Friday, December 27, 2013

Merry Berry Eggnog Cake

I have always wanted to make an Eggnog cake but had never sat down and tried it. This was my first try and I must say it was fabulous. The filling was the highlight and the frosting was good enough to eat on it's own! The cake itself is really dense, like a pound cake so the filling really helped not only with flavor but with the dryness of the cake. Maybe with some more experimenting I can get a moister version for you but until then I have a feeling you won't mind this one little bit! Yummo :)

Print Recipe

Merry Berry Eggnog Cake

3 Parchment Paper circles

Cake:

1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp milk
1 whole egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 cups cake flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
4 egg whites

Filling:

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 cup frozen raspberries

1 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp cold water

2 Tbsp butter

Frosting:

1 cup butter, softened
1/4 tsp kosher salt
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4-1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

For the Filling:

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan combine the cranberries, 1/2 cup sugar, and 3 Tbsp of sugar.

Cook over medium heat stirring until the cranberries begin to pop about 4-5 minutes. Whisk together cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry. Add to the cranberries and cook stirring constantly for 1 minute until thick.

Add the strawberries and raspberries.

Add the butter and stir until melted.

Cool for about 30 minutes until the filling reaches room temperature.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 3 hours until set.

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350˚ F or 325˚ F if using dark pans. Stack 3 sheets of parchment paper on top of each other. With a pencil trace the bottom of your 8" cake pans.

Cut out the circles. Spray a small amount of non-stick cooking spray in the bottom of the cake pans, then place the parchment paper circles in each pan and liberally spray each pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Stir together the cream, milk, whole egg, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

In a kitchen aid beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat for 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl sift together the cake flour and the baking powder.

Add the cream and the flour in three additions mixing just until incorporated and scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber scraper after each addition.

With an electric mixer beat the 4 egg whites to medium peaks.

Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter.

Divide the batter into the 3 pans.

Bake for 20-23 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of each round comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pans for 10 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Frosting:

Add the butter salt and vanilla to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes until creamy. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar with 1/4 cup of the milk. Beat until smooth. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1 Tbsp of milk and beat until smooth. Add in the final cup of powdered sugar and more milk 1 Tbsp at a time if needed to reach desired spreading consistency beating well.

If the cake layers are rounded, choose the nicest one and set aside. For the other two layers, use a bread knife and cut off the excess cake leaving a flat surface. Place the bottom cake layer on your serving dish. For easy cleanup cut strips of wax paper and slide just under the edges of the cake.