This cake is absolutely dazzling! If you are looking to celebrate with something fruity, look no further than this delicious balance of a doctored pink prosecco cake with scratch raspberry buttercream. This is one you'll want to make time and time again! P.S. If you want to match my photo and add the sparkly sprinkles on the side - which looks amazing in person by the way - it is definitely more for looks as it's such a sugary, crunchy texture for the outside of your cake. Of course, my girls never complained about it so do with that information what you will. 😂
Dry Ingredients
White Cake Mix (Sifted): Sifting the cake mix is so important for the overall texture of your finished cake. By sifting, you are breaking down the clumps and transitioning the mix into a fine, loose powder. This allows for ingredients to mix evenly which will give you a better crumb as a result. No need to specifically use a flour sifter either - go ahead and use a fine mesh strainer instead if that's what you have on hand (which is what I often use myself!). For the cake mix itself, I recommend going with your favorite as each brand will vary slightly in taste and texture. My personal preference for cake mixes is often Duncan Hines which is the brand I used to make the cake you see pictured.
Wet Ingredients
Egg Whites: Before use, you should allow the eggs to come to room temperature. For this recipe, it's important that only the egg whites are present as any trace of egg yolk will affect the color of the batter.
Vegetable Oil: Keep it simple with this by using the vegetable oil you have on hand.
Buttermilk: For cakes, full-fat options for your ingredients will certainly make a positive difference in taste. With that being said, if you can find a whole buttermilk to use in your cake - great! If not, I often utilize a low-fat cultured buttermilk (which is what I'm generally able to find at the store in my area) as a one-and-done for this ingredient and I still enjoy the taste. I actually utilized the low-fat cultured buttermilk in the cake pictured. If you would prefer to have whole buttermilk, there is a substitute option for this that will give you a comparable tangy taste in your cake. If you have whole milk (or your preferred go-to milk) and either white vinegar or lemon juice on hand, you can create your own buttermilk. To do this, pour 1 cup of milk then add 1 tablespoon of either vinegar or lemon juice. Stir this together and let the mixture sit for at least 5 minutes before use. You'll likely see some light curdling at the top of your mixture. For best results in your cake, please let your buttermilk come to room temperature before using in this recipe.
Sour Cream: I always use a full-fat option for my cakes. This is another ingredient that you'll want to come to room temperature before use for best results.
Vanilla Extract: As this is where the flavor comes in, I prefer higher quality vanilla products as it will definitely make a difference in the taste of your cake. My go-to is an organic Madagascar vanilla extract.
Prosecco Rosé: Go ahead and choose your favorite prosecco rosé option for this. You'll want it to be room temperature for best results. I typically will pour out the amount I need and then refrigerate the rest for adult refreshment alongside the completed cake.
Food Coloring: When using food coloring, gel is always the best option. I like to use the color deep pink from Americolor to create the pretty pink hue for the cake layers.
Dry Ingredients
Salt: Just a simple pinch of standard table salt will do the trick for this ingredient.
Powdered Sugar (Sifted): Sifting is going to be a very important step for the overall texture and taste of your buttercream. If you don't have a flour sifter then a fine mesh strainer will work as well. Remember to add your powdered sugar into the mixer a little (about 1/2 cup or so) at a time. This will reduce powdered sugar flying everywhere and ensure the correct amount gets into your buttercream.
Raspberries (Freeze-Dried): Using freeze-dried fruit will result in the least number of steps to achieve a delicious flavor. You'll want to pulse the fruit into a powder then sift out the seeds to add into your buttercream. However, if you don't mind extra steps, you can get an extra amazing taste with either frozen raspberries or fresh raspberries. I've done all three and I love all three. Use 1 cup with either type of raspberry. For frozen or fresh raspberries, you'll want to pulse them into a liquid. If you don't mind texture in your cake, you can leave in the seeds for texture. I don't mind it that way, but I know it's not for everyone. If I personally don't want the seeds in my buttercream, I will utilize a straining method rather than a reduction method. I will pour the liquid into a fine mesh strainer and push the raspberries through with the back of a spoon. Go ahead and utilize whichever way makes you feel the most comfortable.
Wet Ingredients
Unsalted Butter: As this is the base for your buttercream, make sure to choose either a high-quality butter or at least one you like the taste of. Higher quality ingredients definitely make a difference but are not always cost effective. If you know you like the taste, then go for it! For best results, allow your butter to come to room temperature before using.
Vanilla Extract: As this is where the flavor comes in, I prefer higher quality vanilla products as it will definitely make a difference in the taste of your buttercream. My go-to is an organic Madagascar vanilla extract.
Heavy Cream: Adding in the heavy cream is important to the taste and texture of your buttercream. Go ahead and use your go-to brand for this. For best results, allow this ingredient to come to room temperature.
Cake Prep
First, make sure to set out the following ingredients: prosecco rosé (unless you haven't chilled it yet), eggs, buttermilk, and sour cream. These ingredients will need to come to room temperature for best results with your cake. You will see a lot of mixed results on the internet about ingredients coming to room temperature. Some say to set out for only 20 -30 minutes. Personally, I think that is the minimum amount of time. If you're in a pinch, go ahead and use that time frame. However, if you have the time, it will likely take your cold ingredients about 1-2 hours to come fully to room temperature. Ultimately, this will give you the best results.
