Happy Easter!
At least…it’s almost Easter. But it’s time for another cake for the month!
This month I decided to try something light, fluffy, and full of spring. We were about caked-out from the dense chocolate cakes from the last two months, and were in need of a change.
The resulting cake was a vanilla yogurt cake with raspberry filling and cream cheese cool whip frosting.
The cake didn’t turn out as fluffy as I wanted, but it was a good bakery style cake. Until I find another recipe, I would recommend using a white or yellow boxed cake mix. Follow the instructions—beating it for two minutes makes it super fluffy.
I originally baked the cakes in one 8 inch springform pan and one 10 inch springform pan. Instead of making 4 layers like I thought it would, it made a squatting little cake that did not look very good.
So I decided to round it out and make both layers 8 inch. If you are making this, I would recommend using two 8 inch springform pans, or three 8 inch cake pans.
As for the frosting….It is definitely my new favorite. It’s a cream cheese cool whip frosting, and light enough in flavor that you could eat it by the spoonful. It is not however, the best for decorating. It holds its shape fairly well, but not enough to do flowers (and it doesn’t firm up after being in the fridge either.)
I tried a technique I found on Pinterest where you wrap the frosting in plastic wrap before putting it in decorating bags. I tried it this time and it was a lifesaver! I wish I had known this technique earlier, so I wouldn't have thrown away those other decorating bags.
Look how clean these bags are! I hadn't even washed them!
Next, you practice piping directly on the countertop...
(The leaves on the left I held too long, the leaves in the middle I only squeezed for a short amount of time, but the leaves on the left I held the decorating bag straight up and down, which gave the leaves the crease down the middle).
Use a small round tip for the grass and stems.
Add some dirt.
(Just kidding, it's crushed oreos.)
Pipe on some gorgeous flowers with two different 6-point star tips.
Add some butterflies.
Slice open and enjoy!
Here are the ingredients I used: Click here for a printer friendly version.
Cake:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
4 cups cake flour (I used 4 c. all-purpose with 8 Tablespoons removed. Add 8 Tablespoons cornstarch and sift)
6 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 cups yogurt
½ cup milk
4 tsp vanilla
OR
1 boxed cake mix, yellow or white (with ingredients needed on box)
Raspberry Filling:
12 oz. frozen raspberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in water
Frosting:
(If you’re not decorating the cake, half of the recipe will cover the whole cake)
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
2 stick butter, softened
2 (8 oz) containers cool whip
1 tsp vanilla
Food coloring
Butterflies:
1-2 cups white chocolate chips
Food coloring (optional)
Butterfly Template
1 Sleeve crushed oreos
Directions
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line two 8- inch springform pans (or probably three 8-inch cake pans) with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
In an extra-large bowl (or working in two batches) beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs. Add the rest of ingredients, alternating between dry and wet (or just dump it all in like I do).
Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool in pans, then refrigerate for 30 minutes or more until ready to decorate.
Filling:
Thaw raspberries in microwave for 1 minute. Puree in blender until smooth.
Pour the raspberry puree into a medium saucepan. Add sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Frosting:
Make two large bowls of frosting (use half the ingredients for each bowl). Beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in cool whip and vanilla until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap before refrigerating.
Butterflies:
Cut 6 squares or more of parchment paper, large enough to cover your butterfly. Fold each piece in half, then open and tape it flat to the butterfly template, with the fold running the length of the butterfly’s body.
Melt white chocolate chips in a small bowl for 1 minute. Stir until completely smooth. (This will completely melt the chocolate chips, but not be too hot to handle). Spoon into a Ziploc bag. Cut off the tiniest corner you can where the chocolate can still come out easily.
Trace the design of the butterfly with the white chocolate. Make sure the lines are thick enough that they won’t break easily. When you finish, remove the tape and lay the butterfly on an open book or something that will shape the butterfly wings. When the butterfly has hardened, put it gently in the refrigerator. (If you don’t, the butterfly will snap easily). Leave for about 10 minutes. Repeat with the rest of the butterflies.
Quickly, but gently remove the parchment paper from each butterfly and press into place on the cake.
Note that the butterflies will soften and go flat at room temperature, so put them on just before serving.
1 cup makes about 4 butterflies. Make several in case some of them break.
Decorating:
Trim all edges off the cake. Pipe a thick border of frosting around the inside edge of the bottom layer of cake. Fill with raspberry filling (only use about ¾ of the filling, or if making three layers, split the filling evenly between the two layers). Place the other cake layer(s) on top.
Trim the cake until you’re satisfied with the shape. Frost the cake with half the frosting (one bowl). Get it as smooth as you can.
Use the second bowl of frosting for decoration. Dye 1/3 green, and divide the remaining frosting into 4 colors: orange, purple, yellow, and pink/red.
Use the green frosting and a small round piping tip to make grass on the cake.
Sprinkle crushed Oreos around the bottom of the cake and on the top center of the cake.
Pipe flowers of different colors using star tips.
Place butterflies on cake just before serving.
Despite the long list, this cake is really easy to make. You don’t even have to wait for the frosting to set up.
Things we learned from this cake:
If it looks like you’re only going to have two layers, trim them to the same size before frosting. It looks better and more professional than two layers of different sizes.
Make sure you have an adequate ring of frosting if you’re going to fill the cake with filling. Otherwise it can leak out into the outer layer of frosting.
Cream cheese cool whip frosting is not ideal for making flowers.
Vinegar does NOT go well in cake. I added some to the cake (to make buttermilk) and it gave it a weird, slightly bitter taste.
Thanks for reading! Check back for next month’s cake!
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