Cranberry Obsession Snow Cake

• Ingredients

• Cake
• 10 ounce unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pans
• 3 1/2 cups cake flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 7 large egg whites, at room temperature 
• Cranberry filling
• 3 3/4 cups cranberries, divided
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups cranberry or cherry preserves
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• • Buttercream
  • 5 large egg whites, at room temperature 
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 12 ounces white chocolate (bars or a block, not chips), divided
  • 1 pound unsalted butter, cut into pieces and at room temperature
  • Assembly
  • 1/2 cup colorless liqueur such as crème de cacao or kirsch
  • About 2 tbsp. powdered sugar 

  Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 325°. Butter two 9-in. cake pans; set aside.
• 2. Make cake: In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together on low speed until light and fluffy. Add egg whites in 3 batches, scraping inside of bowl as needed. Beat in flour mixture in 5 batches, adding 1/4 cup water after each addition (you will begin and end with flour); make sure flour is completely blended each time before adding water. Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing evenly. Smooth tops with a spatula.
• 3. Bake until center of cake feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool cakes completely in pans on a rack.
• 4. Meanwhile, make cranberry filling: Combine 3 cups cranberries, the sugar, preserves, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until cranberries pop and preserves melt, 5 to 10 minutes. Add remaining 3/4 cup cranberries, stir to combine, and remove from heat. Transfer to a small bowl and chill until ready to assemble cake.
• 5. Make buttercream: Fill a 2-qt. pan with about 1 in. water and bring to a simmer over low heat. Put egg whites, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine. Place bowl over hot water, making sure bottom of bowl isn't touching water, and heat whites, whisking constantly, until hot to the touch, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pan and bowl from heat.
• 6. Put bowl of warm whites on the mixer and whisk on high speed until tripled in volume and side of bowl is cool to the touch, about 10 minutes.
• 7. Meanwhile, chop 4 oz. white chocolate, put in a medium metal mixing bowl, and set in same pan of warm water off the heat to melt slowly, stirring occasionally. Remove bowl from pan and let cool to room temperature.
• 8. Reduce mixer speed to low and whisk butter into whites, about 1/4 cup at a time, until incorporated. Continue to whisk on low speed until smooth and fluffy, about 10 minutes (mixture may look grainy at some point but will come together).
• 9. With a rubber spatula, gently fold melted chocolate into buttercream until completely combined.
• 10. Assemble: Rub tops of both cakes gently with your hands to remove browned outer surface, then carefully invert cakes and rub undersides so that cakes are completely white. Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate, top side up. Using a pastry brush, brush top with half the liqueur. Spread about 1 1/2 cups cranberry mixture over layer with a metal spatula, leaving a 1/2-in. empty border around edge. Place second cake layer on top, flattest side down, and brush with remaining liqueur. Spread top and sides of cake with a thin layer of buttercream to seal in crumbs and chill 30 minutes. Cover with remaining buttercream, starting with the sides and covering the top last.
• 11. Use the palm of your hand to warm remaining chocolate. Shave smooth side of chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler to make thin curls; scatter curls over cake's top. Sift powdered sugar over cake. Serve with remaining cranberry mixture on the side.
• Make ahead: Baked cake layers can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature or in the fridge up to 2 days ahead. Cranberry filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and chilled.
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Note:

Bakers' tip: To make a pure white cake, use your fingers to rub off the browned surface of each layer before assembling.

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