Next, you will want to prep your cake pans. This recipe will create enough batter for (3) 6-inch round pans or (2) 8-inch round pans. My personal go-to is the (3) 6-inch round pans. Prepping your cake pans properly will help you know when your cakes are finished as well as allow for easy removal. My personal favorite method is a grease and flour method. For the grease, I typically utilize shortening. It's definitely a cost saver in comparison to butter. I spread shortening around the pan by using a pastry brush; however, feel free to do this in whichever way works best for you. Next, scoop a small amount of flour into the pan, swirl it around to cover the entire pan, then tap on the outside of the pan to loosen the excess flour which you will want to pour out. For thorough instructions on the grease and flour method, please see the Prepping Cake Pans blog post for detailed steps and photos.
Cake Instructions
Preheat your oven to 325° F.
In a medium mixing bowl, put in the following ingredients: egg whites, vegetable oil, prosecco rosé, buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla extract, and food coloring. Give it a quick stir to help the ingredients blend together.
Next, either sift the cake mix directly into the mixture or pour your pre-sifted cake mix into the mixture if you sifted prior to starting. Stir to combine all ingredients. Make sure to stir only until all ingredients become one. It's important not to overmix as this will negatively affect the texture of your cake.
Pour the batter equally into your prepped pans. As a good rule of thumb, only fill standard pans about 2/3 full. If your pans are on the shallower side, you can stick to about 1/2 full.
Bake your cake for 27-30 minutes or until the edges are pulling away from the outer rim of the pan. As location and oven type can affect the way your oven bakes, always start on the lower end of time when in doubt and periodically check on your cakes by utilizing the oven light if you have one. Try not to open the oven to check on your cakes as this will let out heat and affect the baking process. When everything looks to be done, go ahead and open the oven to check the centers for a clean knife to ensure everything is baked properly.
After taking your cakes out of the oven, allow them to cool for a few minutes inside the pan (anywhere from 5-7 minutes should be enough).
Lastly, flip each cake pan upside down over the top of a wire rack to allow the cake to drop out on the rack. From here, cakes can finish cooling to room temperature. If you are planning on storing your cakes before decorating, please see the Cake Layer Storage blog for detailed steps on doing so.
Buttercream Prep
Make sure to set out the following ingredients to come to room temperature: butter and heavy cream. This will ensure the best taste and texture for your buttercream. Once again, you will see a lot of mixed results on the internet about ingredients coming to room temperature. Some say to set out for only 20 -30 minutes. Personally, I think that is the minimum amount of time. If you're in a pinch, go ahead and use that time frame. However, if you have the time, it will likely take your cold ingredients about 1-2 hours to come fully to room temperature. For the butter specifically, you'll at least want it soft enough to where - if you press a finger into it - it will leave an indent where your finger was. However, once the butter has a greasy sheen all over and you can basically just squish it - that's going to be too warm, so you'll want to keep an eye on it the longer it sets out. Ultimately, this will give you the best results for your buttercream.
Pulse the freeze-dried raspberries into a powder (I use a food processor to do this) and pour through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds for a smoother texture.
Buttercream Instructions
First, add your butter into the stand mixer you'll be using. You'll want to whip the butter on its own on a high speed until it becomes light and fluffy. Then, go ahead and add a pinch of salt.
Once the butter is whipped up, go ahead and add the following ingredients: vanilla extract, freeze-dried raspberries, and heavy cream. Using the stir setting on the mixer, combine these ingredients.
Keeping the stir setting on, you're going to add in your powdered sugar slowly. Typically, about 1/2 cup at a time is a good pace.
Once all of your powdered sugar is in the mixer, you'll combine everything together on high for 30 seconds.
If you are adding in food coloring, go ahead and do so now as desired. The best choice for food coloring is gel. Keep mixing your food coloring in on a low setting until the desired color is achieved.
Mix your buttercream on the highest setting for two minutes which will give your buttercream a nice whipped, silky texture. Finally, lower the mixer back to the stir setting and keep that on for a minute or so to help work out any air bubbles. If you are planning on storing your buttercream before use, go ahead and saran wrap it twice and place it in the refrigerator.
Keep in mind that it is significantly easier to frost a cold cake versus a warm cake. When you see my photos or decorating videos, I am typically freezing the cake layers overnight before decorating. If you're curious about storing cake layers, my Cake Layer Storage blog will provide more thorough details on this. I'll often make the buttercream fresh on the day-of decorating, but you can definitely store buttercream in the refrigerator beforehand too. If storing your buttercream, give it about 20-30 minutes to thaw on the counter before whipping it up in the mixer to get it ready. Following the last step of the buttercream instructions again: mix your buttercream on the highest setting for two minutes which will give your buttercream a nice whipped, silky texture. Finally, lower the mixer back to the stir setting and keep that on for a minute or so to help work out any air bubbles.
To help hold your cake in place during the decorating process, spread a thin layer of buttercream on the cardboard round (or whatever you are using to place the cake on) to act as a glue between the base and the first layer of cake.
For the integrity of the cake, it's crucial to stack the layers evenly to keep everything intact and prevent any problems that could arise with decorating. If you're starting your home baking journey and you don't have all of the supplies you need for decorating - don't sweat it! There are ways you can work around things. For example, although I have piping bags and use that as a way to evenly pipe on buttercream, you can simply just do the same number of scoops on each layer for measurement.
If you're looking to get your buttercream smooth on the outside of your cake, you'll likely need to complete two coats. The first is called a crumb coat so you'll still see some of the cake when you are finished with this layer. Get that first layer of buttercream on and stick the cake in the freezer for a couple minutes to set it. After that, you shouldn't have a problem applying another layer of buttercream that hides the entire cake.
Have fun! Baking at home does not require perfection of any sort and you'll gain confidence as you go. Plus, regardless of how it looks when you're finished, you're still going to have a delicious cake to eat (yum!) and have learned more about making your own cakes at home.
✨Cut, Serve, Enjoy!✨
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