Santa’s Red Velvet Tower

Yields: One 6-inch, six layer cake

Ingredients

Cake:

360 g All-Purpose Flour

10 g Cocoa Powder

53 g Cornstarch

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

113 g Butter, unsalted room temp

400 g Sugar, granulated

250 mL Oil

4 Eggs, large, separated and room temp

1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

1 tsp Vinegar, white distilled

240 mL Buttermilk, room temp

1 Tbsp Red Food Coloring

Frosting:

452 g Cream Cheese, full-fat and room temp

170 g Butter, Unsalted room temp

600 g Sugar, Powdered

Peppermint Bark:

170 g Chocolate, semi-sweet

170 g Chocolate, white

1/2 cup Candy Cane, crushed

Method

Cake:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
  2. Grease and line the bottom of six 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
  3. Combine the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk well until well combined. Set aside.
  4. Combine the buttermilk, red food coloring and vanilla and mix well. Set aside.
  5. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites at medium speed until foamy. Increase the speed all the way and whip to stiff peaks, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
  6. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, oil and granulated sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes.
  7. Scrape the bowl down and add the egg yolks one a time, ensuring to scrape the bowl in between additions.
  8. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and 1/3 of the buttermilk mixture. Mix on medium-low speed. Scrape the bowl down and repeat until all has been added.
  9. Once mixed, add 1/4 of the beaten egg whites and fold in until combined.
  10. Fold in half of the remaining beaten egg whites and fold in until combined.
  11. Fold in the remaining beaten eggs whites and fold in until well combined.
  12. Divide evenly into the six 6-inch round lined cake pans.
  13. Bake for 30-40 minutes.
  14. Once the cakes have cooled for 30 minutes, remove them from the cake pan and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze them overnight or chill for at least 4 hours before frosting.

Frosting:

  1. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese until smooth and lump free
  2. Add in the butter and mix for 2 minutes.
  3. Scrape the bowl down and paddle down and mix for 1 minute.
  4. Gradually add the powdered sugar until while mixing on medium-low speed.
  5. Once all the sugar has been added, mix for 2 minutes.
  6. Scrape the bowl down and cream for 1 more minute.

Peppermint Bark:

  1. Melt half of the White Chocolate.
  2. On a parchment lined 9X11 sheet pan, spread the melted chocolate and sprinkle half of the crushed candy cane.
  3. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  4. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate and spread over the chilled white chocolate.
  5. Refrigerate for 40 minutes.
  6. Melt the remaining half of the white chocolate and spread over the semi-sweet chocolate.
  7. Sprinkle the remaining crushed candy cane.
  8. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Assembly:

  1. Each layer should have 500 g of frosting spread evenly.
  2. Frost the sides.
  3. Break the Peppermint Bark into shards.
  4. Decorate the sides with the Peppermint Bark shards.