Chocolate World

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

This cake is a great special-occasion dessert

by The Grand Rapids Press

Swirled with white chocolate cream frosting and dotted with fresh raspberries, this elegant homemade cake is from Renay Bouwhuis, of Lowell Township.

"It's a rich cake, but not overly sweet," says Renay, who's been making the elegant dessert for more than a dozen years, to the delight of family and friends.

Ideal for entertaining, the dessert is especially nice for ladies' luncheons, showers, or for any special occasion, Renay said. Keep in mind that Valentine's Day is less than a month away, so this cake would be perfect.

It's also a fairly dense cake, Renay adds, and has a real homemade taste and texture. "It's not crumbly like a cake made from a mix."

Tall and scrumptious, the cake includes three layers sandwiched between red raspberry jam, fresh raspberries and white chocolate cream.

"It's pretty, delicious, and always a smash hit when I serve it," Renay said.

Renay and her husband, Rich, have three children and are hosting a German exchange student. Renay works in the office at Lowell High School, and enjoys sewing, reading, camping and traveling.

White chocolate raspberry cream cake

FROSTING --
* 4 ounce white baking chocolate, chopped * 2 cups whipping cream * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

CAKE --
* 6 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped * 1 cup whipping cream * 1/2 cup milk * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract * 3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened * 1 cup granulated sugar * 4 eggs, separated * 2 3/4 cups flour * 1 teaspoon baking powder * 1/2 teaspoon salt

FILLING --
* 1/4 cup seedless red raspberry jam * 1 pint fresh raspberries

PREPARATION: For the frosting, in saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 ounces chopped white chocolate with 1/2 cup whipping cream, stirring constantly until smooth. Transfer to large bowl; stir in remaining whipping cream and vanilla.

Cover and chill in refrigerator for about 2 hours.

Grease three 9-inch-diameter round cake pans and line bottoms with wax paper. In saucepan, melt 6 ounces white chocolate in 1/2 cup whipping cream over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in remaining whipping cream, milk and vanilla.

In large mixing bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

Alternately add dry ingredients and cooled white chocolate mixture to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Beat until smooth.

In small bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites until foamy. Add remaining 1/3 cup sugar, and beat on high speed until stiff. Fold egg whites into batter; pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in layers comes out clean.

Remove white chocolate frosting from refrigerator. Beat at high speed with electric mixer until stiff and fluffy. Do not overbeat as mixture will begin to form clumps.

To assemble cake, place first layer on serving plate. Spread with 2 tablespoons jam; top with 1/2 cup white chocolate cream frosting and sprinkle with 1/2 cup raspberries. Place second cake layer over frosting, spread with jam, frosting and raspberries. Top with remaining cake layer and spread with remaining white chocolate cream frosting. Decorate with remaining raspberries.
Chill until ready to serve.
Makes 15 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 541 calories, 36 grams fat, 7 grams protein, 47 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 149 milligrams cholesterol, 230 milligrams sodium

posted by All About Home @ 9:14 PM

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