Birthday Cake

To assemble the cake:

• ▢ 1 minute jar seedless raspberry jam (explore present 3)
• ▢ New raspberries for garnish optional

To develop the pastry cream:

• In a medium non-aluminum saucepan over medium heat, heat milk till shrimp bubbles seem on the skin, about 6 to eight minutes (about 180 levels Fahrenheit/82 levels Celsius).

• Meanwhile, In an incredible bowl, mosey collectively egg yolks and sugar. Toddle in cornstarch and salt.

• Whereas whisking consistently, pour in half of the fresh milk. Toddle in final hot milk and return to saucepan.

• Cook dinner over medium heat, whisking consistently, till the combination thickens to a company consistency, about 5 to eight minutes. Toddle in vanilla. Get 22 situation in to a bowl.

• Quilt with plastic wrap, pressing it straight away on to the skin of the pastry cream. Refrigerate till chilled, about 2 to three hours. (Show cloak: You’ve got heavenly over 2 cups of pastry cream and likewise you handiest want about 1 ½ cups for this recipe.)

To develop the cake:

• Preheat oven to 350 levels. Grease and flour 2 (8-toddle) spherical cake pans, then line parchment paper. In a minute bowl, mosey collectively milk, eggs, and vanilla. Space aside.

• Within the bowl of a standing mixer fit with the mosey attachment, beat collectively flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

• With the mixer on medium-low tempo, beat the butter in to the flour mixture one portion at a time. Proceed beating till the combination resembles moist crumbs, 1 to three minutes whole.

• Add the milk mixture to the mixer and beat till light and fluffy, 1 to three minutes longer. Hump by hand with a rubber spatula to be definite that the batter is fully mixed.

• Divide the batter evenly between both pans, gently tapping the pans on the counter to determine the batter. Bake till a toothpick inserted in the guts of the cake comes out dry with about a crumbs hooked up, 20 to 25 minutes. Rotate the pans midway via baking time.

• Frigid the desserts in the pans for 10 minutes. Toddle a minute intelligent knife across the interior of each pan to loosen, then flip the desserts on to a wire rack. Peel off the parchment paper, then flip the desserts moral side as a lot as chill fully, about 2 hours.

To develop the frosting:

• In a standing mixer fit with the shuffle attachment, cream butter till faded and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

• Sever mixer tempo to low. Add 4 cups powdered sugar, cream, vanilla, and salt (if using). Proceed mixing 2 to three minutes longer. If the frosting looks too tender, add the final powdered sugar 2 tablespoons at a time.

• Quilt and refrigerate the frosting till assembling the cake, as a lot as 1 week upfront.

To assemble the cake:

• Reduce off any domed tops of your cake to be definite they are flat. Sever each cooled cake in half lengthwise so there are four layers of cake whole.

• Quilt the perimeters of a cake platter with strips of parchment paper to support support it desirable. Go the objects of parchment out from below the cake as soon as the frosting job is completed.

• Dollop a minute amount of frosting in the guts of the platter to support anchor the bottom of the cake to the platter (so it would not toddle around as you frost it).

• Add one layer of cake to the serving platter. Add ¾ cup of the pastry cream to the guts of the cake and unfold in an even layer to the sting. Align a 2d layer of cake over the first and prime with 1 cup raspberry jam, spreading in an even layer to the sting.

• Add a third layer of cake and prime with ¾ cup of pastry cream in the guts, spreading in an even layer to the sting. Top with the final layer of cake. Brush away any tremendous crumbs, dollop frosting in the guts, and unfold flippantly to the perimeters.

• To frost the perimeters, discover about a tablespoons of frosting on to the tip of the spatula, then gently unfold it onto the side of the cake. Use gentle motions and do not press too laborious or it is seemingly you’ll per chance cease up with crumbs in the frosting. Tidy the spatula as famous.

• Gently scoot the sting of the spatula across the perimeters to tender out any bumps and orderly the rental where the frosting merges between the perimeters and the prime.

• Decorate the cake as desired with extra frosting or some fresh raspberries. Store leftovers in the fridge.

1. 8-toddle cake pans: Execute now not change 9-toddle cake pans.
2. Entire milk: Execute now not change low-chunky milk for the final milk in the vanilla cake.
3. Seedless raspberry jam: Must you can not notice this down, raspberry jam with seeds, or one other seedless jam, may per chance per chance unbiased be substituted. Strawberry seedless jam tastes pleasant on this cake.
4. Yield: This recipes makes 1 spectacular 4-layer Danish Layer Cake. 1 cake serves 12 (or extra or much less searching on how you cut it).
5. Storage: Store leftover cake in the fridge for as a lot as 4 days.
6. Invent ahead: The pastry cream may per chance per chance unbiased be made as a lot as three days upfront; mosey to recombine before using. The cake layers may per chance per chance unbiased be baked upfront. Frigid to room temperature, then wrap tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap, and freeze for as a lot as three months. Thaw overnight at room temperature. The vanilla buttercream may per chance per chance unbiased be made as a lot as per week upfront; store lined in the fridge.
7. Freezer: The total assembled, frosted cake may per chance per chance unbiased be frozen for as a lot as three months. Thaw for twenty-four hours in the fridge.

Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional creator. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials teach self perception and success to home cooks in each single space. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Occasions, and extra.