Pink Layered Cake Recipe Recipe 465

Steps:

• Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Put the unsweetened chocolate and the cocoa into a small bowl. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate and allow it to steep for 1 minute. Whisk the mixture together. Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla. Set aside.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, then whisk the mixture by hand to ensure that the ingredients are well mixed.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars together on medium-high speed until light, about 3 minutes. As you make the batter, stop the mixer frequently and scrape the paddle and the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. On low speed, drizzle the oil into the mixture until blended. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat until the batter is fluffy, about 3 more minutes. Blend in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, adding the next one as soon as the previous one has disappeared into the batter. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the chocolate mixture in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour. After each addition, mix until just barely blended and stop and scrape the bowl. Stop the mixer before the last of the flour has been incorporated and complete the blending by hand with a rubber spatula to ensure you do not overbeat the batter.
• Divide the thick batter equally among the prepared pans (there will be approximately 1 pound 2 ounces per pan). Smooth the tops and tap the pans on the counter to settle the batter and eliminate any large air bubbles. Bake in the middle of the oven until the centers spring back when lightly touched, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Flip the cakes out of the pans, leaving on the parchment paper until you assemble the cake. Let them continue to cool on the rack, top sides up, until they reach room temperature.
• To assemble the cake, lay one of the cakes top side up on a cake plate. Using a metal spatula, frost the top with 3/4 cup of buttercream, spreading it out to the edge of the cake (the filling will be about 1/4 inch thick). Stack the second cake top side up on top of the frosted cake and spread another 3/4 cup of buttercream on top of it. Stack the last layer of cake top side up on top. Look for any frosting that may have oozed out beween the layers and spread it along the sides of the cake. Apply a thin layer of frosting all over the cake to create a "crumb coat." Place the cake in the refrigerator until the frosting is firm, about 10 minutes. Take it out and frost the cake with the remaining buttercream, using your spatula to make decorative swirls.
• Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Steps:

• Cake Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour four 8 inch round cake pans, bottoms lined with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, lighly combined the egg whites, 1/4 cup milk and vanilla. In a large bowl of standing mixer, combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and the remaining 3/4 cup milk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed and beat for 1 to 2 longer. Gradually add the egg/milk mixture in three 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition, scraping down the sides. Divide out the batter into four different bowls. You are now going to color the cakes so you can count the squirts of food coloring you are adding and increase the amount of food coloring to the colors you want to end up with. In the first bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a couple of squirts of red food coloring, so that the batter turns a pale pink. In the 2nd bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract and a few more squirts than the first bowl of red food coloring, so that the batter turns a shade darker in pink. In the 3rd bowl add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and more squirts again of red food coloring to make it a darker shade of pink. In the 4th bowl add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and enough squirts of red food coloring to make your darkest pink layer of cake. Scrape batter into prepared 8 inch pans and smooth with a spatula. Pans will not be full. Bake 20 to 30 minutes until a tester inserted comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed in the center. Let cakes cool on racks for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and flip to let the cake out, let cool completely on racks. Once cooled, trim the rounded top off the cakes so the layers will lay flat when assembled. Frosting Cream butter, salt, and vanilla, beating with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners sugar gradually, beating after each addition. Add 3 tablespoons milk or light cream, beating until smooth. Beat in more milk until desired spreading consistency is reached and the frosting is spreadable. Makes about 4 2/3 cups of frosting, enough to frost tops and sides of the Four - 8 inch layer cakes. Assembling the cake: Use about 1 cup of frosting in between layers. To assemble, put one layer (top up) on cake plate. Start with the darkest cake layer first and work your way up darkest to lightest. Spread about a cup of the frosting on top. Place another layer on top (bottom side up), spread about a cup of frosting on top. Place the third layer and spread a cup of frosting. Place the fouth layer, and frost the entire cake sides and top. It is easiest to spread a thin layer on cake first, then frost again, using a spatula to spread on the remainder of the icing. Garnish with cake candy if desired.

