Checkerboard Cake
A recipe from Create Cooking Challenge 2017 winner Buki Elegbede.
Recipe Ingredients
- - Your favorite layer cake recipe
- - Your favorite food coloring
- - Butter cream frosting
- - 7 large egg whites
- - 1½ cups granulated sugar
- - ¼ teaspoon salt
- - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- - 5 sticks of unsalted butter (room temp)
Recipe Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter four, 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Dust with flour and knock out the excess flour.
- Divide batter evenly between 2 large bowls
- Set one bowl aside and, in the other bowl mix in food coloring to your desired shade (you can also add another color to the first bowl for a multicolored effect).
- Divide each bowl into two of the four prepared pans and smooth tops. Bake, rotating pans halfway through baking time, until a toothpick inserted in center of each cake comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes Transfer cakes to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Cut a 6-inch circle from each cake
- Cut a 4-inch circle from the 6-inch circles
- Cut a 2-inch circle from the 4-inch circles
- Place each round, alternating colors, to form a complete round.
- Place one cooled cake layer on a cake turntable. Using a serrated knife, trim top of cake to create a flat surface, and evenly spread buttercream over top. Add next layer, making sure the outermost ring is the alternating color from the first layer.
- Frost as before.
- Add third layer and repeat as before.
- Add the final layer (the 4 layers should be alternating colors)
- Place turntable on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Frost sides and top with remaining buttercream. Decorate as you see fit.
- Chill the cake for about 5 minutes to set before serving.
Butter cream frosting
- Combine egg whites and sugar and salt in a heat proof bowl and set over a pan with simmer water (make sure simmering water does not come in direct contact with bowl).
- Cook egg whites and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and egg white mixture reads 180 degrees on an instant read thermometer
- Place mixture in a bowl of a stand mixture fitted with a whisk attachment and whip on high for 10 minutes. Or, until the mixture cools (feeling the sides of the bowl will indicate when the mixture has cooled thoroughly)
- Once the mixture has cooled, reduce the speed to low and add vanilla.
- Add butter (one tablespoon at a time) to mixture. The mixture will deflate to a brief period, but will resume its intended fluffy texture.