SNOWFLAKE CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Linethe bottom of each pan with waxed or parchment paper. Grease and flourthe top side of the paper, and set aside.2. TO MAKE THE CAKE: Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda,and salt, then lightly whisk and set aside.3. In a stand mixer set on medium speed, beat the butter until creamy,about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until light and nearly white, about5 minutes. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until fully incorporated,scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Beatin the vanilla until blended. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk,in several additions, and beat until smooth and just blended.Scrape the sides and bottom.4. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks just form. Gentlystir one third of the whites into the batter to lighten it. Fold in the remainingegg whites until just incorporated and no large white streaks of eggwhite remain.5. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, using a spatula to evenlyspread the batter. Gently rotate the pans to settle and level the batter. Bakeuntil the cakes begin to pull away from the sides and a toothpick inserted inthe center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let the layers cool in theirpans. Gently loosen the edges with a thin knife before inverting the layersonto wire racks. Let the cakes cool thoroughly before carefully peeling offthe paper. Cool completely before frosting, about 3 hours.6. TO MAKE THE SNOWFLAKES: Line a baking sheet with foil. Put the chocolate intoa resealable plastic bag and immerse the bag in hot water until the chocolatemelts. Dry the bag, then snip off a small piece from one corner. Pipeas many 2-inch snowflakes onto the foil as possible, and decorate thepoints with silver dragées, if desired. Place the sheet of snowflakes in thefreezer until the cake is ready to decorate.7. TO MAKE THE FROSTING: In a stand mixer set on low speed, beat the butter,powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and salt until the sugar is moist. Slowlyincrease the speed to medium-high, scraping down the sides and bottom ofthe bowl as necessary. Beat until light and creamy, about 1 1/2 minutes.8. TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Place a dollop of frosting in the middle of the servingplatter. Place the bottom layer of the cake on the platter, top sidedown. Using a narrow metal spatula, spread a third of the frosting over thebottom layer. Place the remaining layer on top. Spread the rest of thefrosting over the top and sides of the cake. Remove the snowflakes fromthe freezer and gently peel off the foil. Be careful-these flakes are fragile.(Don't worry if some of the tips break or chip in a snow flurry, they'llstill look good.) Cover the top and sides of the cake with snowflakes.9. Chill the cake for an hour to set the frosting and snowflakes. If you areserving the cake on the day it is made, keep it at a cool room temperatureafter chilling. To cut, use a sharp, thin-bladed knife. Dip the knife into hotwater before cutting to prevent the frosting from sticking. Insert the pointof the knife into the cake's center. Cut, using an up-and-down motion,pulling the knife toward you.VARIATIONCupcakes are easy to eat, easy to make, and easy to serve to a crowd.Make these Candy Cane Cupcakes for your nextparty or potluck and watch them disappear faster than a snowflake. Followthe main recipe, lining standard muffin cups (about 30 cups, or bake thecupcakes in batches) with foil or paper liners. Bake until the cupcake topsare pale gold and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to24 minutes. Makes about 30 cupcakes.For the cupcake frosting, follow the main frosting recipe, substituting 1/2teaspoon pure peppermint extract and 21/2 teaspoons vanilla for the 1tablespoon pure vanilla extract. Immediately after frosting the cupcakes,sprinkle the frosting with coarsely crushed candy canes (you'll need about6 large candy canes).From Holiday Baking. Text copyright © 2005 by Sara Perry. Photographs copyright © 2005 by Leigh Beisch. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.