There are special occasions that call for cake and then, there are times when you just want to have cake on an ordinary Tuesday. This White Cake with Jam and Buttercream can suit both scenarios. It’s fairly easy enough to make ‘just because’ but it is also stunning enough for a special day.
I believe in a world where cake is NOT a bad word. You have to have balance, right? Cake usually equals fun and joy when it is truly enjoyed. Sometimes, even a few bites of cake are just enough to lift your mood. I am not talking about stress eating, but quite the opposite: eating for enjoyment.
I usually stumble my way through baking. Let’s be real, I hardly ever bake a cake from scratch. I have quite the knack for doctoring a boxed cake mix. There’s no shame in that!
You Made a Mayonnaise Cake?
With this recipe, I decided to try my hand at creating a scratch cake recipe. I did a ton of research and looked at dozens of cake recipes. There were three ingredients that I wanted to incorporate: raspberry jam, mayonnaise and egg whites. Well, I started off looking at sour cream cakes. Then I realized that we didn’t have any sour cream in the fridge.
I looked up some substitutions for sour cream and the one thing that we did have was mayo. Mayo has been one of my go-to ingredients lately. Cue up the awesome-sauce Chipotle Mayo I made to go with these tacos and the homemade mayo that is the base of my favorite Whole30 Ranch. Why shouldn’t mayo be an excellent ingredient in a cake?
How Do You Make a White Cake?
Another thing I wanted to do with this cake was to make it white. The secret to making a white cake is to only use egg whites in the batter. Separate the eggs and use the yolks for something else. You can also get fancy and use clear vanilla extract. But, I just used the brown kind. My cake still turned out a tad yellow. I think it’s because I used a lot of butter in the batter. By using only the whites and adding mayo to the batter, the cake part ended up so light and moist.
One thing I also love about this recipe is that the batter is almost exactly 6 cups. So if you are making three layers, it makes it super easy to divide up. One day, I plan to buy a digital scale and truly measure my ingredients out by weight. I hear that’s how the pros do it. 😉
White Cake with Jam and Buttercream: Tips for Assembling the Layers:
Once you get your layers baked and cooled, pop them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This helps firm them up and will make the filling and frosting step so much easier.
When you are ready to frost, pull out one layer at a time. Take the first layer, place it on your plate or cake stand and frost the top of that layer. Then, pull out the next layer and pick which side of that layer will be the bottom. On a cutting board or another plate, turn the second layer so that the bottom is up. Spread the jam over the cake until it is covered. Then, very carefully, invert the layer and lay it over the frosted part of the bottom layer. This way you will both frosting and jam between the two layers.
Frost the top of the middle layer and then repeat the process of spreading the jam on the bottom of the top layer. Invert the top layer. Then chill the whole cake for another 30 minutes. Frost the top and sides of the cake. I like to let the cake peek through a bit on the sides. But, feel free to frost as you like!
Now, go make this cake and tell me ALL about it. Be sure to share some with your friends, too.
White Cake with Jam and Buttercream
Ingredients
Ingredients for Cake:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened to room temp
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup mayonnaise or sour cream, room temperature
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 large egg whites
- 1 cup whole milk room temperature
Ingredients for frosting:
- 2 cups butter softened
- 5-6 cups powdered sugar sifted
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- Raspberry Jam or the jam of your choice
- Fresh blackberries and raspberries for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 3 8 inch cake pans, using butter and flour. Line the bottom of each pan with a circle of parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream softened butter and sugar for about 3 minutes until mixture is light and fluffy. While mixture is creaming, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
- Add mayonnaise (or sour cream) and vanilla extract to butter and sugar mixture. Mix until combined. Add egg whites two at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Mix in half of the flour mixture and mix well. Then add in the milk and mix until well combined. Finally, add the other half of the flour mixture and mix until well incorporated.
- Divide batter into prepared pans. Batter makes about 6 cups, so each pan should have about 2 cups of batter.
- Bake for 21-23 minutes. A tester or toothpick placed in the middle of the cake should come out clean. Cool cake layers in their pans for about 6-10 minutes. Then remove the cakes and let them cool on a rack. Once layers are cooled to room temperature, chill them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- While cakes are chilling, prepare frosting. Mix room temperature butter and beat until creamy. Slowly add in powdered sugar. Combine until smooth. Add vanilla extracts, almond extracts and salt. Beat frosting until light and fluffy.
- To assemble cakes: Place one layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Top with buttercream. Spread jam on the middle layer and invert it, placing the jam side on top of the bottom layer. Spread the top of the middle layer with buttercream. Repeat the same process with the jam on the top layer. Turn that layer upside down and place it on top of the middle layer. At this point, place the cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. After chilling, remove cake from refrigerator. Frost the top and outside of the cake. Decorate the top with fresh berries.
Other Dessert Recipes You Might Love:
- Yellow Plum Galette
- Pumpkin Hand Pies
- The best Pavlova ever
