Neapolitan Layer Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.
• Combine sugar and butter in a bowl and cream using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides and blending for a total of 5 minutes. Add egg yolks slowly, 1 at a time, beating into creamed butter mixture. Beat in vanilla extract.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and 1 pinch salt together in a separate bowl. Add to creamed sugar mixture in 3 batches, alternating with milk and blending after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and blend for 1 minute more; batter should be smooth and consistent. Separate batter evenly into 3 mixing bowls, about 2 1/2 cups in each.
• Beat egg whites and remaining salt together in a bowl using a whip attachment until stiff peaks form.
• Fold 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into 1 bowl of batter and pour into a prepared cake pan for the vanilla layer.
• Fold 1/3 of the whipped egg whites and chocolate-flavored milk powder into another bowl of batter. Pour into another prepared cake pan for the chocolate layer.
• Fold remaining 1/3 of the whipped egg whites, strawberry-flavored milk powder, and red food coloring into remaining bowl of batter. Pour into the remaining prepared cake pan for the strawberry layer.
• Bake cake layers in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of each comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for about 15 minutes before flipping layers onto a wire rack to cool to room temperature, 20 to 30 minutes more.
• Combine cream cheese, butter, and shortening in a bowl and cream together until smooth. Scrape down the bowl and add confectioners' sugar. Blend until frosting is smooth.
• Assemble and frost the cooled cake layers and decorate as you please.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-x-5-inch or a 8.5-x-4.5-x-2.5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Combine the cake mix, egg whites, oil and 1 cup water in a bowl using an electric mixer, mixing until smooth. Divide the batter evenly among 3 bowls. Leave the first bowl plain. To the second bowl, add the cocoa powder and mix well. To the third bowl, add the freeze-dried strawberries and food coloring to achieve your desired color.
• Using an ice cream scoop, place 2 scoops of chocolate mix into the loaf pan in different areas. Follow with 2 scoops of strawberry mix and 2 scoops of vanilla. Repeat until all the batter is used and the cake has a marbled appearance. Place in the oven and bake until a tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
• While the cake bakes, make the ganache. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over a low heat until just simmering. Place the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl, then pour the cream over the chips and let sit for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth.
• Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire rack (not inverted) and let cool.
• Pour the ganache over the cake, letting any excess drip down the sides.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease bottoms and sides of 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with shortening; lightly flour.
• In small bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. In medium bowl, stir milk, vanilla, almond extract and egg whites with whisk until well blended. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture alternately with milk mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until smooth.
• Pour one-third of the batter (about 3 1/4 cups) into 1 cake pan. In small bowl, mix one-third of batter, the strawberries and desired amount of pink food color. Pour into second cake pan. Stir melted chocolate into remaining batter. Pour into remaining cake pan.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove cakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In large bowl, stir frosting and jam until blended and smooth. Mix in desired amount of pink food color until blended.
• Brush off all loose crumbs from cake layers. Place chocolate cake layer, bottom side up, on serving plate; spread with about 1 cup frosting. Top with white cake layer, bottom side down; spread with about 1 cup frosting. Top with strawberry cake layer, bottom side down. Spread very thin layer of frosting on side of cake to seal in crumbs. Spread remaining frosting on side and top of cake.
• Sprinkle work surface with powdered sugar. On work surface, knead chocolate fondant 8 to 10 times. Roll fondant to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out 3/4-inch rounds, 1-inch rounds and 1 1/4-inch rounds with assorted cutters. Place on cake. On work surface, knead pink paste food color into 3 oz of the white fondant until desired shade of pink. Roll fondant to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out 3/4-inch rounds, 1-inch rounds and 1 1/4-inch rounds. Repeat with remaining 3 oz white fondant and pink paste food color until pale pink. Cut out assorted rounds. Place on cake.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and lightly flour 12-cup fluted tube cake pan, or spray with baking spray with flour.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and egg whites with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour about 1 2/3 cups batter into pan.
• Into small bowl, pour 1 1/3 cups batter; stir in almond extract and food color. Carefully pour pink batter over white batter in pan. Stir chocolate syrup into remaining batter. Carefully pour chocolate batter over pink batter.
• Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted 1 1/2 inches from side of cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack or heatproof serving plate; remove pan. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In microwavable bowl, microwave frosting uncovered on High about 15 seconds or until frosting can be stirred smooth and is thin enough to drizzle. Spread over top of cake, allowing some to drizzle down side. Store loosely covered.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C).
• Make the cakes: In a large bowl, prepare the cake batter according to the package instructions.
• Pour 4¾ cups (550 G) of the cake batter into a medium bowl and whisk in the cocoa powder. Set aside.
• Pour 1¼ cups (140 G) of the cake batter into a separate medium bowl and whisk the in strawberry gelatin powder. Set aside.
• Gather a 6-inch (15 cm), 8-inch (20 cm), and 10-inch (25 cm) round aluminum cake pan. Line with parchment paper and grease with nonstick spray.
• Pour the strawberry batter into the 6-inch pan, the vanilla batter into the 8-inch (20 cm) pan, and the chocolate batter into the 10-inch (25 cm) pan. Tap the pans lightly on the counter to smooth the surface and release any air bubbles.
• Bake the cakes, rotating after about 15 minutes. The strawberry cake should take about 25 minutes, the vanilla about 35 minutes, and the chocolate about 40 minutes. For each cake, the top should spring back when lightly touched and a cake tester inserted in the center should come out clean. Let the cakes to cool in the pans on a wire rack. After 10-15 minutes of cooling, remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely.
• Make the frosting: In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric hand mixer for about 30 seconds, until fluffy and smooth. Add the powdered sugar, 1 cup (110 G) at a time, beating on low speed to incorporate. Add the milk and beat to combine.
• Assemble the cake: Slice the strawberry cake into 2 even layers with a serrated knife. Separate the layers and spread about ⅓ cup (40 G) frosting over the bottom layer. Sprinkle half of the pink sprinkles and freeze-dried strawberries evenly over the frosting. Place the top cake layer over the candies and gently press down. Repeat with the vanilla cake, filling with half of the white chocolate chips and white sprinkles, and chocolate cake, filling with half of the chocolate chips and chocolate sprinkles.
• Frost each cake flavor with a thin coat of frosting, then transfer to the refrigerator immediately after frosting to chill and harden slightly, about 15 minutes.
• Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting in the center of a cake stand. Place the chocolate cake in the center of the stand, then gently placing the vanilla cake on top, then the strawberry cake of top of that. Carefully spread more frosting over the top and sides of each layer of cake (this does not need to look extremely neat, as the wafer cookies will cover everything).
• Starting with the bottom chocolate layer, carefully arrange the chocolate wafer cookies vertically around the sides, packing them close together, until the entire perimeter of the cake is covered. Repeat with the vanilla cake and wafer cookies, then with the strawberry cake and wafer cookies.
• Carefully spread remaining half of the pink sprinkles and freeze-dried strawberries over the top of the strawberry cake, covering the frosting. Add remaining half of the white chocolate chips and white sprinkles to the ledge of the vanilla cake, then remaining half of the chocolate chips and chocolate sprinkles to the edge of the chocolate cake.
• Slice and serve.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180C, fan 160°C Grease and line 3 x 18cm round tins. In a blender, puree 100g of the strawberries, then remove the pips by passing through a fine sieve. Set aside.
• Using an electric hand whisk, beat 180g of the butter until smooth. Add the caster sugar and 1tsp vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy, then beat in half the buttermilk. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well, then fold through the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Stir in the remaining buttermilk.
• Divide the batter between 3 bowls. Fold the melted chocolate into one bowl, and 1tsp vanilla extract into the second. Mix the strawberry puree and pink food colour into the third. Pour the batters into the 3 lined tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
• To make the buttercream, whisk together the icing sugar, remaining butter, vanilla extract and 6tbsp milk, until of a smooth spreading consistency. Add an extra 1tbsp milk if necessary.
• Level the sponges using a serrated knife, then sandwich the cakes together by spreading 200g buttercream between each layer, with the chocolate sponge on the base, the vanilla sponge in the middle and the strawberry sponge at the top.
• Using a knife, coat the cake with the remaining buttercream. Sweep around the cake with a palette knife held at a 45 degree angle to remove the excess icing and reveal the sponge beneath. Decorate with the grated chocolate and remaining strawberries, and add bunting.