Spring has finally arrived, but I am still waiting for bright blue skies and sunshine with a cool breeze blowing in my hair. One of my favorite things about springtime is watching the flowers bloom and celebrating Easter with my family, celebrating God’s sacrifices, and thanking him for all that I have. I intended to write this baking article before the Easter holiday, but unfortunately, I felt under the weather. As you all know by now, I love watching baking shows. This past week’s episode of  Spring Baking Championship, I watched the contestants make desserts inspired by different kinds of candies usually found in our Easter baskets. Spring is the perfect time to make desserts infused with fresh fruits, so I incorporated raspberry jam into my newest cake creation decorated with robin eggs.

This week, I would like to share my take on a vanilla raspberry cake from my kitchen to yours. It’s a vanilla cake with homemade raspberry jam in a cheesecake filling topped with an Italian mascarpone frosting. It’s moist and sweet with bright fruit flavors like a pie and creamy like a cheesecake, so if you love raspberry and cheesecake as much as I do, you will love this delicious recipe. The following recipe makes a two-layer cake.

Vanilla Raspberry Cake with Cheesecake Filling

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of salted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 and 1/2  cups of cane sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons of vanilla bean paste
• 1 1/2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
• 1 ½ cups of King Arthur’s Cake Flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• ¾ cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup of Smucker’s Raspberry Jam(Save for later)
• 2 cups of shredded coconut (Part of the décor)
• 1 cup of milk chocolate chips (Save for later).
• Supplies for decorations can be found in the assembly section.

Cheesecake Filling inspired by Chel Sweets:

• 2 8 oz. packages of full-fat cream cheese, room temp.
• 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk (7 oz.)
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

• 1 cup of salted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• 6 ounces of melted white chocolate chips
• 3-5 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream

Italian Mascarpone Frosting:

• 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
• 8 ounces of mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste

Cake Directions:

1. Gather all of your dry ingredients and measure out the flours, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Combine all the dry ingredients using a whisk and set aside.
2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend the sugars and butter until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the eggs and mix to incorporate fully.
3. Add in the vanilla bean paste.
4. With the mixture on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture in 2 batches, beating just until combined, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Do not over-beat.
5. Pour in the heavy cream as the flour is being incorporated with the wet ingredients.
6. Mix batter until it is smooth and blended well.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Spray two eight-inch cake pans with baking spray.
9. Cut parchment paper to fit the pans and place the paper on the bottom. Fill pans with batter 2/3 of the way.
10. Baking tip: Use a cookie or ice cream scooper to fill the pans evenly.
11. Bake cakes for 20-30 minutes if using the larger cake pans. Time may vary depending on the type of oven you have.
12. While the cakes are in the oven, you can prepare the filling and frosting.

No-Bake Cheesecake Filling Directions:

1. Place room temperature cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Mix on medium-high speed with the whisk attachment (or a hand mixer) until creamy and smooth.
3. Slowly add in the sweetened condensed milk, and mix on a medium speed after each addition.
4. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to make sure the ingredients are fully incorporated.
5. Mix in the vanilla extract and lemon juice on medium speed.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to fill your cake.

White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Directions:

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, place the white chocolate chips and two tablespoons of heavy cream in the bowl. Then, microwave in increments of thirty seconds until the chocolate is melted.
2. Place the softened butter in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer. Turn mixer to low and add powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream.
3. Once the powdered sugar is mixed in, turn the mixer back up to medium-high and whip for two more minutes until creamy and fluffy, again scraping sides as needed.
4. Add in the melted white chocolate and beat for one minute, be careful not to lose the fluffiness.

Italian Frosting Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Once the peaks form, add in the mascarpone cheese.
2. Turn mixer to low and add powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream.
3. Once the powdered sugar is mixed in, turn the mixer back up to medium-high and whip for two more minutes until creamy and fluffy, again scraping sides as needed.
4. The Italian frosting will be for the final coat and decorations.

Assembly & Decorating:

1. First, carefully take one of the cakes out of the pan and place it on a plate, turntable, or serving dish. Remove the parchment paper and place a new sheet on the dish before placing down the cake.
2. Place your frosting into a twelve-inch piping bag with a wide-open circle tip.
3. Pipe the white chocolate buttercream frosting around the cake’s edges to create a filling border. This prevents the filling from dripping out of the cake.
4. Place two to three spoonfuls of cheesecake filling in the center of the cake and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Then, spread the raspberry jam on top of the cheesecake filling and sprinkle white chocolate chips.
5. Repeat steps for the second cake.
6. Once the cakes are filled, begin to frost the cake’s top and sides. You will do a thin layer of frosting, which is called the crumb coat. I completed the crumb coat with the white chocolate buttercream frosting, but you may choose to use Italian frosting.
7. Place cake in the refrigerator for at least an hour. While the cake is chilling, you can work on your decorations.
8. Gather a rolling pin, gum paste, fondant tools, powdered sugar, and a baking mat.
9. Cut the gum paste in the package into two. You can store half of the gum paste. You will not need all of it. Place two spoonfuls of powdered sugar onto the baking mat and roll out your gum paste about two inches thick.
10. Using a flower mold or cutter, take a three-inch-wide piece of gum paste and shape a flower. Use the circular ball tool to reinforce the shape of the pedals.
11. You can color the flowers using an airbrush or gel icing colors and vodka. Use a paintbrush to paint the flowers.

1. While all of your decorations dry on the mat, take the cake out of the refrigerator.
2. Use an offset spatula to finish frosting the cake with the Italian frosting; make sure to save some for piping decorations.
3. Fill another piping bag with frosting with the star/flower tip to finish icing the cake, creating a colorful border.
4. Chill the cake again before placing your decorations and spring-like sprinkles on the cake.
5. Some grocery stores sell pre-made sugar flowers to help you decorate your cakes too.
6. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt some milk chocolate chips with one tablespoon of butter. Microwave chocolate in increments of thirty seconds to prevent the chocolate from burning, and stir after each session until fully melted. Pour the chocolate over shredded coconut to create a bird’s nest in the center of the cake.
7. Place the candy robin eggs on top of the nest, and have fun placing the rest of your spring decorations on the cake.
8. Enjoy this sweet spring treat with your family and friends.

I hope you enjoy making this recipe as much as I had fun eating a slice of cake while watching one of my favorite springtime movies, Peter Rabbit.