Yesterday was my Auntie Sharon's birthday, and my cousin Jennifer and I made a special Belize-flavor influenced cake: a vanilla base (the best I've ever made) with a vanilla buttercream that has a can of caramelized sweetened condensed milk beaten into it.
In Belize for birthdays a vanilla cake is made and then covered with 'bile milk' (boiled milk) aka caramelized sweetened condensed milk. It is delicious, if a little over-the-top, and Jennifer and I thought we'd do a spin on it.
Auntie Sharon loved it!
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| Happy Birthday Auntie Sharon!! |
Recipes:
The Lightest and Most Delicious Vanilla Cake I've Ever Made
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 egg at room temp
1 1/2 cups ice-cold milk
3 egg whites at room temp
pinch of cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
Preheat the oven to 325°. Prepare two 8" round baking pans.
Whisk/sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
Cream the butter and shortening together. Beat in the sugar and vanilla, and whip for about 5 minutes until very light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until incorporated.
Mix the butter into the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the cold milk. Set aside.
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add the sugar and beat until a stiff-peak meringue forms (we cheated and only beat it through soft peak! Still came out great).
Fold the meringue into the batter in three additions.
Split the batter between the pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes, until the top of the cake springs back when touched.
Pair with any frosting, although I would suggest using...
Caramelized Sweetened Condensed Milk Buttercream
12 oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups butter (4 sticks)
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
4 egg whites at room temp
2/3 tsp cream of tarter
2 Tbsp vanilla
Completely submerge the can of sweetened condensed milk in boiling water. Allow to boil for 3 hours, topping the water off if it boils below the can. Set aside to cool (several hours).
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| This is what it looks like after 1.5 hours; we were in a hurry! |
Beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 5-10 minutes. Set aside.
Put the sugar and water into a pan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. As the syrup boils to 238°, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar to a frothy foam. Slowly pour the syrup in while continuing to beat.
Add the butter in a half-cup at a time. When all is incorporated, beat until super fluffy and awesome.
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| Like this! |
Add in the sweetened condensed milk and beat until incorporated.
And now some pictures:
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| Crumb-coated and in the freezer to set before the real icing begins. |
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| Iced: an 8" cake iced without a turntable! Not the smoothest ever, still proud of myself. |
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| The cake is exactly as fluffy and soft as it looks... |
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| Taken the night of the birthday celebration: this is what cake looks like when cut at room temperature. |
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| Here is the cake cut right out of the refrigerator: much cleaner lines! |
Bake Hard!
Azara
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