Vanilla Cake with Lilacs and Buttercream
 
 
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Makes: 3 thick cake layers, or 6 torted layers
Ingredients
White Cake
  • 3¼ cups (375 g) cake flour, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 2¼ cups (450 g) superfine sugar
  • ¾ cup (170 g) cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1½ cups milk, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 7 large egg whites, room temperature
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting (makes 6 cups)
  • 7 large egg whites (fresh eggs, not pasteurized whites from carton)
  • 1¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 cups (455 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into cubes
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, or the seeds of ½ vanilla bean
  • A pinch or two of salt, to taste
Instructions
Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottoms of three 6x3-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment cut to size.
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add sugar. With mixer on low speed, add cold butter one piece at a time and beat until all butter is incorporated, about 3 minutes. The mixture should have a fairly fine texture.
  3. In a medium measuring cup with a pouring spout, combine half the milk, the vanilla, and lemon juice. In a separate measuring cup, whisk egg whites and remaining milk.
  4. Increase mixer speed to medium-low and slowly add the vanilla milk mixture and beat for 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the egg white mixture. Beat for 2 minutes, occasionally stopping to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.
  5. Fold the batter once or twice with a rubber spatula to ensure everything has been properly combined. Divide your batter evenly among your pans. (Use a kitchen scale to divide as evenly as possible.)
  6. Bake the three layers in the center of the oven until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs attached, 24 to 30 minutes. Try not to overbake.
  7. Let the layers cool in their pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Using a knife or small offset palette knife, loosen the sides of the cakes and carefully turn them out onto the wire racks. Peel off the parchment liners and let layers cool completely.
  8. If not using cake layers immediately, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature or refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Buttercream
  1. Wipe a stainless steel bowl, whisk, and whisk and paddle attachments of an electric mixer with a paper towel dampened with a bit of lemon juice to make sure all traces of grease have been removed. Add egg whites and sugar to the bowl, and place bowl over a pot of simmering water. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly but gently, until the temperature reaches 130 degrees F.
  2. Upon reaching temperature, return bowl to mixer and fit with whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until the mixture reaches the stiff peak stage (it will be very thick and glossy). Decrease the speed to medium and beat until the bottom of the bowl is cool to touch, which will be about 10 minutes or longer.
  3. Switch to the paddle attachment, and with the mixer running on low speed, add the butter in one piece at a time. (Be sure your butter is not TOO warm or your mixture will curdle. If your mixture appears curdled, place entire bowl in fridge for 15-20 minutes. Remove and beat mixture again.) Beat until the mixture is silky smooth. (This may take a while if your mixture has curdled.)
  4. Add vanilla and salt, and beat on low speed for another two minutes. Scrape down the side of the bowl and beat again for another minute or two.
Notes
Cut off golden crust on cakes for a truly "white cake" presentation when sliced.
Store buttercream in fridge if not using right away. Re-beat upon removal to bring back to spreading consistency.
This is a very scant amount of buttercream for a 6-layer cake. Try to use it sparingly, or make more if you'd like to not have to scrimp on frosting.
Decorate with lilacs right before serving to ensure lilac flowers do not wilt.
Serve cake at room temperature.
Recipes barely, barely adapted from the awesome Sweetapolita Bakebook.
Recipe by Big Sky, Little Kitchen at https://www.bigskylittlekitchen.com/vanilla-cake-with-lilacs-and-buttercream/