This document provides a recipe for a checkered cake with instructions written as if they are from a published e-book. It includes ingredients and instructions for making white and black sponge cakes, a buttercream filling, and a chocolate glaze. The instructions describe in detail each step of the process, from mixing and baking the individual sponge cake layers to assembling the layers with buttercream and coating the finished cake with chocolate glaze. Photos accompany many of the steps to illustrate the process.

1. Checkered Cake
Copyright © 2010 – keikos-cake.com – All Rights Reserved

2. Checkered Cake
Published by:
PastryFriends.com
Kronenburger Str. 28
50935 Cologne – Germany
Contact:
keiko@pastryfriends.com
Website:
http://keikos-cake.com
http://PastryFriends.com
Copyright © 2010 – keikos-cake.com. All rights are reserved.
No part of this e-book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the
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Note: This e-book is optimized for viewing on a computer screen, but it
is organized so you can also print it out and assemble it as a book. Since
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usual printed books.

3. Ingredients
White sponge cake
Egg
190 g
(6.7 oz.)
Sugar
110 g
(3.9 oz.)
Flour
70 g
(2.5 oz.)
Corn starch 20 g
(0.7 oz.)
Butter
30 g
(1.1 oz.)
Milk
20 ml
Black sponge cake
Egg
190 g
(6.7 oz.)
Sugar
110 g
(3.9 oz.)
Flour
60 g
(2.1 oz.)
Corn starch 10 g
(0.35 oz.)
Cocoa powder 20 g (0.7 oz.)
Butter
20 g
(0.7 oz.)
Milk
20 ml
Buttercream
Butter
400 g
Egg white 230 g
Sugar
200 g
Water
50 ml
(14.1 oz.)
(8.1 oz.)
(7.1 oz.)
Chocolate glaze
Dark couverture
Heavy cream
300 g
370 ml
(10.6 oz.)
Note: Don‘t forget to watch the accompanying video… 

4. I use a 18 cm (7.1 inches) diameter pan for the checkered cake. If you‘re using a different
size, multiply all amounts (ingredients) with the factor from the table below.
Your cake pan
(diameter in cm)
My cake pan
Your cake pan
(diameter in inches)
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
cm
cm
cm
cm
cm
cm
cm
cm
cm
cm
cm
cm
cm
cm
0,44
0,52
0,60
0,69
0,79
0,89
1,00
1,11
1,23
1,36
1,49
1,63
1,78
1,93
Factor
5,0
5,5
6,0
6,5
7,0
7,5
8,0
8,5
9,0
9,5
10,0
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
Example:
0,50
0,60
0,71
0,84
0,97
1,12
1,27
1,43
1,61
1,79
1,98
Factor
If you are using a
21 cm pan, multiply
all amounts with a
factor of 1.36
If you are using a 6“
cake pan, multiply
all amounts with a
factor of 0.71
Etc.
This way, your cake
will have the same
height as mine. 

5. First, prepare the cake pan. Cut out stripes of
baking paper for the sides and a round sheet
of baking paper for the bottom.
For the checkered cake you need to bake two
sponge cakes, a white one and a black one.
Prepare and bake one sponge cake after the
other.
Diameter: 18 cm (7.1 inches)

6. Sponge Cake
Start mixing the eggs and sugar in a large bowl
over a double boiler (saucepan with boiling
water).
Keep mixing until the mixture reaches 38-40°C
(100-104°F), then take the bowl away from
heat.
You don‘t need a thermometer, just check with
a finger that the temperature is slightly above
body temperature.

7. Keep beating the eggs until the mixture is very
light and foamy. This takes time, so be patient.
You will also notice that the color changes from
orange to yellow and (almost) white.

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9. Fold in the sifted flour and corn starch.
Add the warm milk and melted butter and mix
with a spatula. Don‘t overmix or the batter will
lose its foamy consistency.

10. Pour the sponge cake batter into the cake pan
and tap the pan on the table to release large
air bubbles in the batter.
Bake for 25-30 minutes in your pre-heated
oven at 190°C (374°F).
While the white sponge cake is in the oven,
start preparing the black sponge cake. The
steps are exactly the same, except that you
add cocoa powder together with the flour and
corn starch.

11. After baking, invert the sponge cake(s) on a
cake cooler. Let them cool down completely.
You now have the two sponge cakes for the
checkered cake…

12. Trim the top of each sponge cake, then cut it
into three slices using a large knife (with
serrated edge).
If you find it hard to slice the cake accurately,
you can use a tool called „layered cake cutter“
for this.

13. Next, use a large and a small ring to cut the
shapes into the sponge cake slices.
Diameter (large ring): 12 cm
Diameter (small ring): 6 cm
(4.7 inches)
(2.4 inches)
Replace the middle rings from the white
sponge sheets with the middle rings from the
black sponge sheets (and vice versa).
Stack the sponge sheet layers and put them
aside. Next, we need to prepare the
buttercream…

14. Buttercream
We prepare a basic buttercream by mixing
meringue with whipped butter.
Let‘s start with the meringue…
Whip the egg whites in a clean metal bowl. At
the same time, bring the sugar syrup to a boil.

15. Keep beating the egg whites to stiff peaks.
Also keep an eye on the boiling sugar syrup.
When the syrup reaches 117-120°C
(243-248°F), pour it into the egg white. Keep
mixing until the meringue cooled down.
If you don‘t have a thermometer to measure
the temperature, observe the consistency of
the syrup. It‘s ready to use when it thickens
and builds large bubbles. It still must be liquid
enough to mix with the egg white.

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17. Whip the soft(!) butter with your electric mixer
until it becomes fluffy and almost white. This
takes several minutes, so be patient.
Fold the meringue into the whipped butter in
three steps. Mix until you get a uniform
consistency.

18. Now it‘s time to assemble the checkered cake.
Start with the bottom outer ring and add one
ring after the other, using the buttercream to
„glue“ the pieces together. Without the
buttercream, the cake would fall appart, when
you cut the pieces, later. 
Add a thin layer of buttercream on top of each
sponge cake layer.

19. After stacking all six layers of sponge cake
rings, coat the top and sides with buttercream.
Start with the top, then work on the sides.
First, coat the cake with a thin layer of
buttercream to cover the gaps…

20. …then, add a thicker layer on top (top and
sides of the cake).
Smooth the sides with a dough scraper.
Finally, smooth the top with strokes from the
side to the center (blue arrow).
Put the cake in the freezer for at least two
hours.

21. Copyright © 2010 – keikos-cake.com – All Rights Reserved

22. Chocolate glaze
Heat the heavy cream, then add it to the
chopped couverture in a large metal bowl.
Stir the mixture until the couverture fully
dissolved in the heavy cream. Then, stir a little
more, just to be sure. 
Set aside for cooling.

23. Wait until the chocolate glaze cooled down a
little and thickened.
Take the checkered cake out of the freezer and
place it on a cake cooler (grid) on top of a
large bowl.
Pour the chocolate glaze over the cake and
the sides of the cake.

24. Level the surface with a palette knife, then wait
until the chocolate glaze solidifies.
Carefully place the cake on a cake plate and
decorate as you like. I use beat gold and thin
plates of tempered dark couverture.

25. Copyright © 2010 – keikos-cake.com – All Rights Reserved

26. Keikos-cake: „Seasons“
coming soon…