Springtime Raspberry Cake

Hey everyone! This is a cake recipe with four parts that make it a fun but challenging bake. You need to make the cake, the frosting, filling, and the meringue cookies. It tastes delicious with the sweet white cake and the tang of the raspberry filling. The frosting is very light and is different from most cream cheese-based frostings.

I used a standing mixer to mix but a hand-held mixer works just as well!

Enjoy!!!

Basic White Cake:

• 6 tablespoons butter, room temp
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 6 egg whites, room temp

Raspberry Filling:

• 2 cups of raspberries
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup of sugar
• 3 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Meringue Cookies:

• 4 egg whites, room temp
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Green food coloring

Whipped Cream Frosting:

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 and 3/4 cups of heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

These take the longest to make in total because they need a long bake at a low temperature.

1. Preheat your oven to 225F and prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl combine the eggs whites, cream of tartar, and salt.
3. With your mixer stir the combined materials until they reach a foamy consistency.

4. With the mixer on high slowly add the sugar to the bowl. About a tablespoon, each addition works well.

5. Continue on high until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is thick and shiny. A telltale sign are peaks in the mixture when it is whipped up.

6. Add the vanilla extract at this point on a low mix level.

7. Add the green food coloring. I ended up using 6 drops but you can add as many as you would like.

8. Cut one of the bottom corners of a Ziploc bag. Insert a piping tip in the hole (if you don't have a piping tip that's fine). Using a rubber scraper or a spoon carefully scoop the mixture into a Ziploc bag.

9. Pipe the cookies onto the baking sheets. I piped straight lines to act as grass blades, and a circle to go around the top of my cake. As these are purely for decoration you make whatever shapes your heart desires.

10. Bake the meringues at 225F for 1 hour, then turn off the oven but DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN. Let the cookies cool in the oven for 30 mins to an hour.

11. When the meringues are finally removed they should be crisp and sweet.

Try to keep the meringues away from moisture while waiting to put them on the final bake.

Make the filling second because this component needs a good amount of time to cool off.

1. Puree the raspberries and the water. The seeds can be removed if you want.
2. In a medium saucepan combine the sugar and cornstarch. Pour the puree in.
3. On a medium heat stir the sugar-puree until it thickens. Leave it on the heat for about two minutes after it has gotten to a jam-like consistency.
4. Remove from heat and refrigerate to cool.

1. Preheat your oven to 350F and line the bottoms of your baking pans. Make sure to grease the sides too.
2. With your mixer beat the room temp butter, sugar, and oil until all the ingredients are combined.
3. Add the vanilla extract.
4. In a different bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. Measure out the cup of milk.

6. While mixing on a medium speed add the milk and flour mixture slowly. Alternating between the flour and the milk. (Works best if you start and end with adding the flour mixture)

7. In a separate bowl whisk/ mix the egg whites. You want them to get fluffy, this will carry into the cake so the fluffier the eggs the fluffier the cake.

8. Once the eggs are fluffy carefully FOLD them into the cake batter.

9. With the batter completely mixed pour it into the baking pans.

10. Bake for 35-40 mins at 350F.

11. Remove the cakes from the oven and take them out of the pans. Let them cool.

You can make this while the white cake is baking to be more efficient.

1. At medium speed beat the sugar and cream cheese together.
2. Lower the speed of the mixer and gradually add the heavy cream. (About every 30 seconds pour more in)
3. After all the heavy cream is added beat at a high speed until it is stiff.
4. Fold the vanilla extract into the mixture.
5. Store in the fridge until you plan to use it.

1. Get all the components together.
2. Cut the top off the cakes to make them flat, if necessary.
3. Transfer the raspberry filling into a plastic bag and cut a corner.
4. Pipe the filling on the top of the first cake. I suggest doing circles around the cake until you reach the center.
5. Place the second cake on top of the raspberry layer.
6. Pipe the frosting on the sides of the cake and using a scraper to make it as even as you can.
7. Frost the top of the cake.
8. Place your meringue cookies on the cake.
9. Add any additional decoration you feel will make the cake pretty. I added leftover raspberries to the top.
10. Serve right away or refrigerate to let the frosting set.

Keep stores in the fridge!