Red, White, and Blue Layer Cake
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 17, 2008
Time
1¾ hours, plus 2½ hours cooling and chilling
Yield
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake
2¼ cups (11¼ ounces/319 grams) all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons baking soda Pinch table salt 1 cup buttermilk 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs 2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tablespoons red food coloring 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened1½ cups (10½ ounces/298 grams) granulated sugarWhipped Cream Filling
1 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin 2 tablespoons water 3 cups heavy cream ¼ cup (1 ounce/28 grams) confectioners' sugar Blueberries and strawberries for garnishInstructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla, and eggs in large measuring cup. Mix cocoa with food coloring in small bowl until smooth paste forms.
- With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as necessary. Add one-third of flour mixture and beat on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add half of buttermilk mixture and beat on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl as necessary and repeat with half of remaining flour mixture, remaining buttermilk mixture, and finally remaining flour mixture. Scrape down bowl, add cocoa mixture, and beat on medium speed until completely incorporated, about 30 seconds. Using silicone spatula, give batter final stir.
- Pour batter into prepared pans and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
- Combine gelatin and water in medium bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Bring ¼ cup cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat, then whisk in gelatin mixture until no lumps remain; let cool for 3 minutes. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cooled gelatin mixture, sugar, and remaining cream to stiff peaks, about 2 minutes.
- Using serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally into 2 even layers. Place 1 cake layer on serving platter. Spread one-quarter of whipped cream filling over cake. Repeat, alternating layers of cake and filling. Garnish with blueberries and strawberries and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Serve. (Cake can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)
for the red velvet cake
for the whipped cream filling
Time
1¾ hours, plus 2½ hours cooling and chillingYield
Serves 8 to 10Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake
2¼ cups (11¼ ounces/319 grams) all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
Pinch table salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons red food coloring
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups (10½ ounces/298 grams) granulated sugar
Whipped Cream Filling
1 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons water
3 cups heavy cream
¼ cup (1 ounce/28 grams) confectioners' sugar
Blueberries and strawberries for garnish
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake
2¼ cups (11¼ ounces/319 grams) all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
Pinch table salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons red food coloring
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups (10½ ounces/298 grams) granulated sugar
Whipped Cream Filling
1 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons water
3 cups heavy cream
¼ cup (1 ounce/28 grams) confectioners' sugar
Blueberries and strawberries for garnish
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake
2¼ cups (11¼ ounces/319 grams) all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
Pinch table salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons red food coloring
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups (10½ ounces/298 grams) granulated sugar
Whipped Cream Filling
1 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons water
3 cups heavy cream
¼ cup (1 ounce/28 grams) confectioners' sugar
Blueberries and strawberries for garnish
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Colorful layers of red velvet cake make the perfect foundation for our Red, White, and Blue Layer Cake, the perfect Independence Day dessert. To get evenly cut cake layers, we used a long serrated knife to make a shallow cut around the cake to mark the cut line. We then halved the cake round through the equator, slowly rotating the cake as we cut. Fillings made from gelatin-stabilized whipped cream are creamier and smoother than those made with gelatin-stabilized egg whites, so we used the former for this layer cake recipe. After assembling the cake by alternating layers of cake and whipped cream filling, we garnished it with blueberries and strawberries (but any other fresh berries would also work.)
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla, and eggs in large measuring cup. Mix cocoa with food coloring in small bowl until smooth paste forms.
- With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as necessary. Add one-third of flour mixture and beat on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add half of buttermilk mixture and beat on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl as necessary and repeat with half of remaining flour mixture, remaining buttermilk mixture, and finally remaining flour mixture. Scrape down bowl, add cocoa mixture, and beat on medium speed until completely incorporated, about 30 seconds. Using silicone spatula, give batter final stir.
- Pour batter into prepared pans and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
- Combine gelatin and water in medium bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Bring ¼ cup cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat, then whisk in gelatin mixture until no lumps remain; let cool for 3 minutes. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cooled gelatin mixture, sugar, and remaining cream to stiff peaks, about 2 minutes.
- Using serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally into 2 even layers. Place 1 cake layer on serving platter. Spread one-quarter of whipped cream filling over cake. Repeat, alternating layers of cake and filling. Garnish with blueberries and strawberries and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Serve. (Cake can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)
for the red velvet cake
for the whipped cream filling
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