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Prep time
3 hours 30 minutes
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Cook time
1 hour
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Serves
12
Author Notes
When my daughter wished for a strawberry cake for her third birthday, my mom sent me this stunner from Bon Appétit food editor Shilpa Uskokovic. Yes, it officially calls for two kinds of raspberries—fresh and freeze-dried—but they’re easily swapped for their strawberry counterparts (or any fruit and other doodads you like—I also riffed on Shilpa’s genius template in a nostalgic fever dream called Rainbow Jelly Cream Cake, also on Food52). I fell for Shilpa’s genius techniques (an amply make-ahead layer cake! A frosting and cake that are both happier served chilled!); everyone in my family hoped my daughter would request strawberry cake again this year (she did).
As Shilpa writes for Bon Appétit, “This raspberry-filled chiffon cake is inspired by the layered fruit and cream cakes in Japanese bakeries—it’s light, airy, and delicately sweet. It’s both visually striking and startlingly deep in flavor, and as far as most cakes go, it’s fairly make-ahead friendly. Since cakes with whipped cream filling always need to be refrigerated, using chiffon cake—which uses oil, not butter—is a strategic choice as the layers will remain soft and tender even straight out of the fridge. (Butter-based cakes, on the other hand, seem hard and leaden after a stint in the cold.) The whipped cream, which is flavored with freeze-dried raspberries and dotted with whole fruit, stays stable for a few days. Be sure to use ungreased regular (not nonstick) cake pans so that the batter can cling to the sides and rise tall as it bakes.”
A few more tips: Start gently folding the meringue into the batter using the whisk attachment to help incorporate the meringue, then switch to a flexible spatula for the last addition. Freeze-dried fruit can be found online or at some grocery stores (check the snack section); I’ve even had good luck at Target. If you’re using a different fruit than raspberries (without seeds to be strained out), you can simply add the cream, vanilla, and salt and whip right in the food processor.
Lightly adapted from Bon Appétit, 2022 —Genius Recipes
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Raspberry Cake With Whipped Cream Filling by Shilpa Uskokovic
Ingredients
- For the cake:
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4
large eggs, room temperature, separated
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1 teaspoon
Diamond Crystal or ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt or fine sea salt
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1/2 teaspoon
cream of tartar
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1 cup
(200 grams) granulated sugar, divided
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1/3 cup
vegetable oil
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1/3 cup
room temperature water
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1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
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1 cup
(125 grams) cake flour
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1/2 teaspoon
baking powder
- For assembly:
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1 cup
(200 grams) granulated sugar
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1 1/2 cups
(37 grams) freeze-dried raspberries; plus more crushed for serving (optional)
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3 cups
heavy cream
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1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
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1 teaspoon
Diamond Crystal or ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt or fine sea salt
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1/4 cup
(80 grams) raspberry jam
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2 cups
(170 grams) fresh raspberries
Directions
- For the cake:
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Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F. Line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper rounds (do not grease). Beat egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, and ½ cup (100 grams) sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-low speed until egg whites are broken up, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until meringue is glossy and holds firm peaks, 8 to 10 minutes, which can take up to 10 minutes (but most importantly, watch for those visual cues).
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Whisk egg yolks and remaining ½ cup (100 grams) sugar by hand in a large bowl until pale, well combined, and ribbony, about 2 minutes. Whisk in oil, vanilla, and ⅓ cup room-temperature water. Sift flour and baking powder over the mixture and whisk vigorously to combine.
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Add ¼ of meringue to egg yolk mixture and mix thoroughly to incorporate (this will lighten the batter). Add the remaining meringue in 3 batches, gently folding after each addition until only a few streaks of meringue remain (err on the side of mixing slightly less rather than more to keep the batter billowy).
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Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and gently smooth surface. Bake cakes 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F and continue baking until golden brown and tops spring back when gently pressed, up to 40 minutes more (start peeking through the closed oven door around 20 minutes). Remove from oven and invert pans onto a wire rack. Let cakes cool in pans (cooling them upside down reduces shrinkage), 60 to 70 minutes. Turn the cakes over and run an offset spatula around the sides to loosen them, then invert the cakes onto a wire rack. Peel away parchment.
- For assembly:
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Finely grind sugar and 1 ½ cups (37 grams) freeze-dried raspberries in a spice mill or food processor (if using food processor, sift powder through a fine-mesh sieve after to remove seeds). Transfer to the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; add cream, vanilla, and salt and beat on medium-high speed until firm peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. (Note: If you’re swapping for a freeze-dried fruit without seeds, you can simply add the cream, vanilla, and salt and whip right in the food processor—take care that it doesn't go above the fill line)
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Stir jam in a small bowl to loosen, then gently fold in fresh raspberries.
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Place 1 cake on a cake platter or large plate. Scoop a heaping cupful of raspberry cream on top and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Spoon berry mixture on top of cream, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges (this will prevent berries from spilling over the sides). Place second cake layer on top. Spoon a heaping ½ cup raspberry cream into a pastry bag fitted with a tip (or a zippered plastic storage bag with a ½-inch hole snipped in one bottom corner). Frost the top and sides of the cake with the raspberry cream that's still in the bowl, then pipe dollops of the cream around the edges and the top of the cake. Chill cake, uncovered, at least 2 hours.
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To serve, sprinkle the top of the cake with crushed freeze-dried raspberries, if desired. Slice cake with a serrated knife, wiping clean between cuts.
Do ahead: Cake can be baked 1 day ahead; store tightly wrapped at room temperature, or freeze up to 1 week. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using. Cake (without crushed raspberry topping) can be assembled 1 day ahead. Cover loosely and chill.
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