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This blackberry cake recipe is made with swirls of blackberry puree, whole blackberries, and blackberry buttercream! Add a hint of lime to bring out the fresh flavor.

What makes this cake extra special is the boost of lime flavor! Using lime zest in your recipe will get a more concentrated flavor, resulting in a cake that's packed with bold summer flavors you will love!  If you're familiar with my fresh strawberry cake recipe then this will be very similar.

Special Ingredients

Blackberries: You can use fresh or frozen blackberries to make the puree in this cake. Frozen berries are flash-frozen at the peak of ripeness, so they have the best flavor. It's best to use fresh, juicy blackberries for the center and top of the cakes.

Lime: I really like the combination of blackberry and lime because the tartness brings out the flavor of the berries. You can also use lemon juice and lemon zest instead if you prefer to make a lemon blackberry cake. You could also switch out the berries in my lemon blueberry cake too!

Buttermilk: The acidity in buttermilk not only breaks down the gluten structure, making baked goods more tender, but it also adds a delicious flavor. If you do not have buttermilk you can make your own buttermilk substitute using milk and white vinegar or substituting sour cream.

Step-by-step Instructions

The key to blackberry cake is making a puree of concentrated blackberry flavor, and mixing that into our cake and buttercream. I recommend making the puree first, then the cakes, and making the buttercream while the cakes are cooling.

Making Blackberry Puree

1. Combine lime juice and cornstarch to make a slurry and mix until there are no lumps.  
2. Mix the blackberries and salt in a saucepan and use an immersion blender to make the filling smooth.  
3. Turn on the heat and cook down the berries. Keep stirring to keep the puree from cooking too quickly on the bottom of the pan.
4. Once the puree has thickened up slightly, remove it from the heat and stir in the lime zest. 
5. Transfer the puree to a large bowl to cool to room temperature. You will use about 6 Tablespoons of the puree to add to your cake. About ¼ to ½ cup of puree will be for the buttercream. If you choose to strain the seeds out of all of the puree, add a couple of extra ounces of berries to account for the loss in straining. I chose to leave the seeds in for the cake and strain the seeds out for the buttercream. The seeds can be left in for the buttercream too, your choice. 
6. Store leftover puree in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for 6 months.

Making Blackberry Cake

1. Heat oven to 335º F/168º C and prepare two 8"x2" round cake pans with cake goop or another pan release and parchment paper if you prefer.
2. Measure out the buttermilk and place 4 oz in a separate measuring cup. Add the oil to the 4oz of buttermilk and set aside. 
3. Add your eggs and lime zest to the remaining milk and gently whisk to combine. Keep the lime juice separate, you will add this at the end. 
4. Place the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment. I'm using my Bosch universal plus mixer but you can use a hand mixer, just mix for longer. 
5. Turn the mixer onto the slowest speed (setting 1 on Kitchen Aid mixers). Slowly add chunks of your softened butter until it is all added. Let everything mix until it looks like coarse sand. 
6. Add your milk/oil mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Mix on medium (speed 4 on KitchenAid) for 1 full minute to develop the structure. Don't worry, this will not over-mix the cake. Because it is AP flour you do not need to mix as long as cake flour (more gluten, less time needed). 
7. Scrape the bowl. This is an important step. If you skip it, you will have hard lumps of flour and unmixed ingredients in your batter. If you do it later, they will not mix in fully.
8. Slowly add in the rest of your milk/eggs/zest ingredients in 3 parts. Next, pour in the lime juice with the last addition of liquid, stopping to scrape the bowl one more time halfway through. Your batter should be thick and not too runny.
9. Fill your pans ½ full with cake batter.
10. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of room-temperature puree over the batter. Use a small spatula or knife to gently fold the puree in to create a swirl effect into the batter.
11. Add the floured blackberries to the top of the batter. Do not push them down as their weight will cause them to sink anyway as the cake heats up. 
12. Place the cakes in the preheated oven. I start by baking for 30 minutes for  6" and 8" cakes and 35 minutes for 9" and larger cakes and then checking for doneness. If the cakes are still really jiggly, I add another 5 minutes. I check every 2 minutes after that until I'm close and then it's every 1 minute. Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs. 
13. After the cakes have cooled for 10 minutes or the pans are cool enough to touch, place a wire rack on top and flip the cakes over to remove them from the pans. Let them rest on a cooling rack to cool completely, or wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the freezer.

Making Blackberry Buttercream

1. Strain out the seeds of the blackberry filling. This is optional but it will make a smoother texture when scraping the sides.
2. Place the egg whites and powdered sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whip on high speed for 3-5 minutes. An electric mixer and a large mixing bowl will also work, just mix for longer. 
3. Add the softened butter in small chunks then vanilla and salt. Whip on high until light and fluffy and white, about 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add about ½ cup of the blackberry purée to the buttercream and continue to whip until combined. 
5. Mix in about 1-2 drops of pink food coloring to enhance the color if you choose. 
6. Optional: switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low for 15-20 minutes until all air bubbles are gone.
7. Stored it in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator or for 3 months in the freezer. 

