Tag: CAKES

Why have one flavor when you can have three? Neapolitan bundt cake is a tribute to nostalgic classic Neapolitan ice cream from childhood. It was a family favorite with a flavor for everyone in the family. I was never a single flavor girl. I always ate a mix of all three flavors together.

This bundt cake is dense but soft, similar to a pound cake in texture with strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate layers of soft and fluffy cake and all three flavors – strawberry (sweet), vanilla (basic), and chocolate (deep and rich) are all made from the same batter, making this cake much easier than it looks. But, with just a few additions for the sweet strawberry layer and the deep rich chocolate layer combined with the base vanilla flavor it all balances out! Not the best picture, but the flavor made up for it!

VANILLA CAKE
1 cup or 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons PURE vanilla extract
3 LARGE eggs, room temperature
2 and 1/4 cups AP flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup full fat or whole milk
2 tablespoons full fat sour cream

• Grease and line three 6-inch round baking pans.
• Preheat oven to 350 (320 convection).
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together until smooth and creamy.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
• Sift in flour, baking powder and salt.
• Add milk and sour cream and beat on a low speed until just combined. DO NOT OVER MIX!!!!!
• Divide batter evenly into three bowls.

STRAWBERRY CAKE
1 teaspoon strawberry extract
Pink food gel or food coloring

• Add strawberry extract to one bowl and a few drops of pink food gel and stir together.

CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 tablespoon cocoa powder, sifted
1 tablespoon milk

• Add the cocoa powder and milk to another bowl, stirring until smooth.
• Leave the final batter as is for the vanilla layer.

 

• Carefully pour each batter, one layer at a time, into prepared cake tins.
• Bake cakes 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Carefully remove the cakes and set on a wire rack to cool completely.

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
1 cup or 2 sticks butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons PURE vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
5 cups powdered sugar
3–4 tablespoons WHOLE milk, room temperature

• Beat butter with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
• Add the vanilla.
• Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time.
• Add a tablespoon of milk as needed.
• Continue until you have used all the icing sugar and milk and the frosting is smooth and creamy.
• Use a serrated knife to trim tops of cakes to even them out.
• Place one cake on a small cake board, then cover the top with buttercream.
• Place the second cake on top. Cover top with buttercream.
• Place the third cake on top.
• Cover the entire cake, top and sides, with remaining buttercream. 
• Use a cake scraper to remove excess buttercream on the sides.