Now that summer in coming fast upon us, with picnics and parties to plan and attend, Ron has allowed me to share a delicious cake and buttercream recipe for you to make for such occasions.
Ron’s sublime Vanilla Cake
For two x 9” diameter by 2” high round cake pans, greased and floured. Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix in mixer bowl on low speed for 1 minute:
3 + ½ cups sifted CAKE FLOUR (not self-rising)
2 cups GRANULATED SUGAR
1 tsp SALT
1 TBS + 2 tsp BAKING POWDER
Add to mixer bowl and beat for 2 minutes on medium speed:
8 oz (2 sticks) UNSALTED BUTTER, softened.
¾ cup MILK
Wisk in a separate bowl:
6 EGG WHITES
¼ cup MILK
2 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT
Add to mixer bowl in 3 additions, beating for 20 seconds and scraping bowl after each addition. Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Ron’s White Chocolate Blackberry Fruit Buttercream
6 oz White Chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature
9 Large Egg Whites, room temperature
1+1/2 cups Sugar
1+1/2 LB Unsweetened Butter (6 sticks), softened
1/3 to ½ cup Blackberry Fruit puree (or any fruit Nectar)
1 cup fresh berries
Place Egg Whites and Sugar in large metal mixer bowl, set over simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar melts and mixture is very thin and warm.
Remove bowl from heat and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Continue beating on low speed until cool, about 15 more minutes.
Beat in small pieces of soft butter on low speed. The mixture will ‘curdle” before coming together.
Gradually beat in the melted and cooled White Chocolate, and than add the Blackberry Fruit puree.
Re-beat occasionally while frosting cake to maintain smooth texture.
Pay attention now 🙂 Ron is offering some wonderful tips of the trade…
- Make sure the bottom of the mixer bowl does not touch simmering water. Your egg whites may become a sweet scrambled breakfast dish!
- Finished buttercream may be kept covered and refrigerated for a week. Professional chefs prefer to use pasteurized egg whites – no need to separate fresh eggs, no wasted yolks, and safer all-around.
- Chilled buttercream must be brought to room-temperature before beating, otherwise it will curdle. (If such a disaster strikes, do not panic! Keep beating over simmering water and eventually the mixture will come together again.)
NYC Cake Girl 