Decorating the Cake

If you haven't ever decorated a cake before, you might want to check out my blog post on how to decorate your first cake. It goes over everything from tools to techniques.

1. Once your cakes are chilled, trim off the dome and brown edges of the cake. This is optional but makes for pretty slices. 
2. Place your first cake layer onto a board.
3. Spread on about ¼" of your blackberry buttercream.
4. Layer some fresh blackberries into the buttercream.
5. Spread some more buttercream on top of the blackberries and then add your next layer of cake.
6. Repeat the process with layer two and then add your final layer of cake on top. 
7. Cover the whole cake in a thin layer of buttercream. This is the crumb coat. 
8. Place the cake into the fridge or freezer for 20 minutes to set the buttercream layer.
9. Apply your final coat of buttercream and use a bench scraper and offset spatula to make it nice and smooth.
10. Decorate the top of the cake with more dollops of buttercream, fresh berries and some lime zest. I used a 1M piping tip for this design. 
11. Store your blackberry cake in the fridge until you're ready to serve it. It's best to eat soft cake, so make sure you take it out of the fridge a few hours before you serve it. Cold butter makes a cold cake taste dry!

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Blackberry Lime Cake

The best blackberry cake is made with fresh blackberries and a hint of lime. This incredibly moist and tender cake goes so well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a hot summer day.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Decorating time1 hour hr

Total Time2 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 cups

Calories: 1550kcal

Author: Elizabeth Marek

Equipment

• 2 8"x2" round cake pans or three 6" pans
• Stand mixer with paddle and whisk attachments
• Immersion blender

Ingredients

Blackberry Cake

• 8 ounces buttermilk slightly warm
• 3 ounces vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon lime zest (About 1 lime)
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 12 ounces all-purpose flour
• 11 ounces granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 8 ounces unsalted butter softened
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (For dusting on blackberries)
• 4 ounces blackberries (You can use frozen, but don't thaw them)

Blackberry Puree

• 16 ounces fresh or frozen blackberries
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 2 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• ⅛ teaspoon salt

Blackberry Buttercream Frosting

• 24 ounces unsalted butter room temperature (You can use salted butter but it will affect the taste and you need to leave out additional salt)
• 24 ounces powdered sugar sifted if not from a bag
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 ounces pasteurized egg whites room temperature
• 2 ounces blackberry puree (You can add more if you want to)
• 1 drop Americolor electric pink food coloring (Optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Blackberry Puree

• Combine lime juice and cornstarch to make a slurry and mix until there are no lumps.  
• Mix the blackberries and salt in a saucepan and use an immersion blender to make the filling smooth.  
• Turn on the heat and cook down the berries. Keep stirring to keep the puree from cooking too quickly on the bottom of the pan.
• Once the puree has thickened up slightly, remove it from the heat and stir in the lime zest. 
• Transfer the puree to a large bowl to cool to room temperature. You will use about 6 Tablespoons of the puree to add to your cake. About ¼ to ½ cup of puree will be for the buttercream. If you choose to strain the seeds out of all of the puree, add a couple of extra ounces of berries to account for the loss in straining. I chose to leave the seeds in for the cake and strain the seeds out for the buttercream. The seeds can be left in for the buttercream too, your choice. 
• Store leftover puree in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for 6 months.

Making Blackberry Cake

• Heat oven to 335º F/168º C and prepare two 8"x2" round cake pans with cake goop or another pan release and parchment paper if you prefer.
• Measure out the buttermilk and place 4 oz in a separate measuring cup. Add the oil to the 4oz of buttermilk and set aside. 
• Add your eggs and lime zest to the remaining milk and gently whisk to combine. Keep the lime juice separate, you will add this at the end. 
• Place the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment. I'm using my Bosch universal plus mixer but you can use a hand mixer, just mix for longer. 
• Turn the mixer onto the slowest speed (setting 1 on Kitchen Aid mixers). Slowly add chunks of your softened butter until it is all added. Let everything mix until it looks like coarse sand.
• Add your milk/oil mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Mix on medium (speed 4 on KitchenAid) for 1 full minute to develop the structure. Don't worry, this will not over-mix the cake. Because it is AP flour you do not need to mix as long as cake flour (more gluten, less time needed). 
• Scrape the bowl. This is an important step. If you skip it, you will have hard lumps of flour and unmixed ingredients in your batter. If you do it later, they will not mix in fully.
• Slowly add in the rest of your milk/eggs/zest ingredients in 3 parts. Next, pour in the lime juice with the last addition of liquid, stopping to scrape the bowl one more time halfway through. Your batter should be thick and not too runny. 
• Fill your pans ½ full with cake batter.
• Spoon about 2 tablespoons of room-temperature puree over the batter. Use a small spatula or knife to gently fold the puree in to create a swirl effect into the batter.
• Add the floured blackberries to the top of the batter. Do not push them down as their weight will cause them to sink anyway as the cake heats up. 
• Place the cakes in the preheated oven. I start by baking for 30 minutes for  6" and 8" cakes and 35 minutes for 9" and larger cakes and then checking for doneness. If the cakes are still really jiggly, I add another 5 minutes. I check every 2 minutes after that until I'm close and then it's every 1 minute. Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs. 
• After the cakes have cooled for 10 minutes or the pans are cool enough to touch, place a wire rack on top and flip the cakes over to remove them from the pans. Let them rest on a cooling rack to cool completely, or wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the freezer.

