From Kimberley Vy, pastry chef at The Inn at Laurel Point, comes this unique champagne sponge cake, layered with white chocolate buttercream and garnished with sugar-frosted cranberries.
PHOTO: JEFFREY BOSDET
Ingredients
Cranberry Champagne cake
• 3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
• 6 egg whites
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/4 cups champagne
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
White chocolate buttercream
• 10 large egg whites
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 cups unsalted butter, softened, cut into tablespoons
• 12 oz quality white chocolate, melted and cooled
Method
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Prepare three 8-inch cake pans with baking spray and parchment paper in the bottom of the pans.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Add butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, sour cream and champagne and mix on medium speed until just smooth. Do not over mix. Gently stir in the cranberries.
Spread the batter evenly between the three cake pans. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove cakes from pans and finish cooling on a rack.
For the buttercream, place egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof metal mixing bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. Heat, whisking, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture registers 160˚F on an instant-read thermometer.
Transfer to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed for 5 minutes. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture is glossy and cooled. Reduce speed to medium and beat in softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat in the cooled (but still liquid) white chocolate.
Divide buttercream and use to fill and frost cake. Leftovers may be bagged and frozen for later use.
This recipe was included in the November/December 2017 issue of YAM.