "Claire Recreates," Claire Saffitz tries to recreate beloved childhood snacks and popular meals with a unique twist. Today's episode focuses on the Little Debbie Zebra Cakes. Join Claire as she reimagines these beloved classics, serving up delicious recipes tailored for home cooking enthusiasts. If you're longing for a nostalgic foods and fascinated by the intricacies of recipe development, this series is for you! Don't miss out on Claire's creative take on classic dishes.

#clairesaffitz #zebracake #cake

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:43 Zebra Cakes
01:20 Taste test (Original)
06:28 Game plan
06:41 Bake cake
16:37 Make the filling
22:23 Fill & stack
25:28 Cut out hexagons
27:56 Fondant & glaze
38:14 Chocolate stripes
42:15 Comparison
45:28 Spud gets brushed!

Video Series:
Producer/Director: Vincent Cross
Camera Operator: Calvin Robertson
Editor/Motion Graphics: Hal McFall

Animation Credits:
Character Designer/Animator/Backgrounds: Jack Sherry
Character Rigger: Johara Dutton

Recipe:
To make zebra cakes, start by whisking ¾ cup cake flour, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon baking soda, and ¾ teaspoon kosher salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, beat 3 egg yolks and ¼ cup sugar with a hand mixer until ribbony, then stream in ¼ cup neutral oil, ¼ cup buttermilk, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Pour the yolk mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine three egg whites, ¼ cup sugar, and a pinch of cream of tartar and beat with an electric mixer to stiff peaks. Fold the whites into the batter, then scrape onto a parchment-lined half sheet tray. Bake in a 225-degree oven until springy to the touch and golden, then let cool. Trim the edges then cut the sponge into 6-cm-wide strips and trim them horizontally so they’re about 7mm thick. Freeze the pieces.

To make the filling, combine 3 ounces egg whites, 5.5 ounces of sugar, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and a pinch of cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer set over a double boiler and stir until the sugar dissolves. Whip the egg whites until firm peaks form and the meringue is room temperature, then gradually beat in 10 ounces of room temperature butter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in 1 tablespoon of vanilla paste. Pipe a layer of buttercream onto the surfaces of the cake strips using a basketweave tip, then sandwich the cake together. Chill briefly, then cut out hexagons using a serrated knife and template. Chill the cakes.

In a large bowl, whisk together 4 cups powdered sugar, ¼ cup hot water, ¼ cup light corn syrup, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth. Whisk in 142g melted white chocolate, then thin with more hot water to the desired consistency. Place over a saucepan of hot water to keep warm. Spread a thin layer over the tops of the cakes, let set at room temperature, then place the cakes one at a time glaze-size down on a large fork and spoon the glaze over the cakes until fully enrobed. Place on a wire rack and let set. Pipe thin lines of melted chocolate over the surfaces of the cakes in a wavy pattern and let set.

[CSaffitz]

Back with another episode of Claire Recreates! If you enjoy these episodes, be sure to comment and let us know what you'd like to see next!

[scallywaggy]

starting the recreating series again was one of the best decisions

[Robin-httr]

When i was a kid it was "How it's made", in my 20's it was "Gourmet makes", thank you for indulging my need to deconstruct things and starting this series once again!

[bondfool]

These are even better than the BA era. Claire’s more relaxed, and the ratio of education to entertainment is more balanced. Truly loved this episode!

[keithhanson]

So happy to have these revived. The one aspect that would be great to have back is seeing others try the results. Whether it be the crew, husband or random friends with cooking experience. It was always great seeing peoples reactions to Claire's creations in addition to her tasting notes and analysis.

[nickspolish]

claire trying to get the measurements exact will never not make me giggle, like she’s SO serious… i love it

[vifurawa]

Babe wake up, Claire Saffitz is receating another iconic snack!

[whoistedtho]

The pure joy I felt when I discovered Claire had resurrected 'Gourmet Makes' 🥰

[paxscimile]

I love how chill and not over-produced these videos are. Hard to find content like this in the clickbait / shock value era of youtube 😅

[KelyxTheMage]

I'm so happy that you've managed to find a way to revive this series after the trauma of Gourmet Makes and BA. You seem a lot more comfortable in this environment being able to recreate stuff and much less stressed over it. I hope this series ends up being something you can just let loose and have a lot of fun with 💖

[Angiebee.]

I remember I used to watch these videos Claire did back in 2019 in my first year of college. At the time, I was majoring in nursing, but I knew that wasn’t what I wanted to do. Now, I’m in my fifth year of college and I’m majoring in food science where I do exactly what she does in my R&D roles. I really enjoy it and hope to do more in my future career!!

[sethangel]

I still remember all the Claire videos where she looked like she was always 15 seconds from breaking down. I am here for the Claire that is calmer, more in control of her kitchen. This is the content we need in 2024.

[fgferraro]

We are inching closer to Claire recreating cosmic brownies!!! 🤩🤩

[phyllisreinking]

Love when you take a bite of the finished creation but would also really enjoy seeing your crew try them and comment.

[rohanreagan]

thank you to every single person involved in bringing back claire recreating snacks for youtube videos

[seventhmolar]

i absolutely love how claire sticks to her guns on what she thinks is best, even if it yields unexpected results. her decisiveness is refreshing.

[cchall]

The happy little hand mixer face when she’s measuring the thickness of the cake is adorable! 13:02

[DianeGraft]

Yes! Please do Oatmeal Creme Pies, and Star Crunch Cakes in future episodes.

[AustenLionheart]

The editing from Cal and Vinny is so good!! Love seeing the dream team back together for this.

[fasick]

I love how things come out more home made. Don't worry about making things look exactly like the factory made piece. There's a charm to homemade side of it.