Marble Cake with Whipped Frosting {10 WW+ Dessert}

My husband, thankfully, was very specific with what type of cake he wanted for his birthday this year. Marble cake with light frosting. The trouble was I didn't have  a tried and true recipe for marble cake and had no idea what type of frosting I should make. So I went to the interwebz. And came up with this from Martha Stewart.

Now her marble cake is supposed to be in loaf form. So I changed a few things, doubled a few ingredients and put the batter into two 9" rounds instead of a loaf pan. I think it turned out rather nicely. I went with a whipped frosting. Something I had never made before. But it turns out that it was Joseph's maternal grandmother's favorite frosting! Guess I made a good decision. Next time I'll make a buttercream or custard for the filling instead of using the whipped frosting because the frosting just kind of got absorbed into the cake even though the cake was completely cooled at frosting time.

All in all it was a good cake. Not as light and fluffy as I would have liked and a tiny bit dry but that just means I'll have to experiment some more to get the perfect flavor. But don't worry, I won't be experimenting any time soon. At 9 WW+ points a serving, this cake will be saved for special occasions. I may just try the loaf version soon so I can play around a bit.

Inspiration: Martha Stewart

Marble Cake

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder plus 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter two 9" rounds and layer with parchment paper; set aside. Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour. Set aside 1/3 of the batter. (I forgot to do this and had to add the buttermilk after the flour was incorporated)

In a bowl, mix cocoa and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add the cocoa mixture to the reserved cake batter; stir until well combined.

Spoon batters into the prepared pans in 2 layers, alternating spoonfuls of vanilla and chocolate to simulate a checkerboard. To create marbling, run a table knife (or wooden skewer) through the batters in a swirling motion.

Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until a cake tester comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack to cool 10 minutes. Turn out cake from pan and cool completely on the rack. Cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

16 Servings | 9 WW+ Points

Whipped Frosting

• 3 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, combine egg whites, sugar, salt, and water. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved (or mixture registers 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-high until glossy, stiff peaks form (do not over beat), about 3 minutes; reduce speed to low, add vanilla extract, and beat just until combined. Use immediately.  

The Perfect Party Cake

I just can't believe it. My baby is one! This past year has been the quickest year of my life. And I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful little man in my life. I knew that I wanted to make a special birthday cake for his first birthday and knew exactly where to go for quality and perfection... Dorie Greenspan.

I've made this cake once before and while it tasted awesome... I did not do a good job of decorating it so I didn't show it off on the blog. This time around I was pleasantly surprised with the results. I decorated the cake with some fondant characters I bought from Wilton's website to match the Jungle Animal theme of the party.

This cake was a bit of work but definitely rewarding. And I think most in attendance loved it so I consider it a success!

Source: Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan (p. 250)



Perfect Party Cake

For the Cake
2 ½ cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk at room temperature (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)
4 large egg whites at room temperature
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
About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

Getting Ready
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans (I used larger pans, a 12 inch and a 14 inch, and doubled the recipe) 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 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 quarter of the buttercream.

Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream. Then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover).

Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top. Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.

Serving
The cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room – not the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately, the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.

Storing
The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to set, then wrap it really well – it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.

Playing Around
Since lemon is such a friendly flavour, feel free to make changes in the preserves: other red preserves – cherry or strawberry – look especially nice, but you can even use plum or blueberry jam.

Fresh Berry Cake
If you will be serving the cake the day it is made, cover each layer of buttercream with fresh berries – use whole raspberries, sliced or halved strawberries or whole blackberries, and match the preserves to the fruit. You can replace the coconut on top of the cake with a crown of berries, or use both coconut and berries.

You can also replace the buttercream between the layers with fairly firmly whipped sweetened cream and then either frost the cake with buttercream (the contrast between the lighter whipped cream and the firmer buttercream is nice) or finish it with more whipped cream. If you use whipped cream, you’ll have to store the cake the in the refrigerator – let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.