Vanilla Cake with Salted Honey Buttercream and Blackberry Jam

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Vanilla Cake with Salted Honey Buttercream and Blackberry Jam

This stunning two-tiered vanilla cake with salted honey buttercream is stacked with layers of tangy blackberry jam and decorated with fresh seasonal flowers for the perfect grand finale to Bilbo and Frodo's birthday feast!

Prep Time25

Cook Time35

Cooling and Decorating3

Total Time4

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 582kcal

Author: Alison Wiebe

Ingredients

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake

3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon table salt
2 ½ cups + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
6 eggs
1 ⅛ cups vegetable oil
1 ¾ cups + 2 tbsp buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla paste or extract

Salted Honey Buttercream

225 g liquid egg whites from about 7 large eggs
1 ½ cups + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
⅓ cup honey
1 ½ lbs unsalted butter room temperature
½ - 1 teaspoon kosher salt *see note
¾ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract

To Assemble

1 cup blackberry jam

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of two 9-inch cake pans and two 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Spray the pans generously with non-stick spray. Set the pans aside. If you're planning on weighing the batter when dividing it later, per instructions above, be sure to mark down the weight of the empty large mixing bowl.
In a medium mixing bowl combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and table salt. Whisk together. In a large mixing bowl combine the sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs. Whisk until smooth. Add the buttermilk and vanilla paste and whisk to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the large mixing bowl and whisk just until combined, being careful not to over mix the batter.
Divide the cake batter between the cake pans. If using weight to divide the batter, mark down the weight of the large mixing bowl including the batter. Minus the weight of the empty bowl from the total weight to get the weight of the batter alone. Transfer 35% of the batter to each of the 9-inch cake pans and 15% of the batter to each of the 6-inch cake pans. Detailed instructions are given in the tips above.
Bake the cakes for 25 to 35 minutes until done. The smaller cakes might be finished a few minutes before the larger ones. The cakes are done when the tops spring back when touched and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for five minutes then turn out onto a rack. Allow to cool completely before assembling.

Salted Honey Buttercream

Fill a saucepan with 1 inch of water and place over medium high heat. Bring the water to a simmer. Combine the egg whites, honey, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk together. Place the stand mixer bowl over the simmering water on the stovetop and whisk the egg white mixture until it reaches 165°F or is hot to the touch. Do not stop whisking or the egg whites will cook onto the bottom of the bowl.
The sugar should be fully dissolved before continuing. You can check by rubbing a bit between two fingers. It should be smooth without any granular bits.
When the egg white mixture is hot, remove from the heat and attach to the stand mixer. Using a whip attachment, beat the egg white mixture on high speed until it has stiff peaks and has cooled to room temperature. This will take about 12 to 15 minutes.
When the meringue has cooled down, begin to add the butter. Gradually add the butter a tablespoon at a time while beating on medium speed. The meringue will deflate as the butter is added. Continue beating until the buttercream firms up and becomes fluffy again. It will initially look like the mixture is runny but don’t worry, it will come together in the end. If it looks like the buttercream is curdled or split, keep beating and it will come together.
When the buttercream looks creamy and fully emulsified remove the whip attachment and switch to a paddle. Add the vanilla paste and salt and beat on low until combined. Continue mixing on low for another few minutes to reduce any air bubbles.

To Assemble

If the cake layers have domed tops, use a serrated knife to level them. Place one of the 9-inch cake layers on a serving platter. Spread a very thin layer of buttercream over the cake. Use a piping bag and round tip to pipe a border of buttercream around the rim of the cake. Fill the centre with jam. Take the other 9-inch cake layer, flip over, and place on top of the filling with the bottom facing up. Gently press down to secure the top layer.
Repeat with the 6-inch cake layers, this time arranging the cake on a cake board rather than a serving platter.
Frost the outside of both cakes with a very thin layer of butter cream to create a crumb coat. This will help keep the final frosting layer flawless. Place the crumb coated cakes in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes so that the buttercream will harden slightly and stabilize the cakes.
Once the cakes are chilled, use a palette knife to frost both cakes with most of the remaining buttercream. Save a little buttercream to fill any gaps later.
When the cakes are fully frosted, measure the wooden dowels. Insert the dowel near the middle of the cake. Use a marker to mark the dowel at the very top edge of the buttercream. Use that measurement to cut three even pieces from the dowel. The dowel pieces shouldn't sit too much higher than the frosting.
Arrange the three pieces of wooden dowel in the 9-inch cake. Carefully place the 6-inch cake on top of the dowels. Check that the top tier is centred and then use a little buttercream to fill any gaps between the layers.
To decorate the cake, arrange fresh flowers around the bottom edge of both tiers. Top with birthday candles and enjoy!

Notes

*Use 1 teaspoon of kosher salt if you want the salted buttercream to have a noticeable salty taste. Alternatively, use ½ teaspoon kosher salt if you want just a hint of salt. If you're not sure, start by adding ½ tsp, taste the frosting, and add more if you prefer.

Nutrition