Neapolitan Layer Cake with Malted Milk Swiss Meringue Buttercream

I've been wanting to make a Neapolitan layer cake for some time now. In order to really heighten the homage to a favorite ice cream flavor, I decided to incorporate malt powder to give it a more fun, soda shop effect. Even though it's the middle of winter, this weekend in Los Angeles has been beautiful and surprisingly warm, so it doesn't seem too out of the blue to choose to bake an ice cream inspired cake today.

I absolutely love malt, but I have never tried baking with it, so in order to not make it an overwhelming flavor element to the cake, I decided to add malt powder only to the vanilla swiss meringue buttercream that covers the cake. While I used homemade cake recipes for each individual flavored layer, you could definitely use cake mixes instead. Just remember that each box will typically make more than one 9x2 pans worth of cake (all of my recipes were converted to halves or thirds of the original recipe). One of my favorite tricks in using cake mixes is via "The Cake Mix" doctor who uses cake mixes for all of the recipes in her baking books, but does not follow the box instructions and instead adds her own ingredients to make moist, delicious, deceivingly homemade tasting cakes.

The version I made also incorporates layers of strawberry cream cheese frosting and chocolate buttercream as glue to keep the layers together. It's a bit more time consuming, but upon tasting the finished cake, I think the separate frosting flavors add the extra element of necessary flavor and texture.

I made all three cakes in one day and made the frostings and put the cake together the following day. Be sure to line the bottom of each round cake pan with parchment paper in order to prevent sticking. When you put the cake together, be sure to put each layer top down. You will need to level the tops of the cake by slicing the round top with a serrated knife, so that they align correctly in layers.

To put the cake together, place the chocolate cake top side down on a cake plate or platter. Spread a generous layer of chocolate buttercream onto the top of the cake. Carefully place the strawberry layer on top of the chocolate buttercream. Once in place, spread a generous layer of strawberry buttercream onto the top of the strawberry. To finish, place the white cake on top and cover the entire cake with the swiss meringue malted milk frosting.

For the Cakes:

White Cake (Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's "Perfect White Cake" Recipe

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising) plus more for pans
• ½ cup sour cream
• 3 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cups sugar
• ¼ cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 1 9-by-2-inch round cake pan, tapping out excess flour; set aside.

In a medium bowl, lightly whisk together, sour cream, water, egg whites, and extracts. Into a second medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. With machine running, slowly add the sugar and cream together the butter and sugar. Beat for 2+ minutes in order for sufficient air to be whipped into the butter.

Add one-third of the flour mixture and one-third of the sour cream mixture, and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Add remaining flour and milk mixtures in 2 separate batches beating between additions to fully incorporate. Scrape down sides of bowl, and stir by hand to finish.

Pour batter into pan and smooth top. Bake until cake springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (25-30 minutes).

Chocolate Cake:
(Recipe Courtesy of Martha Stewart Online)

1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for pans
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups sugar
1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour one 9-by-2-inch cake pan, tapping out excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined.

Pour batter into pan and smooth top. Bake until cake springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (25-30 minutes).

Strawberry Cake

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cups sugar
1 stick butter
½ cup buttermilk
1/3 cup strawberry puree (boil until reaches 1/3 cup)
1 tbsp strawberry gelatin (extract would work as well, but Jello is cheaper if you don't have any!)
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 egg
2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour one 9-by-2-inch cake pan, tapping out excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in egg and whites, one at a time. Beat in vanilla and strawberry gelatin. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk until well combined. Lastly, fold in puree.

Pour batter into pan and smooth top. Bake until cake springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (25-30 minutes).

To make the strawberry puree:

Defrost a 16-oz bag of unsweetened frozen strawberries. Puree strawberries in blender with 1/2 cup sugar (you may need to work in 2 batches). Once pureed, strain mixture through sieve. Then, pour into small sauce pot and bring to a boil. Heat over stove for 5-10 minutes until mixture reduces to about half original volume.

Strawberry Buttercream:

Combine 1 1/2 sticks softened butter (at room temperature) and half a brick of cream cheese (4 oz) until well incorporated. Add in 1/4 cup of strawberry puree, 1 tsp vanilla, a few drops of red food dye for color, and a pinch of cornstarch to increase thickness. Slowly mix in confectioner's sugar until frosting is light and fluffy (add about 2-2 1/2 cups). I usually DON'T measure the powdered sugar I add to buttercream, rather I slowly add it in until the frosting reaches the consistency and sweetness I'm looking for.

Chocolate Buttercream:

Combine 1 1/2 sticks softened butter (at room temperature) with 1 tsp vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, and about 2 cups confectioner's sugar until frosting is light and fluffy.


Malted milk swiss meringue buttercream (Swiss Meringue Buttercream base from Martha Stewart Online)

1 1/4 cups sugar
5 large egg whites, room temperature
Pinch of salt
4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 tablespoons malted milk powder

Heat sugar, egg whites, and salt in a heatproof mixer bowl set over a pan of simmering water, whisking until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Return bowl to mixer, and whisk, gradually increasing speed from low to medium-high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. Switch to a paddle attachment and add 2 1/2 tablespoons malted milk powder. Beat until air bubbles are gone, 2 to 3 minutes more.

NOTE: Don't worry if your buttercream seems runny or a weird texture, it will puff up to a beautiful fluffy, smooth consistency after a minute or two of beating it with the paddle attachment.

Remember to serve this cake at room temperature. As tempted as many of us are to put EVERY baked good in the fridge, it's not only unnecessary for many desserts, but for cakes made with butter, it causes them to not taste as moist and rich (since butter is a solid fat- it solidifies at cold temperatures, versus cakes made with oil, which generally taste better after a bout in the refrigerator).