Friday, March 1, 2013

Cake Week: White Chocolate Cake, Strawberry Cream Filling, and Swiss Buttercream Frosting

Sweet Treats

Cake Week has come to a close, but it's going out with a bang. The following cake was also made with "The Only Cake Recipe You'll Ever Need" and it will convert cake-haters into lovers...
White Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Whipped Cream Filling and Swiss Buttercream Frosting

I made this scrumptious cake about a month ago for my friend, Denise's, birthday and it was gone in about 7 seconds after cutting the first slice...

*For a double layer 9" round cake
White Chocolate Cake
  • 1 (18 ounce) box of white cake mix, sifted
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.75 tsp salt
  • 1 & 1/3 cups water
  • 2 Tbs vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp real vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 3 whole eggs
  • 6 ounces white chocolate, melted

Strawberry Whipped Cream Filling
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 5-6 Tbs chopped/processed strawberries
Swiss Buttercream Frosting
*Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 26 Tbs (3 sticks + 2 Tbs) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Sift the cake mix and flour into a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the rest of the dry ingredients (sugar & salt) and stir together with a wire whisk.
4. Add the remaining ingredients (water, oil, flavor extracts, sour cream, eggs, etc...) and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes:

5. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Temper the chocolate by adding a little bit of the batter to it, then pour all the white chocolate into the batter and stir well:

6. Pour batter into greased and floured cake pans, filling each pan a little over half full:

7. Lightly tap the filled cake pans on the counter to release air bubbles.
8. Bake at 325 until cake tests done and inserted knife comes out clean (anywhere from 20-30 minutes depending on your oven):

9. Meanwhile, make the strawberry whipped cream filling. Chop the strawberries in a food processor until they look thick and "liquidy":

10. Beat the heavy whipping cream and vanilla until it starts to thicken. Mix in the sugar. Fold in the strawberries:

11. Then, start your Swiss buttercream frosting. Whisk egg whites and sugar together in a big bowl over a simmering pot of water. Whisk until you can't feel the sugar granules when you rub the mixture between your fingers:

12. Transfer the egg/sugar mixture into your electric mixer and whip it until it turns white and doubles in size:

13. Add the vanilla. Add the butter (one stick at a time) and, according to Deb at Smitten Kitchen, "whip, whip, whip!"...don't freak out if it takes a while for your frosting to come together. One batch takes about 15 minutes of whipping:

14. Once cooled, fill, frost, and top your layer cake...then eat!

Recipe to print:
  1. Preheat oven to 325F.
  2. Sift the cake mix and flour into a large mixing bowl.
  3. Add the rest of the dry ingredients (sugar & salt) and stir together with a wire whisk.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients (water, oil, flavor extracts, sour cream, eggs, etc...) and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
  5. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Temper the chocolate by adding a little bit of the batter to it, then pour all the white chocolate into the batter and stir well.
  6. Pour batter into greased and floured cake pans, filling each pan a little over half full.
  7. Lightly tap the filled cake pans on the counter to release air bubbles.
  8. Bake at 325 until cake tests done and inserted knife comes out clean (anywhere from 20-30 minutes depending on your oven).
  9. Meanwhile, make the strawberry whipped cream filling. Chop the strawberries in a food processor until they look thick and "liquidy".
  10. Beat the heavy whipping cream and vanilla until it starts to thicken. Mix in the sugar. Fold in the strawberries.
  11. Then, start your Swiss buttercream frosting. Whisk egg whites and sugar together in a big bowl over a simmering pot of water. Whisk until you can't feel the sugar granules when you rub the mixture between your fingers.
  12. Transfer the egg/sugar mixture into your electric mixer and whip it until it turns white and doubles in size. Add the vanilla. Add the butter (one stick at a time) and according to Deb at Smitten Kitchen, "whip, whip, whip!"...don't freak out if it takes a while for your frosting to come together. One batch takes about 15 minutes of whipping.
  13. Once cooled, fill, frost, and top your layer cake...then eat!

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