Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and line three 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Slowly add the hot coffee and rum, whisking until the batter is smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be thin.
- Dust the prepared pans with cocoa powder. Divide the batter evenly among the pans. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool completely in the pans.
- Remove the cakes from the pans and invert them onto 6-inch cardboard cake rounds.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the granulated sugar and egg whites. Place the bowl over a double boiler and stir until the sugar is completely melted. Ensure the sides of the bowl are clean of sugar. Test the mixture between your fingers for graininess; it should feel completely smooth.
- Attach the bowl to the stand mixer and beat with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until light, fluffy, glossy, and the bowl is at room temperature. This cooling step is important to prevent the butter from melting.
- Add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating on medium speed. The mixture may look curdled and runny after about half the butter is added; this is normal. Continue adding the butter and mixing until the buttercream is creamy and glossy.
- Add the vanilla extract, champagne extract, and salt. Mix to combine.
- Place about 2 cups of the buttercream in a separate bowl and stir in the cherry preserves. Reserve the remaining buttercream for the exterior.
- Place one cake layer on a cake turntable. Spread a 1/4-inch-thick layer of the cherry buttercream over it. Repeat with the remaining cake layers and cherry buttercream, stacking them.
- For the crumb coat, spread a thin layer of the reserved buttercream over the top and sides of the cake. Freeze for about 20 minutes.
- Ice the cake with a thick layer of buttercream. Use a metal spatula or cake comb to smooth the sides and top.
- Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, create a border around the top of the cake.
- To create buttercream roses: Place a small amount of buttercream in a bowl and add pink food coloring, if using. Fit a pastry bag with a rose tip. Paint a line of the colored buttercream down the inside seam of the bag with a fine paintbrush. Fill the bag with plain white buttercream.
- Form each rose on a rose nail, then use kitchen shears to transfer it to the top of the cake. Repeat to create desired number of roses.
- Finish the cake with edible luster dust and a ring of edible sugar pearls around the base, if using.
Notes
Adapted from “Zoë Bakes Cakes: Everything You Need to Know to Make Your Favorite Layers, Bundts, Loaves, and More” by Zoë Francois © Ten Speed Press 2021. Provided courtesy of Zoë Francois. All rights reserved.