Raspberry Buttercream Recipes

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans; dust the pans with flour, and knock out excess.
• In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, coffee, vanilla and 1 1/2 cups water. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix on low speed. Mix in the butter and eggs, and then slowly add the buttermilk mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake until the cake layers begin to pull away from sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes.
• For the Swiss meringue buttercream: Add the sugar and egg whites to a heatproof stand mixer bowl, and set over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture registers 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and cooled, about 10 minutes. Continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. (Makes 7 cups. See Cook's Note.)
• For the raspberry buttercream: In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat 800 grams of the Swiss meringue buttercream together with the raspberry puree until fully incorporated. (Makes 4 cups.)
• To assemble: Level and tort both cakes--you will end up with 4 layers of cake. Place one cake layer on a serving platter; add about a 1/2-inch layer of the raspberry buttercream. Repeat until you have 4 stacked layers of cake and 3 layers of filling. Frost the cake with the remaining Swiss meringue buttercream.

Steps:

• Put the raspberries in a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat stirring with a spoon until they break down into a sauce. Pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer to take out the seeds and then put the seedless sauce back in the pot and simmer until it reduces to a 1/4 cup of very concentrated raspberry sauce. Set aside to cool.
• When the raspberry flavoring is room temperature, cream the butter in the bowl of a standing mixer using a paddle attachment. Then add about 2 cups of powdered sugar, the raspberry sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt. Process until smooth. Add another 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and continue to mix until it is spreading consistency adding milk if needed to make it less stiff.
• I adapted my frosting to make it vegan because my daughter is allergic to dairy. So I used expeller pressed coconut oil in place of the butter. I had to melt it slightly to remove the lumps as they wouldn't creamt together. It still came together very well. If the temperature was above 75 or so, the frosting might melt if using coconut oil. I also used coconut milk to thin in and it left tiny white lumps due to the acidity of the lemon juice. It would have worked better to use rice milk or even just water, probably.

Steps:

• Beat cream cheese, cream and butter until light and fluffy.
• Add extract.
• Slowly add confectioners sugar, 1 cup at a time.
• Add more confectioners sugar if needed for desired consistency.
• *OPTIONAL* - Pipe using Wilton's 2110 tip to make the famous "Wilton Swirl", for a more professional appearance.