Champagne Ombre Cake with Mascarpone Whipped Cream

Over the weekend, I had a Valentine’s with the girls which I dubbed our Galentine’s day. If you’ve been following along, you’ve seen plenty of snippets from the afternoon. I wanted to keep the food simple, a great cheese platter, some delicious macarons, candy, and chocolate covered strawberries, but aside from the sugar and gingerbread cookies I made for the girls to decorate, the baker in me needed to make a grand dessert. Something sweet, and dare I say girly. I hadn’t made an ombre cake, and thought it would be perfect in shades of pink on the dessert table. Ruffles are a very simple way to dress up any cake, and like the ruffles of a dress they don’t need to be perfect. I decided to leave the sides naked so the girls could see the different colors before slicing into it, plus I wanted to keep it as simple as I could. A light dusting of pale pink pearl sprinkles and silver crystals was all the cake needed. 

I wanted to make the taste of the cake a bit more special, rather than just vanilla. Champagne doesn’t change much of the flavor of cake, but it does give it a denser, more crumbly texture that is still soft and light. I don’t usually like buttercream, so I choose instead to make a light mascarpone whipped cream. It’s a bit stabler than regular whipped cream, with the slightest tanginess. It’s definitely become my go to cake or cupcake frosting. This dessert is simple yet pretty enough to show someone you love them on Valentine’s Day.

Champagne Ombre Cake

Ingredients {Makes one 9″ four layer cake}

3 cups – All Purpose Flour

1 tablespoon – Baking Powder

½ teaspoon – Salt

2 sticks – Unsalted Butter {room temperature}

2 cups – Cane Sugar {I use organic cane sugar in my baking, but granulated sugar can be used}

1 teaspoon – Pure Vanilla Extract

6 large – Egg Whites {room temperature}

2 cups – Champagne/Sparkling Wine {make sure to choose one that you enjoy drinking}

Pink Food Coloring Gel

Flat Piping Tip

Recipe

Spray or butter four 9″ round cake pans, cut out parchment circles to fit the bottom of each pan, and place inside. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350*.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy {about 3 to 4 minutes}. Reduce speed to medium, add egg whites, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in vanilla, and scrape down sides of bowl.

With mixer on low, add dry ingredients and champagne in three alternating additions, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Evenly pour the batter into 4 bowls. Color the first bowl with 1 drop food coloring, mix well. Repeat with the other bowls, until you achieve the desired colors for your ombre effect. Pour into prepared cake pans, bake until toothpick comes out clean {about 25 to 30 minutes}. Cool cakes in pans slightly, then invert onto a cooling rack. Remove the parchment from the bottom, and allow cakes to cool completely before frosting.

To pipe ruffles, start on the bottom layer so you can overlap the piping each time you go around the cake. With the bag at a 45 degree angle, simply pipe in an up and down motion around the cake. It will naturally blend together, the ruffles don’t need to be perfect, it will still look whimsical and add a cute touch to any cake. 

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

Ingredients

8 ounces – Mascarpone Cheese

2 cups – Heavy Cream

1/4 cup – Granulated Sugar

1/2 teaspoon – Pure Vanilla Extract

Food Coloring Gels

Recipe 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla on high until completely blended. Add whipping cream, mix on low until cream is mostly incorporated, and scrape bowl. With mixer on medium-high, whip until stiff peaks form. Color whipped cream as desired. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with your favorite frosting tip. Store any leftover whipped cream in air tight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days.