Brought to you by one of the best cooks I've ever met, my Grandma, Judy.
This cake is shockingly simple. With fluffy layers of vanilla cake, a whipped cream & mascarpone frosting and cherries - this cake has always been a universal crowd pleaser at family gatherings.
We took advantage of one of our favorite vanilla extracts, Vain Baker's Blend to really add a depth of flavor to the otherwise-traditional vanilla cake. Also pictured but unfortunately not used this time around, Tongan Vanilla extracted in Orange Spirits (!!) - I've currently been looking for any excuse to bake up more treats just for the purpose of trying it out.
We also took advantage of this Reusable Decorating Set from Trudeau. Pictured in action below, the set comes with a reusable silicone bag (that's dishwasher safe) and two couplers to hold in different sized tips. It has both the benefit of saving cash on disposable piping bags and being a little more environmentally friendly. That's a yes from us!
Cherries & Cream Layer Cake
Servings: 9-12 | Prep Time: 2 Hours
Vanilla Cake
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Butter Flavoring
1/2 cup Sour Cream
2 Eggs, room temperature
2 cups Cake Flour, sifted
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3/4 cup Whole Milk, room temperature
Whipped Mascarpone Frosting
2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream, chilled
1/2 cup Mascarpone
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3/4 cup Powdered Sugar, sifted
2 cups Cherry Pie Filling
**either homemade or the shortcut version from the can
Maraschino Cherries, with Stems, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare the Vanilla Cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease 2, 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
2. In a stand mixer set with the paddle attachment, whip, on medium-high speed, the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Decrease to medium and add the vanilla extract, butter flavoring and sour cream and mix until incorporated.
3. Add the eggs one at time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
4. Stir together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with the milk in 2 additions each. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth, but do not overmix.
5. Divide batter between pans and bake 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove pans and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert cake out of the pan onto cooling rack and allow to complete cooling.
6. Prepare the Mascarpone Frosting: In a stand mixer set with the whisk attachment, whip together the cream, mascarpone and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Add powdered sugar and mix until combined.
7. Assemble the cake: slice cake in half, creating two layers. Spread cherry pie filling on the bottom half of cake and lay the top half on top. Spread or pipe frosting over the top of cake and serve immediately.