Pairing Craft Beer with Valentine's Day Dishes

Individual Neapolitan Bundt Cakes

Ingredients

For cake:

Nonstick baking spray, such as Baker’s Joy

2 ¾ cups cake flour, sifted

1 ¾ cups sugar

4 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

⅔ cup butter, softened

1 ¼ cups room temperature milk, divided

2 teaspoons vanilla

5 fresh egg whites, room temperature

Red food coloring

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons water

¼ teaspoon baking soda

Frosting:

2 fresh egg whites

1 cup sugar

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

⅓ cup water

⅛ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Several drops of red food coloring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Thoroughly spray the insides of each cavity in a mini bundt pan with nonstick baking spray.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter, half of the milk, and all of the vanilla. Mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes, occasionally stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Mix in the remaining milk and the egg whites. Beat for 2 more minutes.

Divide the batter into 3 separate bowls, in 3 equal portions.

Leave one portion white.

To the second portion, blend in a few drops of red food coloring until the batter is dark pink.

To the third portion of the batter, blend in the cocoa, water, baking soda, and a few drops of red food coloring, until the chocolate is slightly pink.

Starting with the white batter, spoon about 2 tablespoons into the bottoms of each of the bundt cake cavities. Over that, gently and as evenly as possible, spoon about 2 tablespoons of pink batter. Don’t mix the batters. The pink should just sit on top of the white.

Finally, spoon about 2 tablespoons of the chocolate batter on top of the pink.

The bundt cake cavities should be no more than 2/3 full to allow the cake room to expand without overflowing. There should also be about half of each color of batter left to make 6 more cakes.

Bake the cakes for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan and then remove the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

When the mini bundt pan is cool again, repeat the process of adding the batters to the pan to create the next six cakes.

Make the frosting:

Once the cakes are cool, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until the egg whites are thick and foamy, but before they hold a peak. Set aside to prepare the sugar.

Combine the sugar, cream of tartar, water, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Once the sugar has dissolved, boil the syrup – do not stir – for 2 minutes, or until the syrup reaches 240°F on a candy thermometer.

Once the sugar syrup is ready, start beating the egg whites again. Immediately, and carefully, pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites in a slow stream, beating constantly. The mixture will thicken.

When the syrup has been added, stir in the vanilla and red food coloring to tint the icing pink. Continue to beat until the frosting is thick and holds a peak.

Spoon the hot frosting on top of the cooled bundt cakes, swirling decoratively.

Makes 12 mini bundt cakes.