Peach Bellini Layer Cake Featuring Amoretti

Ingredients:

Cake:

368 g All Purpose Flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

256 g caster sugar

169 g unsalted butter (cut into cubes)

56 g canola oil (or other neutral flavored oil)

303 g buttermilk

180 g egg whites (roughly the whites from 6 eggs)

37 g Amoretti Peach Artisan Flavor

Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

270 g egg whites

500 g caster sugar

1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon salt

675 g unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed

1 tablespoon Amoretti Champaign Extract

Method:

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In the bowl of a stand mixed fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Mix on low speed to combine. Add the room temperature butter, one cube at a time, and continue mixing until your flour mixture resembles bread crumbs.

In a large measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, egg whites, peach flavoring and canola oil. Note: you want things like egg whites and buttermilk to be room temperature (between 65 - 70 degrees) or you run the risk tunneling or creating holes in your cake.

With the mixer running on low, add 2/3 of your wet mixture to your flour and butter crumb. Increase the mixer speed to high and watch the magic happen! Things will fluff up pretty quick, at which point you can lower your mixing speed and add the remainder of your wet mixture. Turn your mixer back to high and get it another good beating. In about 30 seconds, you should have a beautiful cake batter!

Divide the batter evenly between three 7-inch cake pans, or four 6-inch cake pans that have been lined with parchment and baking spray.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes until the edges of the cakes have pulled away from the sides of the pan, they spring back when touched, and a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the center.

While the cakes are baking, make your buttercream!

For the Buttercream:

Combine the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Fit the bowl on top of a pot of simmering water. Note: you don’t want the water to touch the bottom of the mixer bowl or you will heat the egg whites to quickly and end up with a mess!

Cook the egg whites and sugar over the simmering water, stirring constantly with a heat proof spatula, until a thermometer reached 140 degrees. Remove the mixer bowl from the pot of simmering water and place on the stand mixer attachment. Fitted with the whisk, beat the egg whites until the mixture has completely cooled to the touch (you can check this by placing your hand on the outside of the mixing bowl).

Once your egg white mixture is shiny, cooled and has developed stiff peaks, add the salt and Champagne flavoring.

With the mixture running on high, start adding the cubed, room temperature butter one piece at a time, adding the next cube only after the prior one has fully incorporated. Note: your meringue will deflate at first! don’t be alarmed as this is normal! you will also go through a cottage cheese stage, just keep your mixer running on high and keep adding your butter, it will all come together in a glorious, silky buttercream in the end!

Decorate your chilled cake layers with this glorious buttercream and try not to eat the entire thing in one sitting!