Featured Recipe
Maple Butter Layer Cake
By Kate
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A vanilla sheet cake layered with a whipped maple buttercream. Uses whole egg whites for volume and milk powder to enrich. Maple syrup combined with cream and honey replaces corn syrup for natural sweetness. Cakes baked in a shallow sheet pan for even crumb. Buttercream cooked to softball stage provides stability and silky texture. Assembly involves trimming slightly domed cake layers for better stacking. Recipes swapped out key ingredients to add complexity and reduce refined sugars. Practical tips on texture, doneness, and troubleshooting included.
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Prep:
45 min
Cook:
25 min
Total:
Serves:
10 servings
dessert
cake
celebration
Introduction
Vanilla sponge, whipped to airy lightness with whites, but enriched with milk powder and a small swap of egg yolks to add tender resilience. Maple buttercream is the star—boiled syrup with cream and honey replaced corn syrup here; it’s not just sweetness but texture and shine. Watch the syrup temp and yolks beating closely or risk a broken cream. Cake baked in a shallow sheet pan layers well after trimming edges. No guessing on times—look for golden edges and springy touch on the cake, syrup bubbling steadily to softball stage before mixing. Master these, you nail the dessert every time.
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 460 ml all-purpose flour (about 1 7/8 cups, sifted)
- 12 ml baking powder (2 1/2 teaspoons)
- 2 ml salt (1/2 teaspoon)
- 140 ml whole milk powder (optional, for moist crumb)
- 150 ml unsalted butter softened
- 260 ml granulated sugar
- 5 ml vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
- 4 large egg whites at room temp
- 180 ml whole milk
- 310 ml pure maple syrup
- 125 ml heavy cream (35%)
- 25 ml honey (sub for corn syrup)
- 3 large egg yolks
- 270 ml unsalted butter cold, cut in cubes
Maple Buttercream
About the ingredients
Flour mix includes milk powder—if you don’t have it, skip but add another 30 ml milk to batter or expect lighter crumb. Honey in syrup replaces corn syrup; provides natural sweetness plus viscosity; agave or golden syrup work too. Butter must be cold but softened to cream easily. Egg whites should be room temp for stability. A candy thermometer is non-negotiable for the maple buttercream; sugar syrup stages are critical. If beaten buttercream separates, a quick chill and re-beating fixes it. Use high-quality pure maple syrup—not pancake syrup—or taste suffers. Parchment paper edges extending from pan help easy cake removal without tearing.
Method
Cake
- 1. Preheat oven to 175 °C (350 °F). Line 40 x 30 cm baking sheet with parchment extending on two sides. Butter the paper and edges well to prevent sticking.
- 2. In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and milk powder until combined. The milk powder adds body and a denser crumb; omit if unavailable but expect lighter texture.
- 3. In mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale, about 3-4 minutes. Add vanilla extract. Stop as soon as fluffy; overbeating warm butter can cause greasy spots.
- 4. Add egg whites in two additions, beating briefly each time until just incorporated. Overwhipping whites here risks foam coagulating with fat—don’t whip to peaks.
- 5. Lower speed to minimum. Alternate adding dry ingredients in three parts with milk in two parts, starting and ending with flour. Mix just until no streaks. Overmixing ruins crumb structure.
- 6. Spread mixture evenly in pan with an offset spatula, smooth top gently. Tap pan on counter to release large air bubbles. Not too much; some bubbles make crumb tender.
- 7. Bake 22-25 minutes until edges turn golden and a toothpick inserted near center comes out with moist crumbs. The cake should feel springy, not wet. Avoid drying out.
- 8. Let cool 15 minutes in pan, then lift cake using parchment overhang onto wire rack. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel to retain moisture while cooling completely, about 30-40 minutes.
- 9. Combine maple syrup, cream, and honey in heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally. Watch carefully as it reaches 115-118 °C (239-244 °F); a candy thermometer essential here.
- 10. While syrup cooks, beat egg yolks in mixer on medium speed.
- 11. Slowly stream hot syrup onto yolks in a thin thread, avoiding beaters, to temper and cook yolks. Immediately increase speed to high, beating until mixture quadruples in volume and cools (15-18 minutes). It will look thick, pale, and glossy.
- 12. With mixer on low, add cold butter cubes a few at a time, fully incorporating each before next addition. Scrape bowl often to avoid lumps.
- 13. The buttercream is done when shiny, satiny, and pipeable. If it curdles, keep beating; room temp or a quick blast in fridge for 10 minutes triggers smoothing again.
- 14. Trim edges of cooled cake to remove crispy brown crust; flatten any domed top with serrated knife for level layers. A level cake stacks better and looks cleaner.
- 15. Cut the sheet cake into four equal rectangles with a sharp bread knife or pizza cutter.
- 16. Spread 120 ml (1/2 cup) maple buttercream between layers. Press down gently to level.
- 17. Use remaining buttercream to cover entire outside of cake, smoothing with an offset spatula. Don’t rush frosting; patience here equals neat finish.
- 18. For a seasonal touch, decorate with candied maple leaves or toasted pecan halves (if nuts allowed). Store cake refrigerated in airtight container up to 3 days. Bring to room temp before serving to soften buttercream.
Maple Buttercream
Assembly
Technique Tips
Cake creaming calls for a gentle but thorough approach to avoid greasy butter bits. Add whites in portions; avoid stiff whites that break batter. Alternate dry and wet ingredients at slow speed to preserve air. Baking done when toothpick shows moist crumb, not wet batter—practice feel of springback under finger. For buttercream, syrup temp must be precise; too low and cream won’t set; too high risks curdling. Pour syrup slowly onto yolks while beating to prevent scrambling. Beat yolks until cool and tripled for volume, essential for light texture. Fold in butter cubes patiently, scrape regularly. If curdling develops, fight through with steady beating or chill briefly. Assembly needs leveled cake—don’t skip trimming to avoid lopsided layers. Spread frosting evenly; cold buttercream is stiff; warmer helps spread but can melt layers. Store chilled, bring to room temp before serving to get soft luscious texture.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Butter should be softened but not melted. Check texture: creamy, not runny. Misstep here? Cake can turn greasy. Avoid overheating.
- 💡 Egg whites room temp help incorporate air. Cold whites don’t whip well. Miss this? Cake layers might be denser. A simple fix: warm them briefly.
- 💡 Watch syrup temp closely. Too high? Yolk scrambles. Too low? Mixture won’t whip properly. Have a candy thermometer? Essential for accurate reading.
- 💡 Trim cake edges before layering for even slices. Brown edges can lead to lopsided layers. Skipping this trick? Risk uneven heights.
- 💡 Buttercream separates sometimes. Too warm or cold? Quick chill helps; then beat again. Fixes curdle but requires patience. Don’t rush it.
