Cherry Layer Cake with Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
– 3 cups sifted cake flour
– 2½ teaspoons baking powder
– 1 teaspoon salt
– ⅓ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
– ⅓ cup vegetable shortening
– 1½ cups sugar
– ¼ cup maraschino cherry juice
– ¾ cup whole milk
– ¼ teaspoon almond extract
– 16 maraschino cherries, chopped into eighths
– 5 egg whites, at room temperature, beaten to stiff peaks
For the Frosting:
– 8 oz (1 block) cream cheese, at room temperature
– ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
– ¼ cup maraschino cherry juice
– 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
For the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans (consider lining the bottoms with parchment paper) and set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy, approximately five minutes.
In a liquid measuring cup, combine the milk, almond extract, and cherry juice. Gradually add this mixture to the creamed ingredients, alternating with the dry ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix well after each addition, then gently fold in the chopped cherries.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites until fully incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when touched.
Allow the cakes to cool in the pans on wire racks for about 10 minutes. Carefully loosen the edges with a thin knife and turn the cakes out onto the racks to cool completely.
For the Frosting: In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese with half of the confectioners’ sugar. Add the cherry juice and mix in enough of the remaining sugar to achieve the desired taste and consistency.