Steps:

• To make the strawberry concentrate, wash, dry, and hull the strawberries. Cut the berries in half or quarter them if they are especially big.
• Combine the strawberries, water, and sugar in a medium nonreactive saucepan and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. Turn down the heat to the low, cover, and simmer until the berries are soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the berries rest, covered, for 5 minutes.
• Transfer the berry mixture to a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium nonreactive saucepan. Once all of the juice has drained, set the berries aside to use in another project. Bring the juice to a simmer over medium-low heat until it has reduced down to 1/4 cup (2.1 oz / 60 g), about 10 minutes, and set aside to cool.
• To assemble the pink cake, place the cooled cake on a flat, stable work surface. Using a long, serrated knife, slice off the rounded top of the cake so that it is perfectly level. An even, flat top is key to the look of this dessert.
• Using the serrated knife, split the cake horizontally into 2 even layers. Split each half in half again so that you have a total of 4 layers. Place the bottom layer on an 8-inch cardboard cake round or directly on the serving platter and set on top of a cake turntable, if you have one. Generously brush the surface of the cake with simple syrup.
• Prepare the buttercream by warming and whipping it to achieve a mayonnaise-like consistency (see Working with Buttercream ). Measure out 1/2 cup (2.6 oz / 73 g) of buttercream and, using an offset spatula, spread it evenly on the bottom cake layer, being careful not to let it blop over the sides. As you spread the buttercream, let a small wall (about 1/4 inch high) form around the outer edge, creating a well for the lemon curd.
• Evenly distribute 1/4 cup (2.1 oz / 60 g) of the lemon curd in the well. Set another cake layer on top and brush with simple syrup; spread with buttercream, creating a well, and fill with lemon curd just as you did with the first layer. Repeat with the third layer. Top with the final cake layer.
• If necessary, warm the buttercream once again. Measure out 1 cup (5.2 oz / 146 g) of buttercream and use the offset spatula to apply it as a crumb coat, a thin coating covering all surfaces of the cake; a crumb coat will seal the exterior of the cake to help prevent crumbs from marring the final frosting. (It's important to measure out buttercream specifically for the crumb coat so that the unused buttercream remains crumb free.) Refrigerate the cake for 10 to 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• Reserve about 1/2 cup (2.6 oz / 73 g) of buttercream for the top of the cake. Using an offset spatula, apply a thick layer of the remaining buttercream to the sides of the chilled crumb-coated cake. At this point, it's not important that the cake look pretty-it's most important that the buttercream be evenly distributed around the sides. With the cake sitting squarely in the middle of the turntable and with the offset spatula held vertically against the frosting, begin spinning the turntable. Keep the cake moving steadily in one direction and apply light pressure with the spatula; the buttercream will begin to even out. I like to imagine the spatula as the needle that stays steady while the record (or cake) spins round and round on the turntable. My goal is to make the sides perfect before adding any Thiebaud personality. Make sure to watch the vertical line of the cake; I find it helpful to look at the right side of the cake at eye level while spinning the turntable. You can add more buttercream to any spots that seem thin and whittle down any thick spots with the spatula.
• Once the sides are perfectly vertical and smooth, create as much or as little texture as you want in the buttercream. I constantly refer back to Display Cakes as I try to capture the casual, slightly imperfect look of Thiebaud's cakes onto my neatly frosted sides. It's not easy! While spinning the cake on the turntable, I often hold my offset spatula vertically and gently wobble it back and forth, or I take a quick swipe at the cake with the spatula blade as the turntable spins.
• When the sides are to your liking, you'll find a ring of buttercream standing up above the surface of the cake. Lightly "grab" the excess buttercream in one area with the offset spatula and pull it toward the center of the cake, spreading it toward the center. Repeat until you have a nice, clean edge all around.
• If necessary, warm the reserved buttercream, and then mound it up on top of the cake in the center. Using a small offset spatula, start from the center and begin smoothing out the buttercream, inching it closer and closer to the edge of the cake. I work fairly slowly when doing this in order to get a nice, voluminous lip of buttercream where the sides and the top of the cake meet, re-creating the ring that appears around the top edge of Thiebaud's pink cake.
• Place the raspberry in the center of the cake.
• The cake is best served immediately.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Spray bottoms and sides of two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray with flour.
• In large bowl, stir together cake mix and 1 1/4 cups champagne. Add oil, egg whites and food color; beat with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes. Pour into pans.
• Bake as directed on box for 8- or 9-inch rounds. Cool 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In medium bowl, beat frosting ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. On serving plate, place 1 cake layer, rounded side down. Frost top of cake layer. Top with second layer, rounded side up. Frost side and top of cake. Sprinkle with garnishes. Store loosely covered.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350. Butter two 8 inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper or waxed paper and set aside.
• For the cake, in a large bowl, stir together the package directions, using the eggs and oil and water. Stir in the zest . Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and toothpick inserted in the centers of the cakes comes out clean.
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Carefully turn cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the frosting, beat together the confectioners sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in the remaining frosting ingredients until combined. I added a few drops of pink food coloring.
• Transfer one cake to a cake stand or large plate. Using an offset spatula, spread the top of the cake mix with a layer of frosting. Place the second cake on top of the first. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of both layers.
• I put mine in the refrigerator to stay chilled.