Pink Champagne Cake

Pink champagne cake, need I say more? Champagne is a luxury, sipped on special occasions , used to toast accomplishments or celebrate special occasions.

Pink is the color that filled our girly childhood’s and holds a place in every girls heart.

This cake is just special. It is light and fluffy, layered with champagne custard and topped with whipped cream and berries.

This cake is the perfect in almost every way, I would not miss out on it If I were you, just sayin’. XO

Recipe adapted from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson

You will need:

Cake:

3 cups flour

2 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

4 eggs

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup canola oil

1 cup dry champagne

Custard:

1/2 cup half-and-half

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1/3 cup dry champagne

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Frosting

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons sugar

In a bowl add 3 cups of flour

Add baking powder

Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisk together by hand to make sure ingredients are completely combined. Set Aside.

In an electric mixer, add 4 eggs.

Add 1 3/4 cups of sugar

Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla, mix until ingredients are completely combined.

Once combined add 1 cup of canola oil

After add 1 cup dry champagne

Add flour slowly until combined.

Pull out 2, 9 inch cake pans. Take out parchment paper and trace the pan, once traced cut out.

Place parchment paper in pans and butter the edges. I used pam because I loathe buttering pans.

Pour mixture into pans evenly. Place in oven at 350˚. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Although I never time my cakes. I pay close attention, checking regularly and remove them when they are not completely done. Every oven is different meaning the time will differ. Remove your cake when they no longer jiggle and you can stick them with a tooth pick and it comes out clean.

Once they are done remove them immediately from pans to cooling racks. This is important because you do not want your cakes to cook more in the pans. At this point put your electrical mixture bowl in the freezer, this is for making the whipped cream frosting later on.

Now to make the custard….

Heat half-and-half over a low flame until it is hot.

While half-and-half is heating up whisk together 4 egg yolks and 1/2 cup of sugar and a pinch of salt.

Whisk in 1/3 cup of champagne

Whisk in 2 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch, at this point the half-and-half will be hot enough.

Pour only half of the half-and-half into the mixture and whisk together. Return the remaining pan of half-and-half to the flame.

Pour the egg and half of the half-and-half mixture into the half-and-half mixture over the flame and start consistently whisking.

Whisk consistently (for about 1 minute or 2) the mixture will begin to bubble and thicken.

whisk until the mixture is thick and looks like this. Pour mixture into a clean bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons of butter

add 1 tablespoon of vanilla. Cover mixture with saran wrap and refrigerate.

For the Frosting

Remove the bowl you put in the freezer earlier.

Add 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and whip with the whisk attachment

Once peaks begin to form in the heavy cram add 3 tablespoons of sugar. Whip until large peaks are formed.

Add the tiniest amount of red food coloring, literally half of a drop, it goes much further than you think!

That tiny drop made the perfect blush tone, anything more would be to bright.

For the Assembly

Cut your cakes in half, leaving you with four halves.

Put half a cup of custard on the first layer

Follow this step on the next to layers leaving the top layer bare.

Time to frost the cake with the whipped cream. I used a butter knife and did a sloppy job. The point is not perfection, the whipped cream is meant to give a rustic look.

I topped mine with whole and half strawberries and baby roses from my yard. You are finished! Yayyy!