Recipe Pink Champagne Poke Cake

RECIPE: PINK CHAMPAGNE POKE CAKE

Steps:

• Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 325°F. Generously coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter; set aside.
• Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer and large bowl.) Beat on medium speed until fluffy and light, about 3 minutes. Add the egg whites and beat until fully incorporated and the mixture looks creamy.
• Beat in the flour, baking powder, and salt on low speed. Beat in the Champagne and vanilla. The batter will look a little curdled - this is okay. Beat everything together on low for 30 seconds, and then on high for 3 minutes, gradually adding the food coloring until it reaches the desired shade of pink. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan, and bake until the cake springs back slightly when pressed and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 20 minutes more. Remove the pan to a wire rack and cool completely, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, make the syrup.
• Place the strawberries and sugar in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Let sit for about 20 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor fitted with the blade attachment and blend until puréed. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a liquid measuring cup or spouted bowl and pour the purée through the strainer to remove the seeds. Set the strained purée aside.
• When the cake is completely cooled, use a sturdy straw, chopstick, or thin handle of a round wooden spoon to poke holes about 3/4 of the way into the cake all over the surface of the cake, spacing the holes about 1-inch apart.
• Carefully pour the syrup into the holes without leaving excess syrup on the surface of the cake. Not all of the syrup may be absorbed initially - after some of it is absorbed, top off the holes as necessary.
• Place the butter in a clean stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer and large bowl.) Beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low, slowly add in 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, and beat until combined. Add the vanilla and Champagne and mix until combined. Once everything is incorporated, mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
• Decrease the speed of the mixer to low and beat in the the remaining 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sugar until the buttercream is to your desired texture. Add the food coloring a little bit at a time and mix on medium speed until fluffy and it reaches the desired shade of pink, about 1 minute.
• Spread the frosting in an even layer on the cake. Sprinkle with the pearl sugar if using.

PINK CHAMPAGNE CAKE

Steps:

• Use a box of white cake mix (NO pudding) and substitute champagne - 1/2 to 3/4 cup to replace all of the liquid called for in the cake mix. So if the box says 3/4 cup water replace with 3/4 cup champagne. I did use one that had 1 1/4 cups water and replaced with champagne, just depends on the cake mix brand you buy. The kind of champagne/sparkling wine (pink, white, sweet, dry) used will determine the flavor. I usually just buy the cheap pink sparkling stuff in the grocery store, it's sweet and yummy in this!
• Tint with red food coloring to a soft pink, use a drop at a time, this stuff will stain, probably take about 3 drops.
• Bake cake as instructed on box. I usually make in 9x13-inch pan, but for an elegant layer cake use two 9 round cake pans, a heart pan would be perfect for Valentine's Day!
• Creamy champagne frosting:.
• Beat 1 cup softened butter for 30 seconds. Gradually add 4 cups powdered sugar.
• Beat in 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup champagne, and 1 TB vanilla.
• Beat in 5-5 1/2 more cups powdered sugar till you can spread it or is consistency you want.
• Add red coloring till pink color, again slowly add a drop at a time till color you want. Frost completely cooled cake.
• This is excellent served the next day after being refrigerated all night so the flavors can blend!

PINK CHAMPAGNE POKE CAKE

Steps:

• For the Cake:.
• Follow instructions on cake box; use hand mixer to combine.
• To the bowl of cake batter add pink champagne.
• Mix with hand mixer.
• Add red food coloring, mix until the batter has a pink hue.
• Fill 2 loaves cake pans with the cake batter.
• Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
• For the Poke Filling:.
• In a small bowl, pour in cold water, add the gelatin, and once the gelatin begins to solidify, add hot water.
• Add pink champagne.
• For the Frosting:.
• In a medium bowl, hand mix butter, powdered sugar and milk until the buttercream is thick and fluffy.
• For the Assembly:.
• After the 2 cakes are cooled down, poke holes using the BBQ skewers throughout the cake; make sure to poke in deep, and approximately 1/4 inch spaces between the perforations.
• Pour the gelatin mixture so that it drains into the holes.
• For the bottom cake layer, trim the top so that it's flat.
• Apply the frosting to the top.
• With the 2nd cake, trim the top so that too is flat and even.
• Place the 2nd cake on top of the 1st cake.
• Cover the entire cake tower with the buttercream frosting.
• Then cover the entire cake tower with the rosé sprinkles.
• Insert the sparklers on the top and ignite with a flame.

PINK CHAMPAGNE CAKE

Steps:

• For the pink champagne cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat three 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray.
• Whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
• Combine the granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low, add one-third of the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture. Mix until the flour is just blended. Combine the Champagne and milk. Beat in half of the Champagne mixture. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the Champagne mixture, ending with flour and incorporating fully. Set aside.
• Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer just until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold one-quarter of the egg whites into the batter. Then fold in the remaining egg whites.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the pans and cool completely.
• For the stabilized whipped cream: Pour the heavy cream into a medium bowl. Add the powdered milk, vanilla and 6 tablespoons of the confectioners' sugar. With an electric mixer, beat the cream until it reaches stiff peaks, adding additional confectioners' sugar if needed for desired consistency. (Makes 2 cups.)
• For the strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream: Place a glass bowl over a saucepan filled with approximately 1 inch of water; bring to a simmer. Add the egg whites and granulated sugar to the bowl. Cook, whisking constantly, until the egg whites are hot, the sugar is dissolved and the temperature of the mixture has reached about 140 degrees F. (You can test this by rubbing a small amount between your fingers to make sure it's not gritty.)
• Pour the hot egg mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with the whisk attachment until the bottom of the bowl is no longer warm and the meringue is thick and glossy, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Slowly add the butter cubes, one at a time, until incorporated. The mixture may curdle; keep beating and it will come back together. Continue beating until the mixture is silky and smooth. If it becomes too thin, refrigerate for around 15 minutes and then beat until it comes together.
• Add the pureed strawberries, vanilla extract, salt and a splash of lemon juice. Mix until smooth. (Makes 5 cups.)
• To assemble the cake: Fold the diced strawberries into the stabilized whipped cream, then spread half of the strawberry whipped cream on the top of one cake layer. Place a second cake layer on top of the filling. Repeat with the remaining half of the whipped cream. Place the third cake layer on top of the second. Frost the entire cake, top and sides, with the strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream.