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.
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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.
