Time for another Daring Baker's Challenge. This month Morven from Food Art and Random Thoughts chose the Dorie Greenspan's recipe for Perfect Party Cake. I was so excited to try this recipe. There has been so much positive feedback going around about Dorie's recipes from her book Baking: From My Home to Yours. I've been wanting to purchase this book and after successfully completing this challenge, I definitely will be adding it to the top of the list.
While we were allowed to play around with some of the flavorings, I decided to follow the recipe almost exact. The cake layers are so moist and tender with a light lemony flavor complimented perfectly, as the recipe name implies, with the buttercream and raspberry preserves. The only change I made was to exchange the coconut on top with fresh raspberries.
I loved this cake and plan to try it again with some other flavors. Who wouldn't be excited to find this on the table at any party?
Thanks, Morven for a great challenge and be sure to check out the other Daring Bakers here.
Even the kitties loved it!
For the Cake
2 1/4 cups cake flour (updated 25 March)
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
For the Buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For Finishing
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable
About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut
Getting Ready
Centre
a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9
x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round
of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.
To Make the Cake
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
Put
the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub
them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
Add
the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a
hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter
and sugar are very light.
Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.
Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.
Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.
Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
Bake
for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the
touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean
Transfer
the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a
knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper
liners.
Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the
cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room
temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).
To Make the Buttercream
Put
the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof
bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly,
keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch,
about 3 minutes.
The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.
Remove the bowl from the heat.
Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.
Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes.
During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.
On
medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each
addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla.
You
should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press
a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside
briefly.
To Assemble the Cake
Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half.
Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.
Spread it with one third of the preserves.
Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream.
Top
with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do
the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have
buttercream leftover).
Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top.
Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.
Serving
The
cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s
best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room – not
the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately,
the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its
subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the
cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.
Storing
The
cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well
covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before
serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to
set, then wrap it really well – it will keep for up to 2 months in the
freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.