Making Blackberry Buttercream

• Strain out the seeds of the blackberry filling. This is optional but it will make a smoother texture when scraping the sides.
• Place the egg whites and powdered sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whip on high speed for 3-5 minutes. An electric mixer and a large mixing bowl will also work, just mix for longer. 
• Add the softened butter in small chunks then vanilla and salt. Whip on high until light and fluffy and white, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add about ½ cup of the blackberry purée to the buttercream and continue to whip until combined. 
• Mix in about 1-2 drops of pink food coloring to enhance the color if you choose. 
• Optional: switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low for 15-20 minutes until all air bubbles are gone.
• Stored it in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator or for 3 months in the freezer. 

Decorating the blackberry cake

• Once your cakes are chilled, trim off the dome and brown edges of the cake. This is optional but makes for pretty slices. 
• Place your first cake layer onto a board.
• Spread on about ¼" of your blackberry buttercream.
• Layer some fresh blackberries into the buttercream.
• Spread some more buttercream on top of the blackberries and then add your next layer of cake.
• Repeat the process with layer two and then add your final layer of cake on top.  
• Cover the whole cake in a thin layer of buttercream. This is the crumb coat.  
• Place the cake into the fridge or freezer for 20 minutes to set the buttercream layer.
• Apply your final coat of buttercream and use a bench scraper and offset spatula to make it nice and smooth.
• Decorate the top of the cake with more dollops of buttercream, fresh berries and some lime zest. I used a 1M piping tip for this design. 

Video

Notes

1. To keep the blackberries and puree from turning blue and green during baking the acidity level had to be higher, when the acidic berries touch the alkaline they oxidize and turn green. Lowering the alkalinity of the batter kept the blackberries that nice deep purple red color. 
2. I used AP flour in this recipe because the cake needed just a little more structure to hold those big juicy berries. AP flour has more protein, less starch, so is just a little stronger than cake flour. The higher acid in the batter tenderizes the gluten proteins as well, so you do not end up with a tough cake. Too much acid in the batter will cause the protein to become too weak and the cake will be crumbly and dense. It's a very fine balance to find the right texture and keep the colors bright!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 1550kcal | Carbohydrates: 168g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 96g | Saturated Fat: 59g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 317mg | Sodium: 572mg | Potassium: 301mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 128g | Vitamin A: 3137IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 3mg

Olive oil cake is the perfect dessert if you're craving something sweet but don't have a lot of time. It's a simple cake made by whipping eggs and sugar with olive oil and flavorings and then adding a flour mixture with buttermilk powder as the secret, tangy ingredient. If this is your first time making olive oil cake, prepare yourself for a cake that's not too sweet and has a hint of olive oil flavor. The bright and fresh lemon flavor really comes through, and the powdered sugar on top gives just a hint of sweetness. 

Olive Oil Cake Ingredients

Olive oil is obviously key to an olive oil cake, so you want to use good quality oil. Technically, it would also work to use canola or vegetable oil, but you won't get that rich flavor as you would from extra-virgin olive oil.

Buttermilk powder adds a little bit of tang to this recipe. It also adds lightness to the cake and helps lead to a better texture.

Lemon zest is optional, but you'd be surprised how much citrus flavor can come from zest alone. Orange zest or other flavorings would also be yummy.

Making the Lemon Olive Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and coat an 8" cake pan with cake goop or parchment paper. You can also use a springform pan or loaf pan if you prefer, just adjust the baking time. 
2. Mix the eggs and granulated sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on medium speed and mix until it's light in color and fluffy.
3. Slowly drizzle the olive oil in between the whisk blades and the side of the bowl and mix until combined. 
4. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the water, lemon extract, vanilla extract, and lemon zest, then mix until combined.
5. Add the flour, buttermilk powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl and whisk it to combine.
6. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients while mixing on low, and mix until combined.
7. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and spread out the top with a spatula.
8. Bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes until it's golden brown and a toothpick comes out of the center clean. 
9. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. If you're making it ahead, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it until you're ready to serve. 
10. Place the cake on a serving plate and dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar. I put a little paper heart in the center to make this fun pattern. You can also top it with fresh lemons, lemon curd, or fresh berries. 
11. Store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. You can refrigerate it if you'd like, but this cake tastes best at room temperature. 

