Raspberry Vanilla Layer Cake

RASPBERRY VANILLA CAKE

Preheat oven to 180° Celsius (350° Fahrenheit). Grease and line two 16cm round cake tins with baking paper and set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar for 6-8 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through, until the mixture is fluffy and light in colour. Add sour cream and vanilla bean paste and mix until combined. Add half the egg whites and mix well for 2 minutes, then add remaining egg whites and mix again.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. Then in a pouring jug combine the milk and water.

Add half the flour mixture to the stand mixer and mix until well combined. Add all the milk mixture again mixing well, then add the remaining flour mixture and mix one last time until it is all evenly combined. You will need to scrape the bowl down at various intervals during this process to make sure it is all combined. Add the raspberry essence and the pink gel food colouring until the batter is as pink as you desire, mix until evenly coloured.

Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake tins and bake for 50 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Once cooked, stand the cake tins on a cooling rack for 20 minutes before removing the cakes from the tins and putting them on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Once the cakes are completely cool (I like to leave mine overnight) use a bread knife to level the tops of the cakes and then to cut each in half horizontally so you have four round layers.

While the cakes are cooling, make the buttercream and meringue kisses.

PINK BUTTERCREAM

I used this recipe HERE for the buttercream icing and added pink gel colouring. You might want to make 1 and 1/2 the recipe to make sure you have enough to fill and completely cover the cake.

PINK AND LILAC MERINGUES

I used this Chew Town recipe but left out the peppermint extract. I made a full batch then halved the meringue and coloured one lilac and the other pink, then I piped the lilac meringues with a star nozzle first and when the bag was empty, I filled it with the pink meringue without washing the bag. That way the second meringues were lilac on the outside, and pink on the inside.

WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE DRIZZLE

Place chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium high (8%) in one minute intervals stirring between each until melted and combined then add lilac gel colouring and stir until completely coloured.

ASSEMBLY

I advise assembling it all the day after the elements are made except the white chocolate ganache drizzle which can be made easily just before you need it.

To start, spread a little buttercream on your cake board and top with one of the four cake layers. Top with some buttercream and repeat with remaining cakes until all four cakes are stacked on top of each other with buttercream sandwiched in between each. Using an offset spatula, spread buttercream around the outside of the cake. To make my buttercream smooth around the outside I use an acrylic cake spreader.

Then make the ganache. It will set as it cools, so if you happen to have made it the day before and have stored it in the fridge, just microwave it for 30 seconds to 1 minute on 50% and it should drizzle again. I put my coloured ganache in a squeeze bottle and then gently drip my ganache down the edges of the cake and fill in the top after. Let it set slightly then top with edible lilac balls, peonies and lilac and pink meringues.

Gaze at it for a little while... then dig in!