Pink Champagne Cake

Directions

• Cake
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and parchment line 2-9 inch cake pans. With an electric mixer or stand mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar. Mix in vanilla, champagne extract or almond extract. In a separate bowl, sift cake flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with milk until all combined. In a clean, dry bowl beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. With a rubber spatula, add a scoop of the egg whites to the cake batter and slowly fold in, add a little more egg white and fold in, continue until all the egg white is incorporated into the batter. Divide batter between pans. Tap on the counter to level.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Test with toothpick for doneness, only tiny amounts of crumb should hold to the toothpick. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes then turn over onto rack for 10 minutes. Remove pans and allow to cool completely.
• Frosting
• To Flavor the Milk: In a 3-quart stainless steel saucier, combine milk and split vanilla bean (or other flavorings) over medium heat. When milk is steaming hot, remove from heat, cover, and steep at least 1 hour. Proceed as directed below, or refrigerate up to 24 hours to extract a deeper flavor before proceeding.
• To Make the Custard: Whisk sugar and cornstarch together in a medium bowl, followed by eggs.
• Return milk to a simmer and discard vanilla bean after scraping out the flavorful seeds and pulp inside (or remove other flavoring elements, and scrape them as best you can, if possible). Ladle 1/2 cup hot milk into the eggs and whisk to combine. Repeat with two more 1/2-cup additions, then pour the warmed eggs into the pot. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until custard turns thick and lumpy, about 3 minutes (the timing can vary depending on the specifics of your stove and cooking vessel, so adjust the heat accordingly if it seems to move too slow). As soon as custard begins to bubble, set a timer and continue cooking and whisking for exactly 2 minutes longer. This helps neutralize a starch-dissolving protein found in egg yolks.
• Off heat, stir in vanilla extract, then pour custard into a large baking dish to speed the cooling process. Press a sheet of plastic against the surface and refrigerate until thick and cool, about 1 hour, or to roughly 68°F (20°C). Alternatively, refrigerate up to 1 week, then stand at room temperature until warmed to roughly 68°F (20°C).
• For the Buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter on medium speed until fluffy and light, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, stir the thick pudding in its dish to create a thick, dough-like mass. Add pudding a few tablespoons at a time, one right after the other, then scrape the bowl and beater with a flexible spatula, and beat a few seconds longer.
• Switch to the whisk attachment and whip on medium speed until the buttercream is airy, soft, and light enough to weigh approximately 6 ounces per cup. A heavier weight per cup indicates the frosting is too cool, and/or under-whipped, and will result in a dense, greasy frosting that may seem too sweet. To adjust the frosting’s consistency, warm over a water bath until the edges have just begun to melt, then re-whip. For more detailed instructions, consult our buttercream troubleshooting guide.
• Use buttercream immediately, or transfer to a large zipper-lock bag, press out the air, and seal. Buttercream can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks and frozen for up to several months. (The main issue with longer storage in the freezer is odor absorption, not spoilage.) Rewarm to approximately 72°F (22°C) and re-whip before using.
• Pink Chocolate Shavings
• Heat water in the bottom portion of your double boiler, bring to a boil then turn the heat to low so the water is simmering, in the second bowl add the white chocolate chips and place that bowl over the simmering water, wait 5 minutes then slowly start stirring chocolate. When only a few lumps remain take the bowl off the hot water and continue to stir placing the bowl on a folded towel it will help keep the chocolate warm and the bowl will not slip. When the melted chocolate is smooth add a few drops of food color and mix well. Then spread out your chocolate on a piece of parchment paper and allow to cool for 15-20 then break it up into pieces.