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Lemon Olive Oil Cake

This lemon olive oil cake recipe comes together in less than 1 hour with simple ingredients you already have at home. The perfect cake for a weeknight, a special occasion, or a dinner party.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 cups

Calories: 655kcal

Author: Elizabeth Marek

Equipment

• 1 8" x 2" cake pan

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup water
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 1.5 cups all purpose flour
• 1 lemon zest
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅛ cup buttermilk powder
• ¼ cup powdered sugar for dusting

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and coat an 8" cake pan with cake goop or parchment paper. You can also use a springform pan or loaf pan if you prefer, just adjust the baking time. 
• Mix the eggs and granulated sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on medium speed and mix until it's light in color and fluffy. 
• Slowly drizzle the olive oil in between the whisk blades and the side of the bowl and mix until combined. 
• Switch to the paddle attachment and add the water, lemon extract, vanilla extract, and lemon zest, then mix until combined.
• Add the flour, buttermilk powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl and whisk it to combine.
• Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients while mixing on low, and mix until combined.
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and spread out the top with a spatula.
• Bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes until it's golden brown and a toothpick comes out of the center clean. 
• Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. If you're making it ahead, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it until you're ready to serve. 
• Place the cake on a serving plate and dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar. I put a little paper heart in the center to make this fun pattern. You can also top it with fresh lemons, lemon curd, or fresh berries. 
• Store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. You can refrigerate it if you'd like, but this cake tastes best at room temperature. 

Notes

1. Use a good quality extra-virgin olive oil. Technically canola or vegetable oil would work, but you won't get the same flavor.
2. Fresh fruit and powdered sugar are the perfect, light toppings for an olive oil cake. It doesn't need anything heavy like buttercream, but whipped cream frosting, lemon curd, or ice cream would also pair nicely. 
3. Make your own pan release (cake goop!) The best pan release ever! 
4. Use a scale to weigh your ingredients for the most accurate recipe. Scaled ingredients are much more accurate than using cups and help ensure the success of your recipe. 
5. Practice Mise en Place (everything in its place). Measure out your ingredients ahead of time and have them ready before you start mixing to reduce the chances of accidentally leaving something out.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 655kcal | Carbohydrates: 84g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 368mg | Potassium: 318mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 209IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 3mg

This Angel food cake is insanely soft and fluffy and melts in your mouth. It has a light marshmallowy flavor that will have you eating more than one slice! Top it with some stabilized whipped cream and fresh berries for a new favorite recipe.

Not all cakes need butter to be delicious! It’s bright white on the inside with a golden brown crumb around the exterior. This tall, tender, and timeless cake has a cloud-like crumb and light flavor, the perfect cake for fresh fruit. Making this cake at home is easy and you’ll love the result, perfect for snacking or an amazing dessert.

Ingredients

Egg whites are the main ingredient in this angel food cake recipe. There are no leaving agents, so the egg whites and sugar whipped into a meringue is all of the structure of the cake. A small amount of flour is then folded into the egg whites to make the cake. You can use fresh egg whites carefully separated from the egg yolk or you can use pasteurized egg whites from a box. The fresh ones will whip up a little higher, but I tested both and they both make a nice angel food cake.

Cake flour has the least amount of protein so it makes a really light texture. Also, you don't agitate the flour much, just barely fold it in and then bake it. This is what gives the angel food cake that spongy light-as-air texture.

Cream of tartar is an acid, a byproduct of fermenting grapes into wine. Its scientific name is potassium bitartrate, aka potassium hydrogen tartrate or tartaric acid. The added acid to the egg whites helps the protein stabilize, allowing the stiff peaks to hold up while folding and baking.

How to Separate an Egg

1. Set up 3 bowls, one for the yolks, one to crack the whites into, and one for all the egg whites. The reason we have the 2nd and 3rd bowls is if you mess up and accidentally get some yolk in the 2nd bowl, it won't ruin all of your already separated eggs.
2. Crack the egg on a flat surface and gently break it apart with two hands. Then hold it over the 2nd bowl and slowly move the yolk back and forth between the two eggshells. Be careful to not break the yolk. Once all the white is in the 2nd bowl, add the yolk to the 1st bowl and pour the whites into the 3rd bowl. Repeat until all your eggs are separated. Save your leftover egg yolks to make lemon curd or pastry cream or French buttercream. Egg yolks can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.

Making Angel Food Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 375ºF. It's important that the oven is fully pre-heated before you put the cake in the oven, which can take up to 30 minutes. 
2. To ensure your bowl and whisk are clean, wipe them out with a clean towel and some white vinegar to remove any bits of fat that might be there. 
3. Sift together the first quantity of sugar, flour, and cornstarch into a large bowl and set it aside.
4. Weigh the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with a food scale. Whip with the whisk attachment on medium for 30 seconds until they start to get foamy. 
5. Reduce the speed to low and add in your cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla.
6. Continue mixing on low and begin sprinkling in the second amount of remaining sugar. 
7. Increase to medium speed and whip the mixture to soft but firm peaks. They should look glossy and moist and the peaks should gently fold over when you scoop them.
8. Sift the dry ingredients into the egg mixture about ⅓ cup at a time and gently fold them together with a rubber spatula. Refer to the video to see how to fold properly. The idea is to avoid knocking any air out of the meringue while folding to keep the batter very fluffy. 
9. Repeat this sifting and folding process until all of the flour mixture has been folded into the meringue.
10. Carefully pour the angel food cake batter into an ungreased tube pan (ungreased angel food cake pan). You need the cake to stick to the sides of the pan to help it rise while it's baking.
11. Slide a knife or offset spatula through the batter to pull out any big air bubbles that might be trapped in there. Smooth the top with a spoon so the batter is level.
12. Bake the angel food cake in the oven on the center rack for 40-45 minutes or until the top is lightly golden brown and the top springs back when you touch it. 
13. Take the cake out of the oven and cool it upside down for about 1 hour. Some tube pans have little feet that hold the pan upside down or the center tube might just be a little taller than the sides. If your pan doesn't have these options you can cool the pan upside down on a wine bottle to keep it elevated. Cooling the cake upside down helps the cake keep its volume.
14. Once the pan is completely cool, you can slide a butter knife between the cake and the pan to detach the cake. If it's an invert pan with a removable bottom, you can push it out now or just give the cake a couple of gentle shakes to get the cake to come out.  
15. I like to dust the top of the cake with some powdered sugar and add some whipped cream and fresh strawberries but the possibilities are endless! This is easiest to slice with a serrated knife.
16. Store the cake at room temperature for up to 4 days (without whipped cream) in an airtight container or covered it with plastic wrap.

