Bonjour! For a few months now (alright, maybe a couple of years) I've been thinking about starting a baking blog to call my own. After much deliberation, I've finally jumped the gun. Welcome to Whipped Up Whimsy!

If spring existed in cake form this would be it. Thank the lord for that because New York certainly doesn't know it's spring yet.

This is the fluffy, white, vanilla cake of my dreams, y'all. It's got light delicate texture but enough flavor to pack a punch and density to stand up to layers of yummy fillings.

I have to say, I am usually a chocolate cake fan because is something really dessert if it isn't a gooey, rich, chocolate filled mess? I'm not so sure. At least that's how I am going to justify eating two slices of this baby in one afternoon. Luckily, I've got friends and coworkers who are willing to share in the results of my calorie laden hobby.

For Christmas this year I received the best gift ever from my parents and got to take a cake course at Momofuku Milk Bar in Williamsburg. While we didn't learn the exact recipes of their genius cakes, I did learn their unorthodox technique of cake assembly. With a little manipulation of a basic sheet cake, cake ring, and some acetate, you get a perfectly smooth, 3 layer cake product. When it comes to the recipe... all it takes is a little creativity! Nothing compliments the tart flavor of raspberries like the simplicity of a vanilla cake (there's a reason grocery store bakeries around the world always whip up vanilla sheet cake with raspberry filling) but I wanted to take this to the next level. As a fan of floral baked goods I knew I wanted to include something rose-y in my first post... and thus the Raspberry Rose Reverie was born.

Vanilla Cake:

6 egg whites (about 1 cup liquid egg whites)
1 egg
1 cup of whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups of cake flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (12 tablespoons), diced

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 1/2 size baking sheet (18" x 13") paying close attention to the corners. Line bottom with parchment paper after buttering to ensure easy removal: This step is important!

In a medium sized mixing bowl combine first four ingredients (wet) and whisk until combined (about 30 seconds)

Next, sift cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. With the mixer on low, slowly add in diced butter, one piece at a time.

Once dry ingredients and butter create a pebbly texture, keep the mixer on low and gradually add in the eggy-milk combo in three batches. Turn off the mixer and scrape down edges of the bowl between each batch. This is to ensure the batter is uniform and you don't get a powdery surprise when you go to pour the batter in your sheet pan.

After you've got a uniform batter, pour into the parchment lined baking sheet and bake for approximately 30 minutes or once a toothpick comes clean from the center of the cake. The edges of the cake will be slightly browned, but do not over bake unless you want a dry cake.

Let cake cool on a cooling rack for one hour or until bottom of pan is cool to the touch. Wrap well in saran wrap and keep in the refrigerator a few hours or overnight.

Tart Raspberry Filling:

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water + 2 tablespoons
2, 6 oz packages of raspberries
2 and 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

In a shallow saucepan combine sugar and 1/4 cup water until lightly simmering.

Add in raspberries. Cook on low simmer for 5 min until raspberries are easily crushed. Use a fork or wooden spoon to gently smush raspberries.

In a small bowl or cup, combine 2 tablespoons of water and the cornstarch. Whisk until cornstarch is dissolved and drizzle into simmering raspberries. Stir gently and continue to simmer for three more minutes.

Turn off the gas burner and let filling cool completely. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.

Whipped Rose Frosting:

3 sticks unsalted butter, diced
1 lb, or 3.5 cups, confectioners sugar
1/4 cup of whole milk
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon rosewater (or more to taste)

In stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter on medium speed until pale and fluffy (about 5 min).

With stand mixer on low, gently sift in confectioner's sugar, about one cup at a time alternating with pours of the milk. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.

Once butter, sugar, and milk are consistently combined, add pinch of salt. Mix on medium speed and pour in rosewater. Due to the high amount of sugar in this frosting, more rosewater may be necessary depending on personal preference. Use your own discretion. Frosting may be stored in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Vanilla Rose Milk Soak:

1 teaspoon rosewater
2 teaspoon clear imitation vanilla
1/4 cup whole milk

Combine all three ingredients in tupperware container. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Cake assembly:

parchment paper
9" cake ring
2, 3" acetate cake collars
spoon, bent at 90° angle from center of spoon

Prep assembly surface by lying down parchment paper (nonstick surface and easy clean up)
Remove vanilla sheet cake from pan by gently running a fork around the edges and slamming (yes, slamming) down the sheet cake on hard surface to loosen. Turn sheet pan over and cake should easily drop from the pan. You should have a solid sheet of cake ready for your cake ring.
Use cake ring to make two perfect circles and two half-circles in sheet cake (it's good to test first by gently pressing and finding your shapes before pressing ring all the way through the cake)
Rinse cake ring and wipe clean after using to cut cake circles. Line inside with one 3" cake collar.
Place two half circles of cake inside lined cake ring. There will be a large gap between the two half circles. Use scraps of cake to fill the gap, pressing tightly. It'll get messy but make sure it is firmly packed on bottom. Shh! No one will know you don't have three perfect circles when you are finished!
Use bent spoon to drizzle four to six teaspoons of Rose Vanilla Milk soak over the bottom layer of cake. Don't over do it or you'll wind up with some mushy, soggy cake.
Rinse spoon and add three heaping spoonfuls of Whipped Rose Frosting to cake layer. Use bottom of spoon to drag frosting around the layer, paying close attention to the edges. Make sure you have plenty of cake along the outsides of the cake as this is what will make your presentation pop! To prevent cake from "lifting" and getting crumbs all up in your frosting make sure not to lift spoon while spreading the frosting. The more frosting you have under your spoon while spreading the easier it will be to spread.
Rinse spoon again and add half of your Tart Raspberry Filling to the layer of Whipped Rose Frosting. Again, pay close attention to the outer edges of the cake to ensure both the frosting and filling will be seen once unveiled.
By now you'll notice your cake layers are nearing the edge of the cake collar inside the ring... now it's time to add that second one in! Ensuring you dip the edge of the second collar behind the first, gradually slide the second cake collar around the ring. It will rise above the top of the cake ring, making sure you have plenty of smooth surface to continue to stack your cake layers.
Add first full circle of Vanilla Cake to your cake ring. Make sure to use the "less-perfect" layer as you'll want to save the nicest circle for the top, show-stopping layer.
Repeat steps 6 through 8: milk soak, frosting, filling.
Finally, add your last cake layer and drizzle with Rose Vanilla Milk soak.
Glop on the last of your Whipped rose frosting and spread evenly. At this point, I like to use my Lazy-Susan and a straight blade icing spatula to make an even surface for the top of my cake, but a gently, spoon-swirled top can be just as stunning. It's totally up to you!
Place cake in freezer for a minimum of four hours. Once the cake is frozen, lightly glide cake ring up over acetate and off of the cake. When you are ready to serve, remove the acetate and let sit for twenty to thirty minutes before slicing in. Enjoy!