Raspberries and Champagne Cake
With fresh raspberries, reduced champagne and with plenty of freeze dried raspberry powder, this Raspberries and Champagne Cake is sure to elevate any occasion.
This layer cake has the perfect blend of fresh raspberry flavor with delicious champagne; it is an underrated combination that is fancy, yet achievable. The cake itself boasts lovely champagne flavor with hint of raspberry extract, and the buttercream is a combination of freeze-dried raspberries with champagne. Each element of this cake marries the two flavors together into a dessert that is sure to impress.
Ingredients and Equipment:
This Raspberries and Champagne cake should be made using a stand or handheld electric mixer.
For the ingredients, they are mainly pantry staples, but a few ingredients will likely require a trip to the grocery store. These include: freeze dried raspberries, fresh raspberries, champagne, cake flour and Lifeway Plain Whole Milk Kefir.
You will also need: butter, canola oil, eggs, vanilla, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
The kefir and the champagne work together to make the cake extra light and fluffy.
Any champagne or prosecco will work—no need to buy something fancy. Don’t be alarmed by the taste of the reduced champagne. It will not taste good as the bubbles are gone and the flavor has intensified, but baked into the cake it has a nice champagne flavor that is appealing and delicious. Trust the process. All the alcohol is cooked off within the cake. For the buttercream. the champagne can be omitted, if desired.
Substitutions and Variations
Freeze dried strawberries can easily be swapped out for raspberries. Further, the raspberry extract within the cake can be omitted. This will make the sponge solely champagne flavored—still delicious.
For other fruity cake options, try my Triple Berry Lemon Swirl Cake, my Oranges and Cream Cupcakes or my Strawberry Cupcakes.
Final Tip
Store the decorated cake in the fridge and then set out at room temperature for three hours before enjoying. The cake is best enjoyed at room temperature. Do not place the cake in the direct sunlight or it will melt.
I highly recommend decorating the top of the cake with fresh raspberries, as pictured. It adds a freshness to the cake and makes it even better. Plump sweet raspberries are best, so test the fruit first. If raspberries aren’t available, buttercream swirls would be beautiful too.
Raspberries and Champagne Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup campagne
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon raspberry extract
- 1 1/4 cup cake flour
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 kosher teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup Lifeway Plain Whole Milk Kefir
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 1/2 cup freeze dried raspberry powder
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup champagne, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 6" cake pans. Set aside.
- Using a small sauce pan, heat 1 1/2 cup champagne until just boiling. Reduce champagne to a simmer and cook until it has reduced to 1/2 cup. Set aside to cool.
- Add the softened butter and granulated sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer and using a paddle attachment, beat for two minutes. Drizzle the oil into the bowl on medium-low speed. Once incorporated, turn the mixer back to medium speed for another 3 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each egg addition. Add vanilla and mix briefly.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Spoon and level the flours for an accurate measurement.
- Add kefir and reduced champagne, and into a glass measuring cup, stir to combine. Into the mixer on low speed, alternate the flour and kefir three times--flour, kefir, flour, kefir and finish with remaining flour. Mix until just incorporated.
- Fill cake tins evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool ten minutes before turning onto a wire rack.
- With an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix butter on medium speed until there are no lumps, and the consistency is smooth. Add the freeze dried powder and mix until incorporated.
- Add sifted powdered sugar to the bowl, 1 cup at a time, mixing first on low speed to prevent splashing, then turning the mixer to medium-low until incorporated. Repeat process with remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar. Add 1/4 cup champagne (not reduced, but straight from the bottle). For more champagne flavor or for a thinner buttercream, add more champagne as desired. Allow the buttercream to whip on medium speed for about 15-30 seconds to complete the icing.
- Place one layer of cake on a clean turn table or cake board with a small dollop of icing underneath. This works as a glue, helping prevent the cake layers from sliding around while icing. Place a large dollop of icing on top of the first cake layer, spreading evenly with a small offset spatula or knife. Place the second cake layer and repeat process. Any leftover icing can be used to decorate the cake with a beaded boarder, or another decoration of choice. Store cake in the refrigerator until 3 hours before serving.
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