Ingredients
Cake
- 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for cake pan
- 3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 5 large whole eggs plus 3 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 cups well-shaken buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- Pinch of coarse salt
- 4 sticks unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, softened
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Edible fondant tattoo (available at kopykake.com)
- Seedless raspberry jam
Directions
- Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch square pan and line bottom with parchment; butter parchment. Whisk together flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Beat together butter and sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium. Add whole eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated and scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions, and beating until combined after each. Beat in vanilla.
- Pour batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until cake springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes. Turn out cake onto rack and let cool completely.
- Frosting: Meanwhile, combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until warm to the touch and sugar is dissolved. (Mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between fingertips.)
- Turn off heat and remove bowl from stove top. Beat with a mixer, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high, just until stiff peaks form. Continue beating until fluffy, glossy, and completely cool (test by touching bottom of bowl), about 10 minutes.
- With mixer on medium-low speed, add butter, a few tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and beat until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula and continue beating until frosting is completely smooth.
- Place cake on a cake plate and trim top with a long serrated knife to level. Spread top and sides with frosting, smoothing and squaring edges. Cut fondant tattoo to a 10-inch square and remove from paper. Carefully apply fondant tattoo, design side up, to cake, starting from a corner and then smoothing the middle.
- Serve cake slices with raspberry jam "blood." To get the effect, spoon a thin line of jam along sliced edge of cake. Cake (without fondant tattoo) can be made and frosted 1 day ahead and stored in refrigerator; bring to room temperature before applying fondant tattoo and serving.
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