The Pink Cake Recipes

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9-by 13-inch baking dish.
• Add the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low speed to combine.
• Next, slowly add in the butter slices and allow to mix until the flour resembles coarse crumbs.
• While the butter mixes, in a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, pink lemonade, milk, lemon extract and vanilla extract.
• With the mixer still on low speed, add the egg mixture in three batches, allowing the liquid to combine into the dry ingredients until fully incorporated. If desired, stir in a few drops of pink or red food coloring to create a light pink color.
• Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack until room temperature. While cooling, prepare the frosting.
• For the frosting: Combine the butter and salt in the stand mixer on low speed. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar in small amounts until all is added, and then turn the speed to medium-high to combine. Add the pink lemonade concentrate and lemon extract and mix until fluffy. Add in the food coloring at this point if desired.
• Once the cake is fully cooled, ice with the frosting and decorate with lemon slices and straws, if desired.

Steps:

• For the pink champagne cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat three 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray.
• Whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
• Combine the granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low, add one-third of the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture. Mix until the flour is just blended. Combine the Champagne and milk. Beat in half of the Champagne mixture. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the Champagne mixture, ending with flour and incorporating fully. Set aside.
• Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer just until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold one-quarter of the egg whites into the batter. Then fold in the remaining egg whites.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the pans and cool completely.
• For the stabilized whipped cream: Pour the heavy cream into a medium bowl. Add the powdered milk, vanilla and 6 tablespoons of the confectioners' sugar. With an electric mixer, beat the cream until it reaches stiff peaks, adding additional confectioners' sugar if needed for desired consistency. (Makes 2 cups.)
• For the strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream: Place a glass bowl over a saucepan filled with approximately 1 inch of water; bring to a simmer. Add the egg whites and granulated sugar to the bowl. Cook, whisking constantly, until the egg whites are hot, the sugar is dissolved and the temperature of the mixture has reached about 140 degrees F. (You can test this by rubbing a small amount between your fingers to make sure it's not gritty.)
• Pour the hot egg mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with the whisk attachment until the bottom of the bowl is no longer warm and the meringue is thick and glossy, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Slowly add the butter cubes, one at a time, until incorporated. The mixture may curdle; keep beating and it will come back together. Continue beating until the mixture is silky and smooth. If it becomes too thin, refrigerate for around 15 minutes and then beat until it comes together.
• Add the pureed strawberries, vanilla extract, salt and a splash of lemon juice. Mix until smooth. (Makes 5 cups.)
• To assemble the cake: Fold the diced strawberries into the stabilized whipped cream, then spread half of the strawberry whipped cream on the top of one cake layer. Place a second cake layer on top of the filling. Repeat with the remaining half of the whipped cream. Place the third cake layer on top of the second. Frost the entire cake, top and sides, with the strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream.

Steps:

• For the cake: Position racks in the upper and lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Brush the bottom and sides of four 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable oil. Dust with flour and tap out the excess; set aside. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir the milk and vanilla together in a large liquid measuring cup. Set both aside.
• Beat the butter, lemon zest and juice, vegetable oil and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally using a rubber spatula. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time until combined and then continue to beat on medium-high speed until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny, about 3 minutes more. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add one-third of the flour mixture until just combined. Beat in half the milk mixture until combined. Repeat these additions, ending with the final one-third of the flour mixture, and beating just until smooth. Stir a few times with the spatula to make sure the batter is well blended.
• Evenly divide the cake batter among 4 medium bowls. Tint one bowl with 1 drop of pink food coloring, tint another with 2 drops of food coloring, the third with 1 teaspoon food coloring, and the last with 1/4 teaspoon food coloring. Stir each bowl until no streaks remain; the frostings should have gradually lighter shades of pink.
• Transfer each bowl of frosting to one of the prepared pans. Bake until the tops are lightly browned, the edges of the cake are beginning to pull away from the side of the pan and the center lightly springs back to the touch, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pans 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
• For the frosting: Fill a medium saucepan about one-third full of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisk the egg whites, sugar, 1/4 cup water, the corn syrup, vanilla, cream of tartar and salt in a large (preferably glass or metal; see Cook's Note) heatproof bowl that will sit over the pot without having the bottom of the bowl touch the water.
• Set the bowl over the pot and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to thicken, 1 to 2 minutes. If the mixtures starts to crystallize on the side of the bowl, brush down the bowl using a wet pastry brush.
• Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the mixture is glossy and holds firm peaks, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and continue to beat until the mixture cools slightly, about 30 seconds more. Beat in the lemon juice and 2 drops of pink gel food coloring. The frosting will start to firm up even more as it cools.
• While the frosting is still slightly warm, start to assemble the cake. Place the most vibrant pink cake layer (tinted with 1 teaspoon food coloring) on a cake stand or serving platter. Spread a heaping 1/2 cup frosting on top of the cake into an even layer using a small offset spatula. Stack the third most vibrant pink cake layer (1/4 teaspoon food coloring) on next, followed by another heaping 1/2 cup of frosting. Repeat with the second most vibrant pink cake layer (2 drops food coloring) and another heaping 1/2 cup frosting. Then top with the lightest pink cake layer (1 drop food coloring). Spread the remaining frosting on the sides and top of the cake, using the offset spatula to create a swirled design. Do not refrigerate; the frosting will set once completely cooled, about 30 minutes.