About
Mmm, do you smell that?! Love is in the air! Wait, actually... what you're whiffing are the sweet scents of Nuts-For-You-Cherry Cake. You'll be feeling all sorts of butterflies in your belly as you taste the sweet, sweet delight of this pink-tinted slice of love. Fit for the front of a cutesy card (perfect for writing love notes in), the fluffy, white frosting, topped with vibrant cherries, is quite picturesque. If you're feeling a little mushy-gushy, show your Babycakes just how you feel with a slice of Nuts-For-You Cherry Cake. There's really nothing sweeter!
Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 6 large egg whites
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice, plus 40 maraschino cherries, chopped
- 3 cups cake flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- For the frosting:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional garnishes:
- canned whipped cream, to taste
- maraschino cherries (with the stems intact), to taste, drained and patted dry
- walnuts, to taste
Directions
Step 1 -In a large bowl, add the egg whites and let them stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Step 2 -Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 3 -Grease two 9-inch round baking pans and line them with parchment paper. Then, grease the parchment paper.
Step 4 -In a large bowl, add the butter, the shortening, and the sugar and lightly mix until it is light and fluffy, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 5 -In a small bowl, mix the half-and-half and the cherry juice together.
Step 6 -In another large bowl, add the flour, the baking powder, and the salt and whisk to combine.
Step 7 -Alternate adding the butter mixture and the cherry juice mixture to the flour mixture and beat well after each addition.
Step 8 -Fold 40 of the chopped cherries and 1/2 cup of the walnuts into the batter.
Step 9 -Use clean beaters to beat the reserved egg whites on medium speed until stiff and glossy peaks form.
Step 10 -Fold the whipped egg whites into the batter.
Step 11 -Evenly divide the batter between the prepared baking pans.
Step 12 -Bake the cakes until two toothpicks inserted in the centers come out clean, about 25-30 minutes.
Step 13 -Transfer the baking pans to a wire rack and let the cakes cool, about 10 minutes.
Step 14 -Flip the cakes onto the wire rack, discarding the parchment paper, and let them cool completely.
Step 15 -In a large bowl, add the heavy whipping cream and beat until it begins to thicken.
Step 16 -Add the confectioners' sugar and the vanilla to the whipped cream and beat until stiff peaks form.
Step 17 -Place 1 of the cake layers on a serving plate and spread 1/2 of the frosting over the top.
Step 18 -Place the remaining cake on top of the frosting, then spread the remaining frosting over the top and down the sides.
Step 19 -Use the canned whipped cream to add a decorative border on the top of the cake and top every other dollop with the remaining whole cherries.
Step 20 -Slice and serve the cake topped with the remaining walnuts.
