Two layers of moist, heart-shaped cake are joined together by a sensational raspberry preserve filling and topped with dreamy Mascarpone Buttercream.
Raspberry Heart Cakes
Serves: 10
Ingredients
- 1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1⁄2 cups plus 6 tablespoons cake flour
- 1 1⁄4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1⁄2 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1⁄8 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 6 tablespoons raspberry preserves
- Mascarpone Buttercream (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 15 1⁄4x10 1⁄4x1-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together 1⁄2 cup butter and sugar with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a small bowl, stir together milk, sour cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.
- In a medium bowl, beat egg whites with mixer at high speed just until stiff peaks form. Stir one-fourth of beaten egg whites into batter. Gently fold remaining egg whites into batter. Pour batter into prepared baking sheet, smoothing and leveling with an offset spatula. Tap baking sheet gently on countertop to settle batter and reduce air bubbles.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and edges of cake pull away from sides of pan, 9 to 11 minutes. (Don’t overbake, or cake will be dry.) Let cake cool completely in baking sheet on a wire rack. Wrap cooled cake in baking sheet securely with plastic wrap and freeze for up to a day.
- Using a 2-inch-wide heart-shaped cutter, cut 20 hearts from frozen cake, rinsing cutter with hot water to clean off crumbs between each cut. Place cake hearts in an airtight container with layers separated by wax paper and let thaw at room temperature.
- To keep raspberry preserves from soaking into bottom cake layer, spread 10 cake hearts with a thin even layer of remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Spread an even layer of raspberry preserves over butter layer without getting too close to edges. Top each with a remaining cake heart. Secure each stack with a wooden pick in center for ease of decorating.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a large open-star tip (Wilton #1M) with Mascarpone Buttercream. Pipe frilly stars of frosting to cover top of each cake stack. Place cakes in an airtight container, refrigerate, and serve within 4 hours. For best texture and flavor, let cakes come to room temperature before serving. Remove wooden picks before serving.
Notes
Kitchen Tip: Whisk flour in container and measure flour by spooning it into a dry-measure cup and then scraping off excess with a knife to level.
Mascarpone Buttercream
Serves: approximately 3 cups
Ingredients
- 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1⁄8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and cheese with mixer at high speed until combined, being careful not to overbeat. Beat in confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, and until frosting is light and fluffy.
