Cherry Velvet Cake

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour three 8 inch pans, adding a circle of parchment or wax paper to the bottom of each pan.
• Go ahead and separate your eggs, saving only the 6 egg whites for this recipe. Set them in a bowl to the side.
• *Pour ¼ cup of maraschino cherry juice into a measuring cup and set aside. Save the rest of the juice for glazing cake layers later.
• Slice up the cherries. One cup will go into the batter. Any remaining cherries can be sliced up and used in the filling.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for 30 seconds and set aside.
• In another bowl, add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, ¼ cup maraschino cherry juice, vanilla extract and cherry extract. Set aside.
• In the bowl of your mixer, add the butter and cream cheese and mix at medium speed until smooth.
• Gradually add the sugar and mix at medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
• Mixing on low speed, add the 6 egg whites one at a time (it's fine to estimate), mixing to incorporate after each addition.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture (We did 3 additions of the dry mixture, 2 additions of wet). If using pink coloring gel, you can add it now (just a small amount should be plenty).
• Mix the batter just until well combined- be careful not to over-mix.
• Gently stir in one cup of sliced maraschino cherries. Divide the cake batter between the three prepared cake pans.
  
• Bake at 325 degrees F for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pans on a wire rack before turning out. *Baking times may vary slightly.
• This recipe makes 7 ½ cups of batter.

For the Whipped Cream Filling

• Chill the mixing bowl and beaters/ whisk attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes.
• Pour the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract into the chilled mixing bowl, begin mixing on low speed, gradually increasing to medium high speed.  
• The cream begins to thicken (approx. 1 ½ minutes) and stiff peaks form- be careful not to over-mix. This happens fairly quickly. At "stiff peak" stage, peaks form and hold their shape when beaters are lifted. This is when it's ready.

For the Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cut the softened butter into slices and add to the bowl of your mixer. Mix on low to medium speed until the butter is softened and smooth. Cut the softened cream cheese into pieces and add to the butter, mixing at low to medium speed until incorporated.
• Add the vanilla and cherry extract. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low speed until blended. Add the gel color at this point, increase mixing speed to low to medium and mix until fluffy and well combined. Be careful not to over-mix.
• You may need to chill the frosting 10 to 15 minutes until it is the spreading consistency you like. If piping with the frosting, you will need to chill a short while. You can make it in advance, refrigerate and when ready to use, let it soften slightly then remix. (Do Not Soften in the Microwave.)

To Assemble the Cake

• Place the first cake layer on your cake plate or pedestal.
• Brush the top of the cake with the reserved maraschino cherry juice. We use a silicone pastry brush for this step. You won't need all of the juice. It adds a boost of cherry flavor to the cake.
  
• Pipe a dam of buttercream about ¼ -½ inch from the edge of the cake using a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped away (or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped away).
• If you'd like, top with additional maraschino cherry slices.
• Top with a layer of whipped cream and spread within the piped dam. Top with the second cake layer and repeat the steps (glazing, sliced cherries, and whipped cream). Then top with the third cake layer. Fill in any gaps between the cake layers with frosting.
  
• Next, I like to apply a crumb coat (thin coat) of frosting and chill for 15-20 minutes in the freezer (or longer in the refrigerator) to firm things up. This makes it easier to apply the final coat of frosting without the layers shifting.
• I applied the final coat of frosting and decorate however you like. I smoothed the frosting around the sides with a bench scraper and added shell borders with a 1M tip, and added small flowers with a small round tip 3.

Refrigeration

• This cake should be refrigerated in an airtight container, under a cake dome, or in a sealed bakery box. However, for the very best flavor and texture, remove from the refrigerator at least 2-3 hours before serving so that the cake has time to warm and soften. (Butter & cream cheese become firm when cold, which effects both the cake and the frosting.)