real life foodie adventures

Dear Dorie,

Almost-a-Convert

That’s right… another month has passed and it’s Daring Baker time again! Our dear fellow foodie, Morven, wanted to choose something that allowed us a little creative freedom, and I am so pleased that she picked this cake! Not because I took a lot of liberty with the recipe (because I didn’t - it sounded plenty wonderful just the way it was), but because I find it so hard to make that “leap of faith” for anything other than decadent sounding chocolate cake recipes. I’ve always wanted to like white cakes with their pretty appearances, but they always just left me sort of… eh. No more. I loved this cake.

Dorie says this is a “just-right cake for any celebration,” and boy is she right. This cake would be right at home at absolutely any event. And the combination of fresh, white cake, lemon, and raspberry? Just like the name… perfect.

I wish I were a coconut fan, because I love the look of this cake with sweetened coconut pressed into the sides. Alas, I am not, so I opted to garnish my cake with fresh raspberries to complement the raspberry preserves layered inside.

Looking back, I think next time I make this I’ll add a little more lemon juice to my buttercream. I’d have liked just a little more lemon flavor there. However, that’s pretty much the only thing I’d have done differently. This cake is just SO good. (Oh, wait… I’d also warm the preserves a little less - warm it too much and you don’t get quite the impressive raspberry layer that you’re looking for.)

My mom would LOVE this cake. Not too sweet with a nice balance of lemon and raspberry… she’d finally be able to finish a slice without looking for a cup of coffee to “wash it down.” I certainly wouldn’t be sad to make it again so she could try it. (Consider that an open invitation, Mom!)

Thanks, Morven, for a fun and tasty challenge!

(Don’t forget to check out the Daring Baker Blogroll to see the many wonderful interpretations of this cake.)

Dorie’s Perfect Party Cake
(from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours)

Cake:
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk (Dorie recommends buttermilk with the lemon)
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

Buttercream:
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Finishing:
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable

Making the cake:
Center 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.

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).

Making 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.

Assembling 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.

Decorate with fresh raspberries or sweetened coconut.

Serving the cake:
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:
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.

Playing Around:
Since lemon is such a friendly flavour, feel free to make changes in the preserves: other red preserves - cherry or strawberry - look especially nice, but you can even use plum or blueberry jam.

Fresh Berry Cake:
If you will be serving the cake the day it is made, cover each layer of buttercream with fresh berries - use whole raspberries, sliced or halved strawberries or whole blackberries, and match the preserves to the fruit. You can replace the coconut on top of the cake with a crown of berries, or use both coconut and berries. You can also replace the buttercream between the layers with fairly firmly whipped sweetened cream and then either frost the cake with buttercream (the contrast between the lighter whipped cream and the firmer buttercream is nice) or finish it with more whipped cream. If you use whipped cream, you’ll have to store the cake the in the refrigerator - let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.