Butter blasted cake layered with buttery buttercream and enrobed in chocolate ganache. The perfect un-scary Halloween cake.
Notes: Wilton brand makes a butter flavoring. The brand that I used was not Wilton, and because there may be differing strengths between brands, I would add the extract to taste (though the batter does have raw eggs in it). This cake is meant to have a really intense butter flavor. I used Wilton color pastes in Lemon Yellow, Orange, and Terra Cotta.
Special equipment: 3 8-inch cake pans, mixer
Ingredients
serves makes one 8-inch cake, active time 2 hours, total time 3 1/2 hours- For Cake:
- 7 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 cups milk, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 1/2 cups (18 ounces) cake flour
- 2 1/4 cups (15 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 18 tablespoons (9 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, softened
- 3 tablespoons butter flavoring (see note)
- 1/2 teaspoon yellow food coloring
- 3/4 teaspoon orange food coloring
- 1/4 teaspoon terra cotta food coloring (see note)
- For Frosting:
- 10 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon butter flavoring (or to taste)
- For Ganache:
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- Candy corn to garnish cake
Procedures
-
For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and
preheat oven to 350°F. Line 3 8- by 2-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
Grease pans.
-
Whisk egg whites with 1/2 cup milk and vanilla; set aside. Place flour,
sugar, baking powder, and salt in stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix
on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add butter and mix on low speed
just until moistened. Add remaining 1 cup milk and mix until combined.
-
Increase speed to medium-high and mix batter until light and fluffy, about 5
minutes. Reduce speed to low and mix in reserved egg white mixture until
combined. Mix in butter flavoring.
-
Divide batter evenly between three bowls. Add yellow food coloring to one of
the bowls until it becomes a bright shade of yellow. Add both orange and terra
cotta food coloring to another bowl of batter until it becomes a deep shade of
orange.
-
Scrape batters into the prepared pans and bake until just set and a toothpick
inserted into the center comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Let cakes cool in
pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely, about an
hour.
-
For the frosting: Place butter, confectioners' sugar, milk,
and butter flavoring in mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium
speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Flavor to taste with butter
flavoring.
-
To assemble cake: Place yellow layer on an 8-inch plate and
spread with about 1/2 cup frosting. Place orange layer on top and spread with
about 1/2 cup frosting. Place white layer on top. Use remaining frosting to fill
in any gaps along the sides.
-
For the ganache: Heat chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl set over a pan
of barely simmering water, gently whisking, until melted and smooth. Let cool
briefly, until the consistency is pourable but not runny.
- Place cake (on plate) on a wire rack that's been set in a rimmed baking sheet. Pour ganache over top of cake, letting it run down the sides. Chill until ganache is set, about 20 minutes, Garnish top with candy corn.
