Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 3 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 5 large eggs
- 1 ½ tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups milk (I used almond, use what you love)
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Purple food coloring (I used AmeriColor Gel in Regal Purple)
- Blueberry Thyme Jam
- Ginger Syrup
Frosting
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 5 large eggs whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, slightly softened
- Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
Instructions
- Make the cake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 8 or 9 inch round cake pans. Line the bottom with parchment and butter the parchment. Butter and flour 2 6 inch ramekins or cake pans. Line the bottom with parchment and butter the parchment.
- In a large bowl, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. I did this by hand but a hand or stand mixer will work as well. Beat in the eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla.
- Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Alternately add the milk and flour mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour.
- Divide the mixture into 4 bowls, putting less in the bowls for the smaller cake pans. Just do the best you can – it will work out in the end. Put 1 drop of food coloring in one of the smaller portions of batter, 2 drops in the other smaller bowl and 3 and 4 drops in the two bigger bowls. Stir to distribute the color and add more one drop at a time until the color you want is achieved.
- Pour into respective cake pans and bake about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in pans. Cakes may be made up to 2 days in advance.
- When ready to assemble the cake, make the frosting. In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar, water, and syrup of medium high heat until dissolved. Stop stirring and cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F.
- In the meantime, place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until stiff, but not dry, peaks form.
- When both the syrup and the egg whites are ready, turn the mixer down to medium-low and drizzle in the syrup. Once the syrup has been added, turn the mixer back up to high and beat for 10 minutes. Add the butter 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time, waiting to add more until the previously added butter is incorporated. Beat in the vanilla.
- If the frosting is soupy, pop it in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes, then mix it again and it should come together!
- Assemble the cake. Place the darkest colored cake on a cake stand. Level the top with a sharp serrated knife if it has a large bump. Brush with syrup and pipe a ring of frosting around the edge. Fill the center with jam. Place the next darkest cake on top, level it if necessary, brush with syrup, and frost the top and sides of the cakes.
- Place the darker little cake on top, level it if necessary and brush with syrup. Pipe a ring of frosting around the edge, fill with jam, and place the final cake on top. Level it, brush with syrup and use the remaining frosting on the top and sides of the mini cake.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Cake may also be frozen, wrapped in plastic and foil, for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for about 4 hours.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Divas Can Cook
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 hour