Red Velvet Cake with Frosted Cranberries

Preparation

• Frosted Cranberries

  • In a bowl, lightly whisk the egg white. Place the sugar in a second bowl.
  • With a small pastry brush, cover the cranberries one at a time with the egg white, letting the excess drip off. Roll each one in the sugar to coat well and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  • Let dry for 12 hours at room temperature in a dry spot. The frosted cranberries will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.

• Cake

  • With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter the sides of two 8-inch (20 cm) springform pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
  • In a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, hot coffee, food colouring, vinegar and vanilla extract.
  • In a third bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. With the mixer running, add the oil in a steady stream. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk mixture and beat until smooth. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans.
  • Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack. Unmould and let cool completely.
  • Cut off the rounded top of each cake to make them as flat as possible. With your fingers, finely crumble the removed cake tops over a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
  • Bake the cake crumbs for 15 minutes. Let cool completely. In a food processor, blend the cake crumbs until they are the texture of breadcrumbs. Set aside.

• Cream Cheese Whipped Cream

  • In a bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla seeds until the sugar has dissolved.
  • Gradually add the cream and whisk until soft peaks form. Do not overbeat or the mixture may become gritty. Set aside.

• Cream Cheese Icing

  • In a bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the icing sugar and beat until the icing is smooth and creamy. Set aside.

• Assembly

  • Cut each cake in half horizontally to have a total of 4 cake layers.
  • Top three of the cake layers with the cream cheese whipped cream and stack them on top of each other. Add the fourth cake layer and cover the top and sides of the cake with the cream cheese icing.
  • Sprinkle the cake breadcrumbs around the outer edges of the top of the cake to form a circular band. Garnish the cake with the frosted cranberries.