PERFECT PARTY CAKE

This Perfect Party Cake recipe comes from Dorie Greenspan’s must-have cookbook: Baking From My Home to Yours.

If you ever need the perfect cake for a special celebration– this is it!  This Perfect Party Cake is made up of four thin layers of lemon cake layered with buttercream and raspberry.  The whole cake is covered in freshly whipped cream and topped with more fresh raspberries.  It’s an impressive cake! INGREDIENTS CAKE:

• 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
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

BUTTERCREAM:

• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (about 2 lemons) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FINISHING:

• 2/3 cup raspberry preserves (stirred vigorously until spreadable)
• fresh raspberries, for garnish-- and in-between layers, if you'd like

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

MAKE THE CAKE:

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl. Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and, working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is well combined, 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 between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
2. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and 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, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up. (The cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.)

MAKE THE BUTTERCREAM:

1. Put sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or other large heatproof bowl; fit the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream. Remove the bowl from heat.
2. Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter one stick at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, beat the buttercream on medium -high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6 to 10 minutes. During this time, the buttercream may curdle or separate- just keep beating and it will come together again. On medium speed, gradually beat in lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla. You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.
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