Recipe: Dominican Cake

the appetizer:

Wedding Cake Art and Design: A Professional Approach by Toba M. Garrett, includes excerpts and recipes like Theme Wedding Cakes; Dominican Cake; and Modeling Chocolate, aka Chocolate Plastic.

Dominican Cake

Equipment: 5- or 6-quart mixer
Yield: two 10-in. (25.4 cm) cakes
Baking time: 45 to 50 minutes

1 lb (454 g) unsalted butter, softened
1 lb (454 g) granulated sugar
1 lb (454 g) cake flour
1 Tbsp (12 g) baking powder
1/4 tsp (1.25 g) salt
2 Tbsp (16 g) cornstarch
8 fl oz (237 ml or 227 g) whole milk or pineapple juice
1 Tbsp (15 ml or 14 g) light rum
1 Tbsp (15 ml or 14 g) Dominican, Bourbon, or Madagascar vanilla extract
12 extra-large egg yolks
1 Tbsp (14 g) grated lemon zest
4 extra-large egg whites

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Vegetable-spray and parchment-line the cake pans.

Cream the butter on low speed for 2 minutes. Add all but 3 Tbsp (45 g) of the sugar and cream for 3 minutes. Stop, scrape the bowl, and cream for an additional 2 minutes. The mixture should be light and creamy.

In a separate bowl, mix the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and cornstarch. Sift the mixture twice. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, mix the milk (or juice), rum, and vanilla together and set aside.

On low speed, add the egg yolks, one at a time, to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Mix until the yolks disappear. Add the flour and liquid mixture alternately in three increments, starting with the flour. Add the lemon zest and mix for 30 seconds.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff (but not too dry), about 3 minutes on high speed. At the end of 2 minutes of beating, add the remaining 3 Tbsp (45 g) of sugar. Beat for another minute.

Carefully fold the egg whites into the cake batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pans (two-thirds full). Bake until the cake shrinks slightly from the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Note: Recipe may be doubled.