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Valentine’s Raspberry Cake Recipe

★★★★★

4.8 from 52 reviews
  • Author: Charlotte
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: One 3-layer 6-inch cake (serves approximately 8) 1x

Description

This Valentine’s Raspberry Cake is a delightful and visually stunning dessert featuring moist layers of raspberry-infused cake, a luscious white chocolate buttercream, and a silky Italian buttercream with a gradient effect. Decorated with printable candy hearts, this cake is perfect for celebrating love and special occasions with a balance of fruity tang, creamy sweetness, and elegant design.

Ingredients

Scale

Cake

  • 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (230g)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (136g)
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda (heaping)
  • 1 tsp baking powder (heaping)
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature, 170g)
  • 3 egg whites (room temperature)
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (120ml)
  • 1/2 cup whole milk (105ml)
  • 6 oz raspberries (fresh or freeze dried)
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest

White Chocolate Buttercream

  • 1 ½ cup unsalted butter (room temperature, 315g)
  • 4 ½ cups confectioners sugar (648g)
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips (melted and cooled, 168g)
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 cup raspberries (fresh)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest

Italian Buttercream

  • 4 large egg whites
  • 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar (divided)
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • 16 ounces unsalted butter (454g, room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces)
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/3 cup water (70g)

Decorations

  • 3 sheets printable hearts (or pipe them free-hand)
  • 1 1/2 feet parchment paper
  • ½ cup candy melts (84g)

Instructions

  1. Prep the Cake Pans: Preheat your oven to 340°F. Butter and flour three 6-inch cake pans. If you have cake strips, wrap them around the pans to help achieve even baking.
  2. Mix Dry Ingredients: Sift together the flour, kosher salt, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside for later use.
  3. Combine Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, beat together the 3/4 cup softened unsalted butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, sour cream, whole milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice. It’s okay if small chunks of butter remain; they will blend during mixing.
  4. Combine Wet and Dry: Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined to avoid overmixing. Carefully fold in the 6 oz raspberries (fresh or freeze-dried) at the end to distribute them evenly without breaking them down completely.
  5. Divide and Bake: Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the cake centers spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  6. Make Raspberry Reduction for Buttercream: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine 1 cup fresh raspberries, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp lemon zest, and 1 tbsp granulated sugar. Mash the raspberries and bring to a simmer. Let it reduce by half, about 3 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve, then chill the strained reduction.
  7. Prepare White Chocolate Buttercream: In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream 1 ½ cups unsalted butter until smooth. Add 4 ½ cups confectioners sugar and 1/4 tsp salt; beat until creamy. Mix in the melted and cooled white chocolate chips until fully incorporated and smooth.
  8. Divide Buttercream: Split the white chocolate buttercream into two equal parts. Flavor one half with 1 tbsp vanilla extract. To the other half, add 2 ½ tbsp of the chilled raspberry reduction. If this mixture becomes too runny, add confectioners sugar 2 tbsp at a time until thickened. Transfer both to separate piping bags with the tips trimmed off, then insert both bags into a larger piping bag fitted with a large round tip or with the tip snipped off.
  9. Prepare Italian Buttercream Meringue: In a clean mixing bowl, beat 4 egg whites with a pinch of kosher salt and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar. Slowly add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form.
  10. Cook Sugar Syrup: In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining 1 cup granulated sugar and 1/3 cup water. Heat over medium-high until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches 235-240°F, stirring gently to ensure even heating.
  11. Combine Meringue and Syrup: Slowly drizzle the hot sugar syrup into the meringue with the mixer running. Continue beating until the meringue cools to lukewarm or tepid temperature.
  12. Add Butter to Italian Buttercream: With the mixer running on medium speed, add the room-temperature butter pieces one tablespoon at a time. Continue beating the mixture until silky and fully combined. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and a pinch of salt if desired. Beat again until smooth and fluffy.
  13. Color the Italian Buttercream: Divide the finished Italian buttercream evenly into five bowls. Leave one bowl plain white. Use food coloring to tint the remaining four bowls in increasingly darker shades to create a gradient effect. Whip lightly and transfer each colored batch to a separate piping bag just before assembly.
  14. Make Candy Hearts: Align 3 printable heart sheets as a guide and cover them with parchment paper. Microwave ½ cup candy melts until melted and smooth. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe hearts following the stencil outlines. Allow the candy hearts to cool and harden completely before removing.
  15. Assemble the Cake Layers: Using the dual piping bag of pink and white chocolate buttercreams, pipe a swirl combination of the frostings between each cooled cake layer to stack them evenly.
  16. Apply Crumb Coat: Cover the assembled cake with a thin layer of white chocolate buttercream as a crumb coat. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to set the coat.
  17. Apply Gradient Italian Buttercream: Starting at the bottom of the cake, use the white Italian buttercream, then pipe and smooth upward layers with gradually darker shades to achieve a gradient ombré effect. Smooth carefully using an offset spatula for a polished finish.
  18. Decorate with Candy Hearts: Adorn the sides and top of the cake by attaching the hardened candy hearts as decorative accents for a festive, romantic appearance.

Notes

  • Use room temperature ingredients for better emulsification and texture in the cake and frostings.
  • Cake strips help in baking the layers evenly; if unavailable, bake layers on the middle oven rack and rotate pans midway.
  • Handle raspberries gently to prevent bruising them into the batter.
  • Make sure white chocolate chips are melted gently and allowed to cool before adding to the buttercream to prevent curdling.
  • Italian Buttercream requires a candy thermometer for accurate sugar syrup temperature; maintaining temperature is critical for proper meringue.
  • Food coloring gels work best for vibrant colors in the Italian buttercream without thinning the frosting.
  • Printable candy hearts can be replaced by piped hearts if sheets or candy melts are unavailable.
  • Store the assembled cake refrigerated and bring to room temperature before serving for best flavor and texture.
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: Valentine's cake, raspberry cake, white chocolate buttercream, Italian buttercream, layered cake, romantic dessert, holiday cake, raspberry frosting

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