During the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, my husband celebrated his 43rd birthday. While Beijing has already lifted its heavy restrictions on the number of diners allowed at each table, I still had lingering concerns when it came to the highlight of the evening –– the birthday cake. More specifically, blowing out the candles on his birthday cake.
If this year has taught us anything, it’s that masks are an essential part of staying safe in public and how far our droplets of saliva travel when we exhale. So with that bit of information newly drilled into our brains, the idea of serving up a piece of cake to his closest friends after the love of my life has sprayed his saliva all across the surface just doesn’t sit well with me anymore.
Thankfully, a new trend is on the rise: socially distanced birthday cakes. Catching on with bakeries and germ conscious foodies alike, a socially distanced birthday cake is basically a regular birthday cake that comes with a cute little cupcake on the side. Instead of blowing out the candle on the big birthday cake, you put the candle on your cupcake and blow it out there instead; keeping the rest of the cake germ-free.
But did it really need to take a global pandemic for us to realize that birthday cakes weren’t the most sanitary thing to eat all these years? As Beijing mom Alessia Chizzoniti can testify, blowing out candles can be a messy affair. “On my daughter’s last birthday she blew on the candles while her mouth was full of crunched popcorn. Everyone went from cheerful to disgusted in a nanosecond.”
I’m very particular when it comes to cakes. Not only does it need to be beautiful, it needs to be unique, taste great, and not put me in a sugar coma after just a few bites. When it comes time to celebrate, I tend to call up théATRE Tea for one of their light and fluffy cakes that are low in sugar, with hints of subtle fruit and tea scents, and beautiful without being layered with fondant and tacky decorations.
For those who want to make their next social distanced birthday cake at home, Chef Lily Zhang from théATRE Tea shared the recipe for her birthday cake, that makes both a delicious cake for all to share as well as a cupcake just for the birthday boy or girl.
INGREDIENTS
● 125g sugar
● 170g plain flour
● 5g baking powder
● 12g cocoa powder
● 170g butter
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease and flour a 6-inch cake tin and cupcake tin.
2. Bring the butter to room temperature to soften.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the sugar until creamy.
4. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder in a mixing bowl and mix.
5. Slowly combine the dry ingredients and the butter mixture and mix well.
6. To make the cupcake, transfer about 50g of the cake batter into a piping bag and squeeze out into the cupcake pan.
7. Transfer the rest of the batter into the cake tin.
8. Bake the cake for 25 minutes, and the cupcake for about 18 minutes. The cakes are done when it springs back to the touch.
9. When the cakes are ready, let cool to room temperature before you decorate.
PRO TIPS:
Don’t rush perfection. Let your cupcake fully cool down before you start decoration. Otherwise, you will be left with a melted sugary mess.
Consider making a smaller main cake and more than one cupcake. You never know if you’ll need a backup when it comes time to decorate, and to be honest, a party can never have too many cupcakes anyway.
théATRE CAKE 茶聚场
No. E101 WFC East Tower, 1 East 3rd Ring Road 东三环中路1号环球金融中心东楼一层E101号
Ph: 6501 5381
KEEP READING: Persimmon Pleasures: Recipes For Beijing’s Juicy Fruit
Photos: Uni You
This article appeared in the beijingkids 2020 October issue
