Perfect Party Cake

It was Robbie's 26th birthday and I needed to find a recipe for a party cake. The Internet led me to the Daring Baker's Blogroll. That month's challenge was the Perfect Party Cake. The recipe is pretty basic, although the techniques new to me. The cake and buttercream are made with egg whites. The finished product is light, fluffy and reliable. Rob's b-day cake turned out so well, I decided to make my mother a cake in honor of Mother's Day. The recipe can be amended to any fruit/flavor you desire. Rob's cake was layered with blueberries and the cake and frosting was lemon. For my mother's cake, I went with strawberries and used whipped cream in the layers instead of buttercream.

For the Cake
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the Buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Finishing
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed
gently until spreadable
1 container strawberries
1 1/2 small containers blueberries

For the whipped cream
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons Gran Marnier

Getting Ready
Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter two 9 x 2 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.

To Make the Cake
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
homogeneous, 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.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy
to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out
clean
Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then
run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold 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 two months).

To Make the Buttercream
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large
heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan 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 the heat.
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 a
stick at a time, beating until smooth.
Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high
speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 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 the 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.

To make the whipped cream
With a whisk attachment, whisk the heavy whipping cream in the bowl of
an electric mixer until peaks begin to form. Add the sugar, vanilla,
and GM, and beat until stiff peaks form.

To Assemble the Cake
Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each
layer horizontally in half.
Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate
protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.
Spread it with one third of the preserves.
Cover the jam evenly with about one third of the whipped cream.
Top the whipped cream with thin slices of strawberries.
Top with another cake layer, spread with preserves and whipped cream
and layer with strawberries, and then do the same with a third layer.
Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the
buttercream to frost the sides and top.
Toss the blueberries in some sugar and cover the top of the cake with
the blueberries. Line the bottom of the cake with strawberries, tops
cut off and then cut in half.