Mixed Berry & White Chocolate Butter Cream Cake.....A Knockout Cake Every Time I Make It.......

Serves 22-24 people and is a really big and impressive cake.

For most of my adult life I have worked and many of my recipes were shared with me by wonderful and generous clients and customers who also loved to cook and appreciated good food.  This recipe was shared with me in 2002 by Diana Winiger, one of my customers.  She too had a lot of family "get together's" and made this very large cake for them.  She said at the time it serves 24 but she had not found that to be so as so many people want seconds!  This cake requires 12 inch diameter by at least 2 inch high cake pans.  The layers are both split and three of the four layers are assembled for this recipe. 

This is a 15 egg cake!

The recipe yields an extra cake layer that can be reserved for another time.  Wrap it tightly in foil and freeze for a month or so.  Keeping the cake wrapped defrost it at room temperature.  Then, serve with berries and cream or ice cream.  I have several times cut the remaining layer in half and frosted it as a completed half of a layer cake.  I always make the layers ahead of time and freeze them until the day I need to frost them.  Just double wrap them snugly and freeze flat.

I am making this for my granddaughter's 18th birthday so it needs to be special!

Note:  It is very helpful to have two very large mixing bowls for the cake.  I use 2, 7 quart mixing bowls for this and they are none too large.  Anything smaller than 6 quarts would be a problem.

Ingredients for the Cake:
 
3 3/4 cups cake flour  (14.10 oz. if using a scales)
1 1/2 cups sugar  (10.6 oz.)
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
15 large egg yolks
2 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
15 large egg whites
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Position one rack in the center and one rack in the lowest third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.    Butter and flour 2, 12" diameter cake pans with 2 " high sides.   Do NOT, I repeat NOT use cooking or baking spray on the pans.  Use solid shortening or butter and then dust liberally with flour.

15 egg yolks.

Whisk flour, 1 1/2 c. sugar, baking powder, and salt in very large 6-8 quart bowl blending well.

Thick smooth batter.

Add 1 1/2 c. warm water using an electric mixer, beat until smooth (batter will be thick).   Beat in oil, then egg yolks, and vanilla.

Beating 15 egg whites fills my 7 quart mixing bowl!

Using clean dry beaters and another very large clean bowl beat the eggs whites and powdered sugar until the whites are very thick and billowy and form medium firm peaks when the beaters are lifted.
(Should take about 12 minutes to get to this state, do not under beat.)   Fold the whites into the yolk mixture in 3 additions.  Divide the cake batter evenly between the two prepared baking pans.

This cake fills up my 7 quart bowls.  This is the third addition of whites to the batter.

Place one pan on each rack in the oven, staggering pans so one is not directly above the other.   Bake the cakes 25 minutes and then reverse the positions of the pans.   Bake the cakes until tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about an additional 10-12 minutes.   Remove from the oven and cool the cakes for 10 minutes.  Line 2 cooling racks with clean tea towels.   Cut around the outside of the cakes to loosen:  turn the layers onto the towels.   Cool completely.  The instructions indicate this can be made a day ahead and wrapped in foil and kept at room temperature.  

Fills my cake pans to the top.

Note:  I think frosting the layers while the cake is frozen is much easier.  Also if traveling with the cake the cold layers seem to keep everything together nicely.

Also I find it is easier to split the layers of a frozen cake.  To assemble the cake split the layers.  You will only use 3 for this recipe and you may freeze the third.  I usually cut the extra layer in half and frost it as a two layer cake.

Ingredients for White Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting:

8 ounces good quality white chocolate such as Lindt or Baker's chopped
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups  (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup egg whites ( about 8)
2 1/4 cup sugar (15.93 ounces)
2 1/2 teaspoons fresh grated orange peel
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Stir white chocolate and cream in heavy small saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth.    Cool to room temperature.   Using electric mixer, beat butter in medium bowl until fluffy; set aside.

Combine whites and sugar in large metal bowl.  Set bowl over a large saucepan of simmering water (Do NOT let the bottom of the bowl touch the water).   Whisk until sugar dissolves and thermometer inserted into whites registers 160 degrees F,  about 3 minutes.  Remove the bowl from over the water.   Using clean dry beaters, beat meringue until cool, stiff, and shiny, about 10 minutes.   Beat butter, about 1/4 cup at a time, into meringue.    Blend well after each addition.   If frosting looks curdled, place bowl over very low heat for 3-5 seconds to soften slightly.  Remove from heat and beat until smooth.  Repeat warming technique as necessary.  Gradually beat in the cooled white chocolate mixture, then orange peel, and vanilla extract.   Chill butter cream until beginning to firm about 30 minutes.

NOTE;  Today when I made the frosting it was hot and humid and I thought the frosting was ruined because it all sort of deflated after I had it all together.  This did not happen before when I had made it.  I refrigerated the whole bowl of frosting and the beaters for a full 30 minutes and re-whipped it.  It came back and was just fine!!  Whew!

Ingredients and Assembly:

1 cup seedless raspberry jam
6 cups (about) assorted fresh berries.  (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, halved if large and sliced if large strawberries)
3, 12" cake layers (after splitting there are 4)

Place 1 layer on a large cake plate or cardboard round.  Spread with 1/2 cup jam, then with 1 1/4 cup butter cream.   Arrange half of the berries atop the butter cream, spacing about 1/2" apart.   Press second cake layer atop the berries.   Repeat the process of the jam, butter cream, and berries.   Top with the third cake layer.

Spread 2 cups of the butter cream atop and on the sides of the cake in a thin layer to anchor the crumbs and smooth the surface.   Refrigerate the cake on it's base until the crumb coat is firm, about 10 minutes.  Spread 2 1/4 cups butter cream over the top and sides of the cake until smooth.    Spoon remaining butter cream into pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip.    Pipe border around the top edge of the cake.    (Can be prepared 2 days ahead, cover and refrigerate.)

The red current jelly causes the berries to glisten like jewels!

Final Decoration:

4 cups assorted fresh berries
1/2 cup currant jelly

Place the cake on base or platter.  Fill the top center of the cake with berries.  Melt the jelly in a heavy small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly.   Using a pastry brush, brush warm jelly over the tops of the berries.  Let cake stand at room temperature at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.   Using a long knife, cut the cake into quarters.  Cut each quarter into 6 wedges.

The cake is pretty spectacular after you get into it too!

Note:  I have used frozen berries on the inside layers in the past and put fresh on the top.  It works both ways.  This is a delicious and beautiful cake!  It will knock your socks off!!

It was perfection!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY.