Pimlico Cake and How to Avoid the Most Common Mistakes When Making It

Pimlico Cake (yield: 1 6-in round cake)

Chiffon Cake:
1 c + 2 Tbsp (140g) cake flour, sifted
1 tsp (4g) baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c (100g) sugar
1/3 c (67g) vegetable oil
4 egg yolks
1/3 c (75g) water
1 tsp (5g) vanilla extract
4 egg whites
pinch of cream of tartar
1/3 c (67g) sugar

1. Whisk together the oil, yolks, water, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
2. Add cake flour, baking powder, salt, and first sugar and whisk to combine.
3. In the bowl of a mixer, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar until frothy. Add the second sugar one tablespoon at a time and continue to mix on medium-high speed until medium peaks form.
4. Gently fold the meringue into first mixture.
5. Evenly distribute the cake batter between two 6-in cake pans that have been prepared with only a circle of parchment paper on the bottom (no grease!)
6. Bake at 350F for 25-30min or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool upside down on a sheet of parchment.

Vanilla Pastry Cream
10 oz (283g) milk
2 tbsp (25g) sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 egg yolks
3 tbsp (21g) cornstarch
1/4 c (50g) sugar
1 oz (28g) butter
1 tsp vanilla

1. Heat the milk, first sugar, and salt on medium heat until it comes to just below a boil.
2. Mix together the egg yolks, cornstarch, and second sugar in a separate bowl.
3. Temper the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture by slowly adding some of the hot liquid to the yolks while whisking constantly.
4. Return everything to the pot and cook on medium heat until thickened.
5. Off the heat, strain through a sieve and add butter and vanilla, whisking until homogenous. 6. Press plastic wrap directly on the pastry cream and refrigerate until cool.
7. Stir with spatula to loosen when ready to use.

Dark Chocolate Ganache:
1 c (227g) heavy cream
8 oz (227g) dark chocolate, chopped

1. Heat the heavy cream over medium heat until it comes to just below a boil.
2. Add the hot cream to the dark chocolate and let sit for two minutes.
3. Use a rubber spatula to stir everything together. Start by slowly mixing in the center and work your way out.

Assembly

1. Run a paring knife around the edge of the cake pans and remove the cakes. Once cool, cut the cakes in half.
2. Stack the cake layers, alternating with roughly one third of the pastry cream.
3. Use a little pastry cream to smooth the edges and seal the crumbs on the top and sides of the cake.
4. After the ganache has cooled and thickened slightly, pour on top and and swirl, letting some of the ganache drip down the sides of the cake.

[cess]

This looks like my husband’s favorite cake. And now I know how I screw up. I was never taught to bake so I just don’t know how to do it and which steps go wrong when I screw up.

[schana]

Usually I hate these short-format videos, but this is very informative, showing the "too-much" and "too-little" stages of the steps.

[joereed]

I've seen a large number of your shorts recently and I have to say that your recipes are amazing. They provide a perfect amount of additional context needed for someone like me who can bake but wouldn't call myself a baker

[keshacow]

I love how it’s the great British bake off music❤😂

[SmartyPoohBear]

That swirling from the ice cream scoop turned out so satisfying.

[duhmeir]

Adding these troubleshooting tips for recipes is immensely helpful and I hope more people start presenting them in these concise easy to follow formats.

[Yenrei]

I admire your addition of what it looks like to deviate from the recipes. Honestly it makes a great standard for cooking shorts in general since, if you're like me, watching them inspires me to give the dishes a try myself.

[mia_voorhees]

i love how objective he is, like he doesn’t say if something is necessarily good or bad he just states what will happen if you do a certain step

[livewellwitheds]

please make a cookbook. it would be a huge hit. I promise.

[marcusfarcus]

This guy … love the end product ( and that copper stand mixer)

[jordant.teeterson]

These videos will eliminate the need for many rounds of trial and error and make it easier for folks to nail it first time. Well done.

[shamarcamargo]

Thank you for your tutorials. You bring that elusive “something extra” to the table…

[tonyserrano]

Your style of presentation is excellent. Including common mistakes and giving tips on everything is just perfect

[goonrock]

BRO, this is the best baking resource on the internet

[frenchtoastrazu]

the under-folded cake looks and sounds sooo good

[vickieadams]

I love how you show the good, the bad, and the ugly. You go through a lot of work to make the bad examples. I appreciate all of your efforts.

[QuintonNG]

The way you show the results of common mistakes is just fantastic! Now I know where I went wrong lol 😂

[VictorianRabbit]

Favorite baking youtuber! Thanks for the helpful content!

[ToastyTastyPancakes]

The best kind of recipe goes into detail about why each step is important so you know what you can and can't substitute or change.

[tallyjaxval]

Thank you so much for showing us what it looks like if we mess up a step, so that if our cakes turn out that way we know what the problem is ❤