Vanilla Chiffon Cake with Blueberry Buttercream

By vealam

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 7 eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 vanilla bean
• Buttercream:
• 5 sticks unsalted butter
• 8 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cups water
• 1.5 oz freeze-dried blueberries (blended to a powder)

Details

Adapted from challengedairy.com

Preparation

Step 1

Cake
1. Grease two 8-inch cake pans and preheat oven to 325F.

2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl.

3. Make a well and add oil, egg yolks, milk, inside of vanilla bean to the well and set aside. Don't beat.

4. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until very stiff. Set aside.

5. Mix egg yolk batter until smooth and light.

6. Pour batter gradually over egg whites, folding in with rubber spatula. Do not stir.

7. Divide batter amongst cake pans.

8. Bake for 55 minutes.

9. Let the layers cool down completely, preferably over night.

10. Once cooled down, cut each cake in 2 layers.

Buttercream
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and water to a boil. Boil until syrup reaches soft-ball stage (240°F on a candy thermometer).

2. In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat on medium high until stiff but not dry.

3. With mixer running, pour syrup down side of bowl into egg whites in a steady stream. Beat on high speed for about 15 minutes until the egg whites are cool to the touch and stiff and glossy.

4. Beat in butter a few pieces at a time.

5. Add blueberry powder and beat until smooth. If it looks curdled at any point, keep beating to smooth out.