Oh this moist, decadent cake is always a crowd pleaser. It’s tall and majestic and that mouth-watering caramel is of heavenly inspiration!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup milk
- 4 large egg whites
- 2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 cups sifted cake flour
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons butter, soft and cut into tablespoons
- 3/4 cup heavy cream, cold
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 8-inch cake pans; line the bottoms with parchment or wax paper. Butter the parchment and flour the pans, tapping out the excess. This just makes it easy to remove from pans.
In a bowl, mix 1/4 cup of the milk with the egg whites, and vanilla. With the mixer (using paddle attachment), cream the flour with the sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and the remaining 3/4 cup of milk. Beat at low speed until blended; then beat at medium speed until smooth, 1 minute. Beat in the egg white mixture in two batches.
In a clean, cold bowl, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Stir one-third of the whipped cream into the batter, then fold in the rest. Divide the batter between the pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 – 10 minutes.
Remove and immediately wrap each layer in plastic wrap to seal in moisture. Cool completely on wire racks. Once cooled, you are ready to assemble your cake.
Caramel Icing
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 stick butter (not margarine)
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Dash of salt
Directions:
Pour 1/2 cup sugar in a small, heavy saucepan or skillet, and melt over low heat, stirring as needed. Place remaining sugar, butter and whipping cream in saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour melted sugar slowly into boiling mixture, stirring constantly. (Adjust heat under mixture, if necessary, so it will be boiling when melted sugar is poured in. This prevents the sugar from lumping.) Cook to soft-ball stage (use a candy thermometer if available.) Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, add a dash of salt and beat until thick enough to spread. You can place pan in cold water in the sink as you beat, to help lower the temperature, but don’t allow water to get in the pan. You may need to change the water a couple of times as it warms up from heat of the pan and icing.
Set 1 cake layer on a plate. Pour enough icing over the layer to cover the top. Top with a second cake layer and cover it with icing. Add the final cake layer and pour the rest of the icing over the top of the cake, letting it run down the sides. Working quickly, use a spatula to spread the icing gently around the cake. Let the cake stand for 2 hours to set the icing before serving.
