Receta July 4th Red, White and Blue Patriotic Cake
I don’t usually do theme foods; especially those with patriotic theme colors; or at least I haven’t since my children were small and I might have made something fun for their July 4th school events. I wish I knew where that photo of Emily is when she was in the 4th grade; marching in a Fourth of July parade and wearing what had been the dress I made for my wedding rehearsal dinner. It was cut shorter but was still floor length for her with a sash tie and a big collar added and the result was a very old fashioned look that was so cute on her. That photo (most likely in storage) would have been the perfect accompaniment to this post reflective of our national holiday to celebrate the United States independence from England; after all she was Betsy Ross!
When I saw this cake I thought is was simple and elegantly pretty and I loved that it was made using real ingredients. I have to be honest, my friend that shall go un-named tweeted a link to Pinterest for the cake and said she was making it but was using straight jello; no real fruit, Cool Whip and a boxed cake mix. That’s really not all that unusual for some of these color extravaganzas but I was more excited to see that the original recipe was from scratch; OK, save for a few grains of jello and a few drops of color, but still much more my style. I enjoy the process of mixing and baking, even if every cake make in our thinner air in Denver is a gamble. Having a cake come out of the oven with a beautiful domed top; just perfect? Not always assured so I might have started my July 4th celebration early…didn’t you hear me whooping and hollering? For others at high altitude I’ve found through a lot of trial and even more error that ‘typically’ I get good results if I beat the mixture a bit less than specified and then bake it in an oven with the temp raised 25 degrees. Typically.
I know that I should have done this a week ago, you know, in preparation for the upcoming holiday but the problem is I don’t do upcoming holidays…I cook for THE holiday. So I made this last night and the whole shebang will be kept in the freezer until right before it’s time to serve it on Thursday. It’s not really hard to make if you still want to for tomorrow but one thing I loved? I can see so many options for a variety of holidays; Mardi Gras, Christmas, St. Paddy’s Day, Valentine’s Day; even a birthday cake with the recipient’s favorite colors. Different fruit syrups and different colors and voila, it’s a year round cake! That it tastes SO good is almost a bonus! Next time around…I’ll wiggle that stick I used to poke it with around a bit more to get the syrup down further into the cake but I’m not unhappy with this first effort.
I’m wondering who will be here that might not be prepared for the ‘missing slice’ – you know the one who is too polite to ask, ‘Why the heck is one slice already cut from what would be a perfectly pretty cake?’ They will soon discover that it’s the tradition you must abide with when eating foods I prepare…that photo op is going to happen and the end result for the actual event is going to always be a bit ‘used.’ So far I’ve yet to find one person who refuses to dig in. What happens to that sample? Yeah, right…what do you think happens to it?!! Out of regard for my readers I think it’s absolutely pertinent that I actually eat test that slice; you know…quality control and all. I do it for YOU!
This week also saw Canada celebrate their day of independence and my friend Paula wrote the most lovely piece about Canada and her sentiments are so reflective of the pride I have in this country of ours; the land of the free and the home of the brave. Sadly, the US seems to be loved and hated with equal measure around the globe but I can not think of any other place on this planet that I would want to call home. I often wish others could see the real America; not the abrasive politics or the idiotic celebrities but the real common person, the neighbor next door. The land of millions of people who are kind and thoughtful and too often unheralded. It is to you that I wish a Happy Fourth of July. God Bless America…the land that I love.
July 4th Red, White and Blue Patriotic Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk,room temperature ( I substituted with 1 1/4 cups 2% milk and a Tbsp of lemon juice that I allowed to sit for 5 minutes before mixing)
- 4 extra large egg whites; room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 8 Tbsp (4-ounces) unsalted butter; room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- For the Blueberry Syrup:
- 1 cup blueberries
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp berry-flavored gelatin
- 3 drops of blue food coloring
- For the Strawberry Syrup:
- 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries, hulled
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp Strawberry gelatin
- For the Frosting:
- 3 Tbsp water
- 2 tsp Knox gelatin
- 3 1/2 cups whipped cream
- 3 1/2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- Strawberries and Blueberries for garnish
Preparation
For The Cake:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350° F. Butter and flour two 9-inch round baking pans and set them aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg whites.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until they are light and creamy, about 3 minutes.
Add the vanilla and scrape down the sides of the bowl; beat again.
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-egg mixture, beating until the batter is smooth and 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 evenly into the prepared baking pans and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Let cakes cool completely in the pans on a wire rack, at least one hour.
Remove cakes from pans and place on a piece of plastic wrap.
For the Blueberry Syrup:
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the blueberries, 3/4 cup water, and 2 Tbsp sugar, partially covered, until blueberries are softened, about 8 minutes.
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl and discard solids.
Whisk berry-flavored gelatin and food coloring into the juices and cool slightly, about 15 minutes.
For the Strawberry Syrup:
In another medium saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the strawberries, 1/2 cup water and 2 Tbsp sugar, partially covered, until berries are softened, about 15 minutes.
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl and discard solids.
Whisk strawberry gelatin into the juices and cool slightly, about 15 minutes.
To Assemble the Cake:
Using a skewer, poke 25 holes in the top of each cake, twisting gently to form larger holes. Pour cooled blueberry syrup over one cake layer.
Repeat with cooled strawberry syrup and second cake layer.
Cover cakes with plastic wrap and refrigerate until gelatin is set, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours. I put mine in the freezer overnight; I think frozen cake layers are much easier to frost.
For the Frosting:
Make the whipped cream stabilizer by adding the gelatin to the cold water and letting it sit for a minute. Microwave on high for just long enough to become liquid; mine took about 10 seconds then let cool for one minute.
In a large chilled bowl, beat cream and sugar until soft peaks form; while mixer is running add stabilizer and mix thoroughly to incorporate. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Place blueberry cake, syrup side up, on a platter. Spread 1 cup of whipped cream over top.
Place strawberry cake layer, syrup side up, on top of whipped cream.
Spread remaining whipped cream over top and sides of cake.
Garnish with additional blueberries and strawberries.
Notes
I used a serrated knife to smooth the top and sides and an icing tip to decorate the borders with the whipping cream.
Cake can be made and refrigerated or frozen up to two days in advance.
If freezing; remove from freezer one hour before serving.
Enjoy!
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http://www.creative-culinary.com/july-4th-red-white-and-blue-patriotic-cake/
This recipe brought to you by Creative Culinary | A Food and Cocktail Blog | Website: www.creative-culinary.com
Source: The Galley Gourmet – Cake Adapted from Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, and cookscountry.com