Recipe: »Vanilla Cake with Swiss Buttercream Frosting«

Recipe: »Vanilla Cake with Swiss Buttercream Frosting«

Ingredients: 

Yellow Cake:

• 400 g All Purpose Flour
• 25 g Conrstarch
• 1 t salt
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 340 g unsalted butter, softened
• 400 g white sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 packet vanilla sugar
• 360 ml buttermilk

Swiss Meringue Buttercream: 

• 6 large egg whites
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 packet vanilla sugar
• pinch of salt
• 350 g unsalted butter, soft but still cold

Yellow Cake: 

1. Prepare 3 9’’ cake pans, or for a cute and tall cake, 4 6’’ cake pans.
2. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees celsius, or 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the pans and cut parchment paper disks to match the size of the bottom of the pan. This will help the cakes easily release.
3. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
4. Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy- This will take it’s time,about 5 minutes if the butter is soft. You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Add the eggs in slowly (I like to crack them into a measuring cup and pour them in a slow steady stream). Make sure the egg is incorporating fully before adding too much more. The mixture shouldnt break. Add the vanilla extract.
5. In 4 additions, add the dry mix and the buttermilk a little at a time, Finally mixing just until the batter is uniform.
6. Evenly distribute between the pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream: 

1. Over a double boiler, whisk the egg whites and the sugars together until the mixture is warm and the sugar is fully dissolved – No sandy feeling of sugar crystals if you feel the mixture between your fingers.
2. Whip in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until it becomes a swiss meringue with stiff peaks – Stiff peaks stand upright and do not fall. When it’s done, add the salt and mix it in.
3. If the mixture still has heat, allow it to cool completely. Then use a hand mixer or stand mixer to mix the softened butter in a tablespoon at a time until it is all incorporated. Once all the butter is in, continue mixing until the desired texture is achieved. If it gets too thick, pop it over the double boiler again to let some of the outside melt- then mix again. It should fix the texture. Too thin? Allow it to cool in the fridge and beat it again.
4. When you like the texture, use a rubber spatula to incorporate the food coloring as desired – pastel colors are easiest and most appealing looking – I used hot pink and a fleck of black to make the color on this cake.
5. Decorate with fresh cherries, freeze dried red fruits ( I used Johannesberries and raspberries)