http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/08/4249282/recipe-shades-of-love-cake.html
SHADES OF LOVE CAKE
Ross Sveback of Afton, Minn., created this cake, which he calls Shades of Love. Turning a simple layer cake into a showstopper is a natural outcome of his blog, "Elevating the Everyday" at www.RossSveback.com. He describes himself as a lifestyle expert and this cake clearly lends some style to a Valentine's meal, but also to any spring gathering where you want to make a splash.
Before breaking an egg, though, read the recipe several times and map out a timeline. Here's why: The first step of the frosting needs to chill in the refrigerator overnight. Butter and cream cheese should be at room temperature. The cake layers are most easily frosted if they're chilled. The cake also benefits from a few hours in the refrigerator or a cool garage or porch before serving. So don't start the cake on Feb. 14.
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
Makes about 7 cups.
Note: You will need a candy thermometer for this frosting. Vanilla bean paste is a liquid available in larger grocery stores and specialty shops; it has tiny vanilla seeds which will be visible in the cake and frosting. Vanilla extract can be substituted. If using frosting with a 6-inch cake, you will have leftover frosting. From Ross Sveback, www.rosssveback.com, via MCT.
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cups water
2 whole eggs plus 2 egg whites
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (3/4 stick) shortening, such as Crisco
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract (see Note)
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 pound. (3 3/4 c.) powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (see Note)
INSTRUCTIONS
Stir together granulated sugar and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until a candy thermometer reaches the softball stage (235 to 240 degrees). Remove from heat and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat whole eggs with egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Slowly dribble in the hot syrup. Once all the syrup is added, beat for 10 minutes. (You might want to set a timer.) Pour the syrup into a clear container or bowl and let chill in the refrigerator at least four hours, or overnight.
The next day, you'll see that the syrup has separated. Using a spoon, skim off and discard the foamy layer. (You don't need to get all of it, just most of it.)
Place butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on high speed, stopping several times to scrape the bowl and beater, until the mixture is light in color with a whipped texture. Reduce speed to low and add the vanilla bean paste. Slowly pour in the syrup. When all the syrup is added, increase speed to medium and beat until well-mixed and fluffy. Scrape mixture into a bowl and set aside.
Step 3: Using the mixing bowl, place cream cheese and butter in it. Using a paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until well-combined. Reduce speed and slowly add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, then increase speed and beat until there are no visible lumps. Add the vanilla bean paste and mix thoroughly.
Scrape the mixture from Step 2 into the mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined.
The frosting should be at room temperature to frost the cake, but may be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen. Let thaw at room temperature for several hours before using.
To color the frosting, see the directions for the cake (below).
SHADES OF LOVE CAKE
Serves 8 decadently, 12 to 16 reasonably.
Note: You can use either liquid or gel red food coloring. The recipe calls for 6-inch round cake pans, but 8-inch pans work, too; the layers will be thinner. If you don't have four pans, bake two layers at a time (or even singly.) The cake and frosting also looks lovely in shades of yellow, for spring celebrations. From Ross Sveback, www.rosssveback.com, via MCT.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract (see Note with frosting)
Red food coloring (see Note)
About 5 to 5 1/2 cups Buttercream Frosting (see recipe)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and move oven rack to center. Prepare cake pans with baking spray or shortening, then dust with flour. Trace a pan's outline on parchment paper and cut four rounds that fit inside the pans. (See Note about baking with fewer than 4 pans.) In a small bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed and add eggs, one at a time, then add the buttermilk. Add vanilla bean paste and beat until well-combined.
Add flour mixture and beat until all looks creamy.
To color the layers: Measure 1 cup of batter each into three bowls, leaving 1 cup of batter in the mixing bowl.
In the first bowl, add a very small amount - only a drop - of red food coloring and stir until no streaks remain. In the second bowl, add a bit more food coloring to make the second layer slightly darker, and mix well. Repeat with the third bowl, adding enough food coloring to make it darker than the last. The colors for all 3 layers should be distinctively different shades. Keep tweaking until you like the look. The layer in the mixing bowl should stay it's natural color.
Scrape batter into pans and smooth with a spatula.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Invert cakes onto a wire rack and peel off parchment paper.
When cool, wrap each layer in plastic wrap and refrigerate to chill completely, about an hour.
To assemble layers: The best-looking cakes start with a "crumb layer" of frosting - a thin layer that seals any crumbs so they won't appear on the finished cake.
On a cake plate, dab a bit of frosting to anchor the bottom cake layer, the one most deeply colored. Spread with 1/3 cup of white frosting. Top with the layer in the next shade and spread with 1/3 cup of frosting. Top with the last colored layer and spread with 1/3 cup of frosting. Top with the last layer - the uncolored one. Using about 1 cup of frosting, spread a thin coating over the top and sides of the cake. Place cake in the refrigerator while preparing the colored frosting.
To color the frosting: Measure 3/4 cup of frosting into each of three small bowls, and 1 1/2 cups into a larger bowl. Add a very small amount of red food coloring to the bowl with the 1 1/2 cups for frosting and mix well. Add gradually more color to each of the remaining bowls, mixing until you have 4 distinctive shades of pink. Don't be shy; the deepest colored frosting should be a little dramatic.
The frosting rosettes need a Wilton 1M frosting tip. You can use a pastry bag to pipe the frosting, or you can use 4 plastic sandwich bags. Cut off a 1/4-inch tip off one corner, then place the frosting tip in the hole, pressing it halfway through.
To fill with frosting, place the bag in a glass, folding the edge over the rim, then fill.
With a ruler and toothpick, mark the layers of the cake into 4 even sections to help you place the rosettes. Starting with the most deeply colored frosting, pipe rosettes around the bottom of the cake using a tight circular, spiral motion. Clean the tip and fill a second bag with the next shade. Pipe another row of rosettes as tightly as possible to the first row, filling any gaps with a dot of frosting. Repeat with the remaining frosting, piping the last, palest shade in 2 batches, around the cake and over the top. Chill for several hours before serving.
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx
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