Saturday, June 25, 2011

Champagne Cake with Raspberry Filling

Ever since I've known my husband he has talked about a champagne cake he used to get from a local bakery where he grew up.  All the time, 24/7, that's all he talks about.  After 14 years, I finally took a hint.



This cake was AWE-sum!  I made it for my husband's birthday, and because I was pressed for time, I made the layers a few days ahead, wrapped them tightly and froze them.  It worked out just great!  (thanks Monica :)



I'm not very good at the fancy frosting thing, but I put a thin layer on first, froze it just a tad, then put the rest of the frosting on.  It kept the crumbs from getting all over the place.


This cake was so flavorful, it was light and rich at the same time.  I seriously can't wait for an occasion to make it again.  In fact I'm a little sad right now thinking about it, since it's all gone. 
Here is the recipe I found at a site called Mixing Bowl.  The article is geared towards making it for a wedding cake, but don't worry, the proportions are just right for a two layer cake.


Ingredients:
Champagne Cake
6 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup softened margarine*
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup good-quality Champagne

Raspberry Filling
3/4 cup frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon good-quality Champagne
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Water

Champagne Frosting
2/3 cup margarine
6 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons good-quality Champagne
1 to 2 tablespoons water (plus more if needed))

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

Separate eggs, reserving whites and discarding all but one egg yolk. Set egg yolk aside. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In a medium bowl stir to combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl beat butter and sugar together with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in the reserved egg yolk and the vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and Champagne to the butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined. Fold 1/2 of the beaten egg whites into the batter to lighten. Fold the remaining beaten egg whites into the batter. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Loosen sides, remove from pans, and cool completely.

To make the Raspberry filling, combine the raspberries, sugar, Champagne, and water in a small saucepan. Stir and heat over medium heat until mixture is bubbling. Strain raspberry mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Discard seeds. Pour strained raspberries back into the saucepan and heat until bubbling. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and just enough to make a slurry. Whisk cornstarch slurry into strained raspberries (add slurry slowly and if raspberries thicken up before all the slurry is gone, discard remaining slurry). Remove from heat and chill completely in refrigerator.

Meanwhile, to make frosting, beat the margarine on high speed with an electric mixer for about 30 seconds. Beat in the powdered sugar until combined. Beat in the Champagne and vanilla. Beat in enough water to make frosting of spreading consistency.

To assemble cake, spread Raspberry Filling in the center of one cake layer (leaving about 1/2 inch border around the edges uncovered). Top with the second cake layer. Frost the tops and sides of the cake with the Champagne Frosting. If desired, use a pastry bag to pipe remaining frosting in decorative designs on the tops and sides.


I decided to use the frosting between the layers along with the raspberry sauce.


18 comments:

Heather S-G said...

Oh, this sounds so divine...and classy. tee hee...I totally want to make it...and eat it ;D

Anonymous said...

Me too! I've seen a few recipes for using champagne in cake and cupcakes and I always wondered how it tasted. And I guess you just have to drink the rest of the champagne that you don't use for the cake. :o)

scrambledhenfruit said...

I've NEVER had champagne cake before, but I'm going to rectify that soon. I can see why hubby has been raving about it- it looks fabulous! :)

♥peachkins♥ said...

this looks super fantastic!missed your blog..

peachkins @ The Peach Kitchen

Anonymous said...

i have never had this cake before either but its looks beautiful! I think you did a fabulous job on the whipped cream! and thanks for the tip about freezing the whipped cream in between frosting, I'm sure thats a big help!

Debbie said...

I love baking different cakes that I've never had before and this just sounds wonderful. I can't wait to try this. Looks delicious too!!!!!

Jayanthy Kumaran said...

looks irresistably hearty..:)
Tasty Appetite

The Blonde Duck said...

If I tried this, it would look like a puddle of icing. I'm simply not that talented!

Julie said...

Even if it did, it would be one delicious puddle!

The JR said...

lol...that reminds me my hubbies b'day is coming up soon and now I can't remember what kind of cake he said he wanted....

Mimi said...

Luck for me my husband has a birthday next week and this will be his cake.
Mimi

Anonymous said...

That looks and sounds delicious!!!!

Julie said...

HI! Thanks for stopping by my blog! I am loving my time here! This cake looks beautiful. I don't know that I've ever had a champagne cake.

The Blonde Duck said...

Happy Wednesday!

Tina said...

That looks delicious and naughty all together. I like your step by step instructions on it.
We have some champagne so...maybe I should give it a try!

Reeni said...

What a gorgeous cake! Love the raspberry filling and champagne frosting? Sounds positively sinful!

Monica H said...

Your cake turned out beautiful! The lighting on your cake is just really nice and now I want a big honkin' slice of it. Yum!

So glad I could help, but you did all the work!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Yum! Monica was right! It does look mighty fine! :)
~ingrid