Ingredients: |
Ingredients: For the cake:
Non-stick cooking spray
2 1/4 cups (9 ounces) cake flour, plus more for dusting the pans
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, but still cool
For the butter frosting:
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, but still cool
4 cups (1 pound) confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon whole milk
Pinch of salt
For the raspberry-almond filling:
1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) blanched slivered almonds, toasted and chopped coarsely
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
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Directions: |
Directions:For the cake:
1. Set oven rack in the middle position. If oven is too small to cook both layers on a single rack, set racks in upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9 inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray; line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper rounds. Spray the paper rounds, then dust the pans with flour and invert pans and rap sharply to remove excess flour.
2. Pour milk, egg whites and extracts into 2 cup measure and mix with fork, until blended.
3. Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in bowl of electric mixer, at slow speed. Add butter and continue beating at slow speed, until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining.
4. Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using a hand-held mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer.
5. Divid batter evenly between two prepared cake pans, and using a rubber spatula, spread batter to pan walls and smooth tops. Arrange pans at least 3 inches from the oven walls and 3 inches apart. If oven is small, place pans on separate racks, in staggered fashion, to allow for air circulation. Bake until a skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes.
6. Let cake rest in pans fro 3 minutes. Loosen from sides of pans with a knife, if necessary, and invert onto wire racks. Reinvert onto additional wire racks. Let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.
For the frosting:
7. Beat butter, confectioner's sugar, vanilla, milk and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed, until sugar is moistened. Increase speed to medium-high (high if using hand-held mixer); beat, stopping twice to scrap down bowl, until creamy and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Avoid over-beating, or frosting will be too soft to pipe.
For the filling:
8. Before assembling cake, set aside 3/4 cup of the frosting for decoration. Spread small dab of frosting in center of cake plate to anchor cake, then set down one cake layer. Combine 1/2 cup of the remaining frosting with almonds in small bowl and spread over the first layer. Carefully spread jam on top, then cover with second cake layer. Spread frosting over top and sides of assembled cake. Pipe reserved frosting around perimeter of cake, at the base, and the top. Cut cake into slices and serve. |
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: Recipe from America's Test Kitchen. They note: For a white cake with perfect, fine grained texture, without dryness and holes and tunnels, don't beat the egg whites prior to mixing.
If you have forgotten to bring the milk and egg white mixture to room temperature, set the bottom of the glass measure containing it in a sink of hot water and stir until the mixture feels cool rather than cold, around 65 degrees.
Cake layers may be wrapped and stored for 1 day; frosting may be covered with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for several hours. Once assembled, the cake should be covered with an inverted bowl or cake cover and refrigerated. Under its coat of frosting, it will remain fresh for up to 3 days. Bring it to room temperature before serving.
There is enough frosting to pipe a border around the base and top of the cake. If you want to decorate the cake more elaborately, you should make one and half times the frosting recipe.
You may also substitute lemon curd for the raspberry jam in the filling. See separate recipe for lemon curd.
If desired, finish the sides of the cake with 1 cup of sliced almonds.
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This recipe for Classic White Layer Cake with Raspberry-Almond Filling is from