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.
