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Monday, June 25, 2012

Red, White, & Blue Patriot's Cake

A festive cake for a red, white and blue holiday celebration. You'll cut into this cake and people will be surprised by a burst of patriotic colors!  More Independence Day desserts & recipes headed your way.





Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
red and blue gel paste coloring


Directions:
1. Center two racks in the oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Spray three 8 or 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. Add a spoonful of flour to each, shake it around and tap out the excess.
2. To Make Cake: Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together buttermilk and egg whites in a medium bowl. In a large separate, large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend together butter and sugar; beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the mixture is very light. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the buttermilk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the buttermilk and eggs, 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 evenly between three glass bowls. Color two of the bowls of batter- one dark red and one dark blue. Just add the color a little at a time until you reach the hue you'd like. Scoop each of the batters into their own prepared pan.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes for 8-inch rounds (15 to 20 for 9-inch), or until the cakes have risen and are springy to the touch- a toothpick inserted into the centers should come out clean. Transfer cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up on wire racks. When cooled, frost the cake as you would a 3-layer cake, frosting each layer before adding the next, and then covering the whole cake with frosting too.   See frosting recipe below..

tips:

*Don't use liquid food coloring to dye the cake batter. You'll end up adding too much liquid to the mixture and it won't turn out great. Gel paste coloring can be found at baking supply stores or craft stores. It's concentrated, and it will give you the deep red and blue hues you're looking for in this cake.

Here's the frosting recipe I suggest:
Pipe-able Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, use electric mixer to combine cream cheese and butter; beat until creamy. Mix in vanilla, then gradually add the powdered sugar. Mix until frosting ingredients are completely combined. Check the consistency at this point. If it seems too soft, go ahead and add a little more sifted powdered sugar. If it seems too thick, mix in a teaspoon or so of milk. Use the frosting to frost your cake or cupcakes immediately- either by spreading or filling a piping bag, or store in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to use (should be used to frost the same day).

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