Ingredients:

  • 3 cups All purpose flour
  • 1.5 tsp Baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp Baking soda
  • 1 tsp Fine sea salt
  • 1 cup Unsalted butter
  • 1.75 cups Granulated sugar
  • 5 Large egg whites
  • 1 cup Pink Champagne or Sparkling Rosé
  • 2 tsp Pure vanilla bean paste
  • 1 drop Pink gel food coloring
  • 1.5 cups Unsalted butter
  • 4 cups Powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp Heavy cream
  • 1 tsp Strawberry extract

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans thoroughly and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt until perfectly combined.
  3. Add 1 cup of softened butter to the dry mixture. Mix on low speed using a stand mixer or hand mixer until the mixture resembles coarse, sandy crumbs, ensuring the fat coats the flour to inhibit gluten.
  4. In a separate container, whisk together the egg whites, pink champagne, vanilla bean paste, and food coloring. Gradually add this liquid mixture to the sandy flour-butter mixture while mixing on medium speed until a smooth emulsion forms.
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  6. Allow cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  7. For the frosting, whip 1.5 cups of butter until pale and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, heavy cream, and strawberry extract. Beat on high until cloud-like.
  8. Frost the cooled cake layers and decorate as desired using piping bags and Galentine's Day toppers.