A Floral Delight: Pink Cherry Cake

The delightful three-layered pink confection is a feast for the eyes and the palate, featuring a luscious almond cherry-flavored cake that perfectly complements its sweet frosting. The captivating pink hue is derived from Maraschino cherries, giving the dessert a charmingly vibrant appearance. The design, decorated with piped flowers created using a variety of piping tips, is beautiful and approachable. Although it may seem complicated, the frosting is quite forgiving, allowing you to place the flowers close together in any creative pattern you desire. This makes it an ideal choice for bakers looking to create a beautiful cake without the stress of perfection!

This small but tall cake will go far because of its three layers. It has a lot of frosting from the piped flowers, so a small piece will be filling. You can get about 18 thin slices from this cake.

INGREDIENTS

Cake

• Olive oil or shortening
• all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole buttermilk (shaken and at room temperature)
• ½ cup maraschino cherry juice
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• ⅔ cup sour cream (room temperature)
• 4 large egg whites, (room temperature)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• (1) 15.25-ounce box white cake mix

Cherry Buttercream

• 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons Maraschino cherry juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 6 ¾ cups powdered sugar, sifted
• whole milk or cream to thin frosting (optional)
• 8-10 Maraschino cherries, chopped

EQUIPMENT

• (3) 6-inch round pans (can use two 8-inch rounds)
• parchment paper
• 4-5 piping tips (tips should be different sizes and shapes)
• large piping bag
• piping bag coupler

DIRECTIONS

Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the inside of each pan with olive oil or shortening. Dust with flour. Cut (3) 5 3/4 inch rounds out of parchment paper and place in the bottom of each pan.
• Add the shaken buttermilk, maraschino cherry juice, vegetable oil, sour cream, egg whites, vanilla, and almond extract to a mixing bowl. Whisk until blended.
• Sift the cake mix and stir into the liquid ingredients until just moistened. Do not overmix. Divide evenly between the three pans.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with crumbs. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes. Then, turn the pans upside down and remove each cake onto the rack. Pull off the parchment paper. Cool.

Cherry Buttercream

• Beat the butter and salt until smooth and creamy. Then, add the cherry juice, vanilla, and almond extracts. Beat until mixed.
• Sift the powdered sugar into the butter mixture. Beat until well mixed. Add milk or cream a teaspoonful at a time and mix if the buttercream is too thick. It should be soft enough to spread with ease on the cake.
• Add one layer to a cake plate and coat the top with frosting. Chop the cherries and place half on the layer, spreading evenly. Repeat with the second layer. Then, add the third layer and coat the top and the sides of all the layers with a thin layer of buttercream. (If making an 8-inch layer cake, add all the cherries on the first layer.)
• Add a coupler to a piping bag. Cut the end of the bag to allow the coupler to fit in it with the nose sticking out. Add a tip and secure it with the coupler ring. Add frosting to the bag. Pipe frosting shapes in various places on the cake. Unscrew the coupler ring and remove the tip, adding another one in its place. Pipe shapes in random places. Repeat with the other tips until the cake is fully decorated.

Sweet and Savory Tips

• You can use a variety of tips to decorate this cake. Some ideas include star tips in different sizes. Open star tips and folded ones will give you different looks. Russian tips will make flowers with intricate patterns. Scatter the stars and flowers around the cake instead of placing them in clumps so there is a lot of visual interest. Then, fill in any holes with frosting piped with small tips. You can buy a kit with starter tips to make it easy.
• The batter is easy to mix, and you do not need a mixer. However, sifting is necessary to prevent lumps and over stirring.
• Cake will sometimes stick to the bottom of the pan and tear when you try to remove it. You can help ensure that your cakes come out in one piece by following an extra step. Cut out 3 parchment paper circles (a little smaller than the pans) and place them into the bottom of each pan. Then, pour the batter into the pans.
• Maraschino cherries give this cake a pretty pink color. If you are concerned about red food coloring (Red 40) in the cherries, use Maraschino cherries dyed with natural plant coloring, such as Mezzetta Maraschino Cherries. They are also free of high fructose corn syrup.

For more recipes and entertaining/lifestyle tips, visit Rynn’s blog at www.thehouseofelynryn.com