Yield: One 9-inch double layer cake or one 7-inch triple layer cake
Prep: 1 hour 30 minutes, total 3 hours

The filling in this cake gets its tangy raspberry flavor from seedless raspberry jam and Framboise liqueur. The champagne cake layers have a dense, moist crumb that’s loaded with fruity flavor.

Ingredients

Champagne cake layers

• 3 cups/443g all purpose flour
• 3 tsp./13g baking powder
• 1/2 tsp/ 14g salt
• 1 cup/226g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups/ 214g granulated sugar
• 6 egg whites
• 2 cups/15.4 oz champagne or sparkling white wine

Frosting/filling

• 6 egg whites
• 1 cup/118g sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 pound/4 US sticks unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons/8g vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup/76g red seedless raspberry jam, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons/ 70g Framboise (raspberry) liqueur, room temperature
• Wilton gel food color “Rose”

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans (or three 7-inch as I did); set aside.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
4. In a separate mixing bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer, beat together the unsalted butter and sugar.
5. Add egg whites one at a time and beat well after each addition.
6. Beat in flour mixture and champagne alternately in three additions, beginning and ending with flour.
7. Scrape down bowl edges with a rubber spatula and mix again briefly.
8. Divide batter between prepared pans.
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick tester comes out clean.
10. Let cakes cool in pans for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
11. Let cool completely before frosting.
12. For the frosting, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and salt in a large heatproof bowl.
13. Set over a pot of simmering water and whisk until the mixture is hot to the touch and the sugar has dissolved.
14. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
15. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Increase to medium-high until stiff peaks are formed.
16. Continue beating at medium-high speed until the mixture is fluffy and has cooled (the mixing bowl should feel cool to the touch).
17. Turn the mixer off and switch from the whisk attachment to the paddle. Turn the mixer on medium-low and add the butter, a few cubes at a time, beating until well incorporated before the next addition.
18. The egg whites will deflate and thin with the first few additions – don’t let this discourage you – keep going. It may also look curdled, but don’t fret. Beat on high speed when all the butter has been added. The mixture will thicken and become smooth after several minutes of beating.
19. Beat in the vanilla extract.
20. Transfer the frosting to a bowl, and return 1 1/2 cups of frosting to the bowl of the stand mixer.
21. Beat in the raspberry jam. Gradually beat in the raspberry liqueur a little at a time.
22. Beat in a little rose food color until a consistent color is achieved.
23. Fill cooled cakes with the raspberry Swiss buttercream and coat cake in a thin crumb coat of the vanilla frosting.
24. Chill until set.
25. Apply a final thick layer of vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream using a large off-set spatula.
26. Store cake in refrigerator.
27. Bring to room temperature before serving.
28. Fresh organic roses may be added to the top of the cake for decoration just before serving.

Note: You can pick up rosewater from a local Mediterranean grocery store but you may also be able to find it on the international aisle of a regular grocery store or at a specialty grocery store.

Champagne Cake with Rose Buttercream

Champagne Cake

• 3 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 egg whites
• 2 cups sweet champagne or prosecco/sparkling white wine*
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

*This cake has a distinct champagne flavor, so use a champagne that you like. Make sure you get a sweet champagne, as dry (brut) champagne will make the cake tangy. If you don’t want to use alcohol, try ginger ale or sparkling white grape juice. For a pink twist, try pink champagne or rosé.

Rose Buttercream

• 3 sticks butter, softened
• 1 pound powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon rosewater
• 1-4 tablespoons milk
  pink food coloring (optional)

Champagne Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans (or three 6-inch pans) with nonstick cooking spray and coat with flour. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar.
4. Add egg whites one at a time and beat well after each addition.
5. In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
6. Alternately add the flour mixture and champagne into the butter and sugar bowl in three additions, beginning and ending with flour.
7. Beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again until the batter is uniform.
8. Divide the batter evenly between your prepared pans.
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cakes.
10. Let the cakes cool in their pans for a few minutes before turning over onto a wire rack. Let them cool completely before assembling or icing the cake.

Rose Buttercream

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.
2. Reduce speed to medium and add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, until combined, about 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Beat in the vanilla and food coloring, if using.
4. If the frosting is too stiff or too thick, add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency. Add one tablespoon to have thicker frosting to use between the layers and to pipe frosting. If spreading frosting all over the outside of the cake I add more milk to make the frosting easier to spread.
5. Use the frosting right after you make it or store it in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you store it in the fridge, bring to room temperature before using, and beat on low speed until smooth.
6. The choice was to make this a naked cake with only a sheen of frosting in some spots on the outside of the cake. If you decorate it this way you will have leftover frosting (but I’ve never heard complaints about that )
7. The frosting recipe should make enough for you to frost the outside of the cake with a full layer of icing if you don’t want a naked cake.

Champagne cake slightly adapted from here.