Description
A visually striking pink cake with raspberry flavor, featuring tender layers and a gradient Italian buttercream finish, perfect for Valentine’s Day or birthday celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 230g
- 1 cup granulate 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 lemon juice fresh
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 ½ cup unsalted butter room temp, 315g (For White Chocolate Buttercream)
- 4 ½ cups confectioners sugar 648g (For White Chocolate Buttercream)
- 1 cup white chocolate chips melted and cooled, 168g (For White Chocolate Buttercream)
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar (For White Chocolate Buttercream)
- 1 cup raspberries fresh (For White Chocolate Buttercream)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (For White Chocolate Buttercream)
- 1 tbsp vanilla (For White Chocolate Buttercream)
- 1/4 tsp salt (For White Chocolate Buttercream)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (For White Chocolate Buttercream)
- 3 sheets printable hearts (For Hearts)
- 1 1/2 feet parchment paper (For Hearts)
- ½ cup candy melts 84g (For Hearts)
- 4 egg whites large (For Italian Buttercream)
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar divided (For Italian Buttercream)
- 1 Pinch kosher salt (For Italian Buttercream)
- 16 ounces unsalted butter 454g, room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces (For Italian Buttercream)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (For Italian Buttercream)
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar (For Italian Buttercream)
- 1/3 cup water 70g (For Italian Buttercream)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 340 degrees F. Butter and flour three 6-inch pans. Use cake strips on your pans for more even baking.
- Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder into a large bowl then whisk together and set aside.
- Beat the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl. Add lemon zest.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in dried raspberries at the very end and mix until just combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly into the cake pans.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch.
- For the White Chocolate Buttercream: In a small saucepan over medium low heat combine raspberries, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar. Mash and heat for a minute. Bring to a simmer. Simmer until reduced by half, or about three minutes. Strain and transfer to a small bowl and chill.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter.
- Add confectioners sugar and salt. Beat until creamy.
- Add in melted and cooled white chocolate. Mix until incorporated and smooth.
- Divide batter in half. Add vanilla to one batch.
- Add 2 1/2 tbsp of the reduction to the other batch of buttercream. If the consistency becomes runny, mix in confectioners sugar 2 tbsp at a time until thickened.
- Transfer both batches to separate piping bags with the tips snipped off. Add the 2 piping bags to another piping bag fitted with a large round tip or with the tip snipped off.
- For the Italian Buttercream: Beat the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar, slowly add in 1/3 cup of sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form.
- As the eggs are beating add the remaining sugar and 1/3 cup water to a medium saucepan then place on medium-high heat. Stir until sugar melts and becomes clear.
- Maintain at medium-high heat until temperature reads 235-240F. Drizzle the sugar into the mixer immediately.
- Run mixer until meringue is cool or tepid.
- Add room temperature butter into running mixer one tablespoon piece at a time.
- Add the salt and vanilla if using. Beat until butter is combined and mixture has reached a silky consistency.
- Divide into 5 bowls. Keep one bowl white. Add food coloring to each batch to achieve a gradient look.
- Whip the frosting and transfer to separate piping bags just before using.
- For the Hearts: Line up 3 printable heart sheets to use as a guideline or stencil. Add a layer of parchment paper over the sheets.
- Microwave candy melts. Transfer to a piping bag and snip off the tip. Pipe hearts according to the stencil. Let the hearts cool and harden.
- For the Assembly: Pipe the pink/white chocolate buttercream combo between each cake layer.
- Cover the cake with a thin crumb coat and chill for about 10-15 minutes.
- Once the cake has chilled, start the Italian buttercream gradient with the white, then work your way up from bottom to top.
- Carefully smooth with an offset spatula.
- Add hearts to the cake.
Notes
- Use fresh raspberries cut into quarters and tossed with two tablespoons of flour to prevent liquid puddles in the cake.
- Double the recipe for 8-inch pans or triple the recipe for 9-inch pans if you are not using 6-inch pans.
- If you see small clumps of butter after mixing wet ingredients, continue mixing; it resolves when dry ingredients are added.
- You can substitute whole milk yogurt for the sour cream.
- Use cake strips on your pans for flat, moist layers.
- You can use American buttercream instead of Italian buttercream if you prefer not to make two frosting types.
- Prep Time: 45 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 65g
- Sodium: 250mg
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated Fat: 18g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 70g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 80mg
Keywords: Pink Birthday Cake, Valentine Cake, Raspberry Cake, Pink Frosted Cake, Celebration Cake, Heart Cake, White Chocolate Buttercream, Italian Buttercream