Serious Eats - seriouseats.com
Cakespy: 12-Layer Holiday Cake
[Photographs and original illustrations: Cakespy]
Jessie Oleson (aka Cakespy) drops by every Monday to share a delicious dessert recipe. —The Mgmt.
Whoever said that size doesn't matter clearly stuck with cakes that were, like, seven layers or fewer.
But here's a treat to power you through the holiday season: a towering 12-layer red and green Christmas cake. Why twelve layers? Why, one for each day of Christmas, of course!
A riff on Maryland's official state cake, the Smith Island Cake, this red-and-green confection is brimming with holiday cheer, and butter. Serve in slender slivers, because a little goes a long way with this sugary splendor.
Note: To avoid confusion, I should say that though it takes cues from both, this cake is neither a Red Velvet cake (it does not contain cocoa) nor truly a traditional Smith Island cake (the cake part is, but the icing is traditionally chocolate). Consider it a holiday mash-up, with liberties taken on both cakes to make for a festive holiday look.
About the author: Jessie Oleson is a Seattle-based writer, illustrator, gallery owner, and cake anthropologist who runs Cakespy, an award-winning dessert website.
Cakespy: 12-Layer Holiday Cake
About This Recipe
| Yield: | 12 to 20, depending on appetites |
| Total time: | 3 hours |
| Special equipment: | 8-inch cake pans (as many as you have); parchment paper for lining pans; offset spatula for frosting |
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, lightly softened and cut into cubes
- 5 eggs
- 3 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cup evaporated milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 cup milk
- red food coloring, to taste (optional)
- For the frosting
- 3 sticks butter, softened
- 8-10 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
- 1/2 cup milk (you may end up using less)
- green food coloring, to taste (optional)
Procedures
-
1
Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare 6 parchment circles sized to fit your 8-inch circle pans (I used each of the 6 circles twice).
-
2
Cream together sugar and butter.
-
3
Add eggs one at a time and beat until smooth.
-
4
Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
-
5
Mix into egg mixture one cup at a time.
-
6
With mixer running, slowly pour in the evaporated milk, then the vanilla and milk, mixing just until incorporated.
-
7
Put a small amount of cake batter into the parchment-lined pans, using the back of the spoon to spread evenly. You will only spread enough so that it covers the pan and is not see-through.
-
8
Bake as many as three layers at a time on the middle rack of the oven 8 minutes or until just beginning to darken on the edges. I only had two pans, so I would turn out a batch and keep repeating the process until all the layers had baked.
-
9
Allow your layers to cool to room temperature.
-
10
Meanwhile, make your buttercream. In a large bowl, mix butter until creamy and fluffy. Add 3-4 cups of confectioners' sugar and cream until fluffy. Blend extract and 1/4 cup milk into the mixture. Gradually stir remaining milk and confectioners' sugar into the mixture until it has reached your desired consistency.
-
11
Assemble your cake. Place your first cake layer on a plate, and spread a thin layer of frosting on top. Place the second layer on top, and repeat. Repeat with the remaining layers.
-
12
Once your top layer is adhered, if necessary, insert wooden sticks or skewers into the cake so that it stays straight. If desired, using a large knife, trim the sides of the cake so that your circle is round and perfect.
-
13
Coat the cake with a "crumb coat" of frosting. Let it set for a few minutes (you can nibble on the bits you've trimmed off to keep yourself occupied).
-
14
Frost the cake generously with the remaining frosting, and decorate with sprinkles, piped frosting, or however you'd like. I found that putting my finished cake in the fridge for about 20 minutes helped it set to the point where it didn't slide around when cut into.
Comments