You know how they say that you shouldn’t go to the grocery store hungry, because then you’re just going to buy all of the bad food? WELL! That’s sorta, kinda how this recipe stumbled into my head…
I was, as always, craving cake, but then also the day was pretty spectacular—the warmth of the summer sun was upon my skin, the sound of birds chirping was all over, the flowers were blooming gorgeously, and people were just happy. It’s days like these that no matter what, I can’t be brought down—and then I thought why not add a little rosé wine into the mix?!
And so I did.
I went to the store and bought too many bottles for a little taste-testing afternoon. No regrets!
…Except maybe the fact that I have been missing out for a whiiilllle. Like, can someone please tell me why I’ve never been a rosé drinker? Because I sure can’t! I’m a true Riesling gal in the warm months, I can’t get enough of it—but this cake has led me rethink my summer beverage choices. The crispness, slight sweetness, with just the hint of a red wine, there are no bad qualities to this wine!! Well, maybe the fact that I drank an entire bottle while perfecting the recipe—hey, what can you do!?
So, along with the glorious addition of wine to this recipe, fresh fruit also shows its face. Like, hellooooo juicy and luscious raspberries. Gosh, I am so obsessed with this season and all of the beauty it produces, fruit will be making many, many appearances over the next few months for sure! Et voila my friends, a masterpiece was created, and just in time for the true start of the summer—Memorial Day Weekend!
Yes, a barbeque, a big fruit salad, some cold beers, that may be your go to, but I promise that this cake will 1. Be a huge hit, 2. Fill up those alcohol filled tummies and 3. Get people to switch to an ice-cold glass of rosé…quite a classy BBQ if I do say so myself!
Oh, and did I mention that I soak the raspberries in the wine as well?! You’re welcome.
…And now we are at the end of this nice long rant about my newfound love for pretty pink wine. So see, my hunger made me want cake, which made me step out into the beautiful sunshine to pick up some fresh fruit, then some rosé, and then I made a beautiful, Welcome Summer cake. Not all cravings are bad, and I sure hope that this one satisfies yours!
cake ingredients
Butter, room temperature—4 oz, or 8 TBL
Sugar—8 oz, or 1 C
Eggs—2
Vanilla—2 tsp
Flour—12 oz, or 2 C
Baking Powder—2 ½ tsp
Salt—½ tsp
Milk—4oz, or ½ C
Lemon Juice—3.5 oz, or ½ C
Lemon Zest—2 medium
process
Preheat your oven to 350˚ F.
In the bowl of your mixer, cream the butter and sugar.
Once light and fluffy, add in the eggs and vanilla. Scrape.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Alternating between the sifted ingredients and the milk/lemon juice, slowly add to the mixer in 4-5 increments.
Add in the zest.
Once you have all of the ingredients combined and mixed together, pour into 2-6” cake pans that have been sprayed with nonstick spray and lined with parchment or a light dusting of flour.
Bake the cakes for 35-40 minutes, until the top springs back slightly when touched.
*Note: if you do not have 2-6” cake pans, cut the recipe in half and just make in two separate batches!*
Allow to cool completely before building your cake
buttercream ingredients
Butter, room temperature—12 oz, or 1 ½ C/3 sticks
Confectioner’s Sugar—18 oz, or 4 C
Vanilla—1 tsp
Rosé Wine—2 oz, or 4 TBL
process
In the bowl of your mixer, cream the butter until very, very smooth.
In a separate bowl, sift the confectioner’s sugar, and then slowly add to the creamed butter.
When all smooth and incorporated, add in the vanilla, and then slowly stream in the rosé.
Optional—if you want a light pink color, add in just the smallest drop of red food coloring!
Turn the mixer up to high and whip the buttercream for about a minute, this will make it light, fluffy, and easy to apply to the cake!
filling ingredients
Raspberries—6 oz, or ~1C
Rosé—2 oz, or 4 TBL
process
In a small bowl, combine the berries and the wine.
Smash a little bit with the back of a spoon, and allow to marinate just slightly before putting them in between your two cake layers.
assembly
Once both of your cake layers have cooled completely, trim off the tops of each of the cakes so that they are flat in both sides.
Place one cake layer on either a plate or a turntable, whatever you are going to decorate on.
Fill either a piping bag, or a plastic baggie that seals shut, with the buttercream; make a moat around the outside edge of your cake, about ½” thick—this will help make sure that your cake is level, and the filling will not ooze out of the cake.
Take a dollop of buttercream and spread evenly inside of the moat you just made.
Slightly strain the wine soaked raspberries, and add on top of the buttercream.
Place your second layer of cake on top of the first, making sure to press just slightly.
Take another big spatula-full of buttercream and place on the top of your cake, smoothing it out.
Now, some of that will go over the sides, which is great, and you can just use it to cover the sides of your cake as well.
Once you have finished and are satisfied, you make decorate however you would like—naturally I went for the star sprinkles—and take a nice big piece to enjoy.
Bon Appétit!