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4.87 from 23 votes

Angel Food Cake Recipe

This angel food cake recipe makes the lightest, fluffiest, and most cloud-like cake you'll ever taste. This homemade Angel food cake is fat-free and has very little flour so it's also one of the healthiest dessert options.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

cooling1 hour hr

Total Time3 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10 cups

Calories: 345kcal

Author: Elizabeth Marek

Equipment

• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Whisk Attachment

Ingredients

Angel Food Cake Recipe

• 1 ½ cups egg whites (fresh or pastuerized)
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• ¼ teaaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup sugar first quantity
• ¾ cup sugar second quantity
• 1 ¼ cup cake flour
• ¼ cup cornstarch

Strawberry Topping

• 2 cups fresh strawberries trimmed and quartered
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup powdered sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Strawberry Topping

• Combine the strawberries, sugar, zest, and lemon juice together in a bowl and set aside while the angel food cake is cooling. The sugar will dissolve over time and create a delicious syrup!

How to Separate an Egg

• Set up 3 bowls, one for the yolks, one to crack the whites into, and one for all the egg whites. The reason we have the 2nd and 3rd bowls is if you mess up and accidentally get some yolk in the 2nd bowl, it won't ruin all of your already separated eggs.
• Crack the egg on a flat surface and gently break it apart with two hands. Then hold it over the 2nd bowl and slowly move the yolk back and forth between the two eggshells. Be careful to not break the yolk. Once all the white is in the 2nd bowl, add the yolk to the 1st bowl and pour the whites into the 3rd bowl. Repeat until all your eggs are separated. Egg yolks can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.

Making Angel Food Cake

• Preheat your oven to 375ºF. It's important that the oven is fully pre-heated before you put the cake in the oven, which can take up to 30 minutes. 
• To ensure your bowl and whisk are clean, wipe them out with a clean towel and some white vinegar to remove any bits of fat that might be there. 
• Sift together the first quantity of sugar, flour, and cornstarch into a large bowl and set it aside.
• Weigh the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with a food scale. Whip with the whisk attachment on medium for 30 seconds until they start to get foamy. 
• Reduce the speed to low and add in your cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla.
• Continue mixing on low and begin sprinkling in the second amount of remaining sugar. 
• Increase to medium speed and whip the mixture to soft but firm peaks. They should look glossy and moist and the peaks should gently fold over when you scoop them. 
• Sift the dry ingredients into the egg mixture about ⅓ cup at a time and gently fold them together with a rubber spatula. Refer to the video to see how to fold properly. The idea is to avoid knocking any air out of the meringue while folding to keep the batter very fluffy. 
• Repeat this sifting and folding process until all of the flour mixture has been folded into the meringue.
• Carefully pour the angel food cake batter into an ungreased tube pan. You need the cake to stick to the sides of the pan to help it rise while it's baking.
• Slide a knife or offset spatula through the batter to pull out any big air bubbles that might be trapped in there. Smooth the top with a spoon so the batter is level.
• Bake the angel food cake in the oven on the center rack for 40-45 minutes or until the top is lightly golden brown and the top springs back when you touch it. 
• Take the cake out of the oven and cool it upside down for about 1 hour. Some tube pans have little feet that hold the pan upside down or the center tube might just be a little taller than the sides. If your pan doesn't have these options you can cool the pan upside down on a wine bottle to keep it elevated. Cooling the cake upside down helps the cake keep its volume.
• Once the pan is completely cool, you can slide a butter knife between the cake and the pan to detach the cake. If it's an invert pan with a removable bottom, you can push it out now or just give the cake a couple of gentle shakes to get the cake to come out.  
• I like to dust the top of the cake with some powdered sugar and add some whipped cream and fresh strawberries but the possibilities are endless! This is easiest to slice with a serrated knife.
• Store the cake at room temperature for up to 4 days (without whipped cream) in an airtight container or covered it with plastic wrap.

