Kitchen Cats: Vanilla Cake with Italian Meringue Frosting

So delicious! The frosting is amazingly airy and sweet.

This weekend I decided to try this cake recipe from Cooking Light, November 2010 issue. Partly I was looking for ways to use up the buttermilk that I bought for the Chicken Korma that I made earlier in the week. I was extremely happy with the way the cake came out. Everytime I make a recipe where you whip egg whites separately then fold them into the batter, it comes out so light and moist. Like real cake! I was also happy that the cake and frosting weren't too heavy on butter.

I was hesitant about trying to make this frosting though. This is the first time in recent years that I've attempted to make an egg-white based frosting. Many years ago I tried to follow a recipe from Joy of Cooking and did not get anything resembling normal cake frosting. Luckily this worked perfectly. I am always surprised by how well my egg whites whip into stiff peaks even in Georgia humidity! The frosting is extremely sweet, tastes like meringue, and has a consistency almost like marshmellow.

Cake Pan Preparation
cooking spray
parchment paper
2 tsp cake flour

Cake
11 oz cake flour (2.75 cups)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup non-fat buttermilk
1/4 non-fat milk
1 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar (divided)
5 Tablespoons butter, softened
2 Tablespoons canola or light olive oil
3 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large egg whites

Frosting
2/3 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar (divided)
1/4 cup water
dash of salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3 large egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Coat 2 9" cake pans with cooking spray. Line bottoms with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray and dust each pan with 1 tsp flour.

Cake
3. Measure 11 oz cake flour, and combine with baking soda, baking powder, salt in medium bowl. In a 2nd bowl, combine buttermilk and nonfat milk. In a 3rd large bowl, combine 1 cup sugar and butter, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended. Add canola oil and egg yolks (one at a time) to the butter. Beat in 1 tsp vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and milk mixture alternately to the butter mixture.

4. Place 3 egg whites in medium bowl and beat with mixer until foamy. Add 2 Tbsp sugar and continue beating at high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into the batter.

5. Divide batter into 2 pans, and bake at 350 degrees for 28 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes then remove from pans.

Frosting
6. Combine 2/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, dash of salt in small saucepan over med-high heat until it boils, stirring just to dissolve sugar. Cook without stirring about 4 minutes, until candy thermometer registers 240 degrees (note, I only reached about 180 degrees and my thermometer doesn't go above 220 degrees -- wasn't a problem).

7. Combine cream of tartar and 3 egg whites in large bowl, and beat with mixer at high speed until medium peaks form. Gradually pour the hot sugar syrup into the egg white mixture (beating first at medium then at high speed). Beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in 1/2 tsp vanilla.

Assemble Cake
8. Place 1 cake layer on plate, and spread the meringue frosting over the top. Top with the 2nd cake layer, and spread remaining frosting on the top and sides.