Video

Notes

1. BEFORE YOU START – For best results, use a food scale to weigh your ingredients. Converting this recipe to cups could lead to failure. Read my blog post on how to use a scale for more information.
2. I'm using my Bosch Universal Plus mixer for this recipe, you can use a KitchenAid mixer with a metal bowl or a hand mixer. 
3. There is no baking powder or rising ingredient in this recipe. The only thing that creates lift is the egg whites, so be sure to whip them up to be super light and fluffy. All the air is going to give the cake its lift! 
4. Make sure you use a metal bowl to make the meringue, and that the bowl is super clean. Any grease will prevent your egg whites from whipping up. You can even wipe it out with a little bit of white vinegar to be extra cautious.
5. Remember to not let a speck of egg yolk into your egg whites. Any lingering yolks could stop your meringue from whipping up.
6. You can use pasteurized egg whites instead of fresh. If you use pasteurized, you MUST also use cream of tartar to help stabilize. 
7. The cornstarch in this recipe helps to keep the cake super light and fluffy and not too dense or "eggy."
8. When folding your meringue and flour together, sweep underneath the meringue with a spatula and gently drag up through the center to fold on top. Be careful to never smash or mix vigorously, be patient! 
9. DO NOT GREASE YOUR PAN! Angel food cake cools upside down, so it actually needs to stick to the sides of the pan. This ensures that the cake doesn’t collapse in on itself while cooling.
10. A tube pan is best to use for angel food cake. The large tube in the center helps bring some of the heat up through the middle of the cake, baking it faster and more evenly. You cannot use a bundt cake pan, but you can use a 9”x5” if needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 8ounces | Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 78mg | Potassium: 193mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 354IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 0.4mg

This red, white, and blue cake is the perfect cake to celebrate the Fourth of July or memorial day. Sandwich a red cake and a blue cake together with vanilla ice cream and top it all off with stabilized whipped cream. When you slice into it, it's so fun to see the red, white, and blue stripes appear!

Ever since I made my Oreo ice cream cake, I've been obsessed with making more and more ice cream cakes! They are SO easy and fun! If you don't want to make an ice cream cake though, just divide the batter into 3 bowls when coloring them and leave one white layer for the center.

PRO TIP – You definitely want to make this cake at least 1 day in advance because you have to freeze the cake and ice cream layers before you assemble it. Ideally, the cake should be totally frozen (at least 6 hours) before you serve it to prevent premature melting.

Ingredients

Buttermilk: This vanilla cake recipe is my white velvet buttermilk cake which I often use to make colored layers of cake. Buttermilk tenderizes the gluten in the cake flour, which is already soft, creating a melt-in-your-mouth feel with this cake crumb. Learn how to make your own with milk and vinegar, sour cream, or Greek yogurt in my buttermilk substitutes blog post.

Cake Flour: This recipe works best with cake flour because the layers are nice and moist. If you can't find cake flour in your area then I recommend you try my white cake recipe or doctored white cake mix which uses all-purpose flour. The cake is a bit more firm but still very very tasty.

Ice Cream: The best part about this cake is that you can use any flavor of ice cream, as long as it's white! Cookies and cream, cookie dough, or chocolate chips would also be delicious.

Whipped Cream: Any type of whipped-topping like stabilized whipped cream, CoolWhip, or Bettercreme is going to work well with ice cream cake because it doesn't get too hard while frozen. If you're traveling a long distance with your cake, use a more stable buttercream like easy buttercream or American buttercream frosting.

Food Coloring: I like using Americolor food coloring gel but you can use whatever colors you like. Just keep in mind that some blue food coloring might look more purple or green once it's baked. That's why I recommend using Americolor super red for the red cake, and electric blue food coloring because I know it bakes up a nice bright, true blue.

How to make a red, white, and blue cake

If you're making this into an ice cream cake, I recommend a two-day process. First, make the cake layers and let them cool, then make the ice cream layer and let that chill for 6 hours, assemble the cakes and cover the whole cake in whipped cream and decorate with some sprinkles. If you don't want to make the ice cream layer, divide the batter into 3 bowls and leave one of them white, just bake for less time!

Making the Red and Blue Cake Layers

1. Preheat your oven to 335ºF (170ºC) and prepare two 8"x2" cake pans with cake goop or your preferred pan release.
2. Bring your buttermilk, egg whites, and butter to room temperature (a little warm is even better) so that your ingredients mix together smoothly and your cake bakes up properly. If you don't have buttermilk, check out my buttermilk substitutes blog post for alternatives.
3. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. 
4. Divide your buttermilk in half. Combine ½ of the buttermilk with the oil and set aside. 
5. Combine the other ½ of the buttermilk, egg whites, and vanilla extract together, whisk to break up the eggs, and set aside.  
6. Add your softened butter to the dry ingredients and mix on low until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
7. Add in your buttermilk/oil mixture and let it mix until the dry ingredients are moistened, then bump the speed up to medium (setting 4 on my KitchenAid, speed 2 on my Bosch) and let it mix for 2 full minutes to develop the cake's structure. If you don't let your cake mix on this step your cake may not rise properly. The batter should look white and fluffy and not broken or curdled.
8. Scrape the sides of the bowl and then reduce the speed to low. Add in your egg white mixture in three batches, letting the batter mix for 15 seconds between additions. Mix until everything is combined. The finished cake batter should look smooth and not curdled. 
9. Divide your cake batter evenly into two bowls. I like to weigh my cake pans so that I know each layer is even.
10. Add 1 Tablespoon of red food coloring to the first bowl and stir until fully mixed. I like the Super Red gel food color by Americolor.
11. Add 1 Tablespoon of electric blue food coloring to the second bowl and stir until fully mixed.
12. Pour each cake batter into a prepared 8"x2" round cake pan.
13. Bake the layers for 30-35 minutes or until the center bounces back when you lightly touch it. 
14. Once your layer is baked, remove it from the oven and immediately tap it on the countertop to release excess air. This helps prevent shrinking as the cake cools.
15. Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan and then flip the cake out onto a wire rack.
16. Once your cake has cooled down a little, carefully trim off the dome of your cake layer so it's nice and flat on top.
17. Wrap your warm cake in plastic wrap and place it into the freezer until it's time to assemble the red white and blue ice cream cake. PRO TIP – Freezing your cake while it's still warm locks in the moisture, you can then freeze your cake for a few days without it drying out.

Making the Ice Cream layer

1. Take the ice cream out of the freezer 30 minutes before you need to use it to allow it to soften.
2. Cover the inside of an 8" cake pan in aluminum foil or parchment paper. 
3. Spread the softened ice cream into the cake pan evenly and smooth out the top. 
4. Place it back into the freezer overnight or for a minimum of 6 hours.

Making Stabilized Whipped Cream

1. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let it bloom for 5 minutes. If you don't want to use gelatin, check out my stabilized whipped cream blog post for 5 other substitutes.
2. Microwave the gelatin for 15 seconds and then stir. If the gelatin isn't fully melted continue melting in 5-second increments until the liquid is clear. Don't over-heat it.
3. Add 1 Tablespoon of cream to the gelatin and stir to combine. Set aside while you make the whipped cream.
4. Begin whipping your heavy whipping cream in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment on medium speed.
5. Once the whipped cream is thick and foamy, add in the powdered sugar and the vanilla.
6. Continue whipping the cream until you see lines beginning to form in the surface of the cream (soft peaks).
7. Reduce the speed to low and then begin drizzling in the melted gelatin in a steady stream.
8. Continue mixing until firm peaks (holding their shape but still creamy) form but don't over-mix it or it will begin to curdle and turn to butter.

Assembling the Cake

1. Place your frozen blue layer cake onto your cake platter or cake board and apply a thin layer of whipped cream to the top.
2. Unwrap your ice cream layer from the foil and place it on top of the blue layer, then spread another thin layer of whipped cream on top.
3. Add the second layer of cake on top.
4. Cover the outside of the cake with more whipped cream and smooth it out with your offset spatula and bench scraper. If it starts to melt, freeze it after doing the crumb coat before doing a final coat of frosting on the entire cake.
5. Pipe the remaining frosting with a 1M piping tip and piping bag to make a cute shell border. 
6. Place the red white and blue ice cream cake into the freezer until you're ready to serve it.
7. Right before serving, you can add some patriotic sprinkles, fresh berries, and fresh strawberries on the outside and on top of the cake. Leave this part to the end so that the berries don't get all soggy and the sprinkles don't melt and get weird-looking after being frozen. 

FAQ

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Recipe

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5 from 5 votes

Red White And Blue Ice Cream Cake

Red and blue layers of moist vanilla cake and vanilla ice cream make the most festive 4th of July cake ever! You won't believe how easy it is to make your own ice cream cake!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

freezing1 day d

Total Time1 day d 50 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 cups

Calories: 208kcal

Author: Elizabeth Marek

Equipment

• Stand Mixer
• Two 8"x2" cake pans
• Tin foil
• Bench scraper or spatula

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

• 14 ounces cake flour
• 13 ounces granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 5 ounces egg whites room temperature
• 4 ounces vegetable oil
• 10 ounces buttermilk slightly warm and divided into two cups evenly
• 6 ounces butter unsalted and softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 Tablespoon super red food coloring, I use Americolor gel colors
• 1 Tablespoon electric blue food coloring

Ice Cream Layer

• 48 ounces vanilla ice cream

Stabilized Whipped Cream

• 16 ounces Heavy Whipping Cream
• 3 ounces Powdered Sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla
• 1 ½ teaspoons Powdered Gelatin I use KNOX
• 2 Tablespoons Cool Water
• 1 ½ teaspoons Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Red White And Blue Sprinkles For garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• NOTE: It is SUPER IMPORTANT that all the room temperature ingredients listed above are room temperature and measured by weight so that the ingredients mix and incorporate correctly. Learn more about how and why to use a scale for baking in my tutorial.

Making the Red and Blue Cake Layers

• Preheat your oven to 335ºF (170ºC) and prepare two 8"x2" cake pans with cake goop or your preferred pan release.
• Bring your buttermilk, egg whites, and butter to room temperature (a little warm is even better) so that your ingredients mix together smoothly and your cake bakes up properly. If you don't have buttermilk, check out my buttermilk substitutes blog post for alternatives.
• Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. 
• Divide your buttermilk in half. Combine ½ of the buttermilk with the oil and set aside. 
• Combine the other ½ of the buttermilk, egg whites, and vanilla extract together, whisk to break up the eggs, and set aside.  
• Add the softened butter to the dry ingredients and mix on low until the mixture resembles coarse sand. 
• Add in your buttermilk/oil mixture and let it mix until the dry ingredients are moistened, then bump the speed up to medium (setting 4 on my KitchenAid, speed 2 on my Bosch) and let it mix for 2 full minutes to develop the cake's structure. If you don't let your cake mix on this step your cake may not rise properly. The batter should look white and fluffy and not broken or curdled.
• Scrape the sides of the bowl and then reduce the speed to low. Add in your egg white mixture in three batches, letting the batter mix for 15 seconds between additions. Mix until everything is combined. The finished cake batter should look smooth and not curdled. 
• Divide your cake batter evenly into two bowls. I like to weigh my cake pans so that I know each layer is even. 
• Add 1 Tablespoon of red food coloring to the first bowl and stir until fully mixed. I like the Super Red gel food color by Americolor.
• Add 1 Tablespoon of electric blue food coloring to the second bowl and stir until fully mixed. 
• Pour each cake batter into the cake pans.
• Bake the layers for 30-35 minutes or until the center bounces back when you lightly touch it. 
• Once your layer is baked, remove it from the oven and immediately tap it on the countertop to release excess air. This helps prevent shrinking as the cake cools.
• Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan and then flip the cake out onto a wire rack.
• Once your cake has cooled down a little, carefully trim off the dome of your cake layer so it's nice and flat on top. 
• Wrap your warm cake in plastic wrap and place it into the freezer until it's time to assemble the red white and blue ice cream cake. PRO TIP – Freezing your cake while it's still warm locks in the moisture, you can then freeze your cake for a few days without it drying out.

Making the Ice Cream layer

• Take the ice cream out of the freezer 30 minutes before you need to use it to allow it to soften.
• Cover the inside of an 8" cake pan in aluminum foil or parchment paper.  
• Spread the softened ice cream into the cake pan evenly and smooth out the top.  
• Place it back into the freezer overnight or for a minimum of 6 hours.

Making Stabilized Whipped Cream

• Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let it bloom for 5 minutes. If you don't want to use gelatin, check out my stabilized whipped cream blog post for 5 other substitutes.
• Microwave the gelatin for 15 seconds and then stir. If the gelatin isn't fully melted continue melting in 5-second increments until the liquid is clear. Don't over-heat it. 
• Add 1 Tablespoon of cream to the gelatin and stir to combine. Set aside while you make the whipped cream.
• Begin whipping your heavy whipping cream in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment on medium speed.
• Once the whipped cream is thick and foamy, add in the powdered sugar and the vanilla.
• Continue whipping the cream until you see lines beginning to form in the surface of the cream (soft peaks).
• Reduce the speed to low and then begin drizzling in the melted gelatin in a steady stream. 
• Continue mixing until firm peaks (holding their shape but still creamy) form but don't over-mix it or it will begin to curdle and turn to butter. 

Assembling the Cake

• Place your frozen blue layer cake onto your cake platter or cake board and apply a thin layer of whipped cream to the top.
• Unwrap your ice cream layer from the foil and place it on top of the blue layer, then spread another thin layer of whipped cream on top. 
• Add the second layer of cake on top.
• Cover the outside of the cake with more whipped cream and smooth it out with your offset spatula and bench scraper. If it starts to melt, freeze it after doing the crumb coat before doing a final coat of frosting on the entire cake.
• Pipe the remaining frosting with a 1M piping tip and piping bag to make a cute shell border.  
• Place the red white and blue ice cream cake into the freezer until you're ready to serve it.
• Right before serving, you can add some patriotic sprinkles, fresh berries, and fresh strawberries on the outside and on top of the cake. Leave this part to the end so that the berries don't get all soggy and the sprinkles don't melt and get weird-looking after being frozen. 

Video

Notes

Important Things To Note Before You Start

 

1. Bring all your ingredients to room temperature or even a little warm (eggs, buttermilk, butter, etc) to ensure your batter does not break or curdle.

2. Use a scale to weigh your ingredients (including liquids) unless otherwise instructed (Tablespoons, teaspoons, pinch, etc). Metric measurements are available in the recipe card. Scaled ingredients are much more accurate than using cups and help ensure the success of your recipe. 

3. Practice Mise en Place (everything in its place). Measure out your ingredients ahead of time and have them ready before you start mixing to reduce the chances of accidentally leaving something out.

4. Freeze your cakes and ice cream layer a minimum of 6 hours before assembling the cake. 

6. If the recipe calls for specific ingredients like cake flour, replacing it with all-purpose flour and cornstarch is not recommended unless specified in the recipe that it’s ok. Substituting ingredients may cause this recipe to fail. 

7.  Gel food coloring works best for this cake, I like to use Americolor super red and electric blue. Using liquid food coloring will not have the same desired effect. 

8. If you don't have buttermilk, check out my buttermilk substitutes blog post for alternatives.

9. No cake flour where you live? Try searching for Shipton mills soft cake and pastry flour, or use any flour that has a protein content of 9% or less.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 111mg | Potassium: 60mg | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 335IU | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 0.2mg