This Neapolitan cake is a direct descendant of the Vanilla Eggless Cake. The cake is made in the exact manner and then separated into three equal portions; one portion flavoured with strawberries, one with cocoa powder and one left as a vanilla layer. Once baked, the 3 layers are held together by a chocolate buttercream and a strawberry buttercream, and then covered with a vanilla buttercream. This cake is visually appealing to look at and equally gratifying to taste.
In the absence of a strawberry puree, which is strawberries simply cooked into a puree with a squeeze of lemon juice and some sugar, use a strawberry essence or even 2 TB of freeze-dried strawberries processed into a dust.
Apple puree
Apple sauce, or even pureed, canned pie apples can be used as an apple puree. Or a sauce can easily be made by skinning and coring 2 small apples. Cut apples into small pieces, and place in a small pot over medium heat. Add one tsp of fresh lemon juice and cook down until soft and puree-like. If the apples are tart, add a tablespoon of sugar. Blend mixture if there are still chunks in order to create a smooth puree.
Ingredients for Cake (10-12 slices)
- 125 g melted butter/margarine
- 500 ml (280 g) cake flour
- 2 ml salt
- 25 ml baking powder
- 300 ml (250g) castor sugar
- 80 ml apple puree (see note below)
- 200 ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 TB vanilla essence
- 2 TB strawberry puree or 1-2 tsp strawberry flavouring or 2 TB finely processed freeze-dried strawberries.
- 2 TB sifted cocoa powder
- pink food colour
Method to make Cake
- Grease 3 x 18 cm or 20 cm round or square cake tins and line the bases with parchment paper.
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
- Heat milk and butter/margarine in a small heavy-based saucepan over medium-low heat until melted, but not boiled. Remove from heat and add the vanilla.
- Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add sugar and pureed apples.
- Add milk mixture to flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Divide mixture equally into 3 bowls.
- In one bowl, lightly mix in the strawberry puree or strawberry flavouring or freeze-dried strawberries. Add a drop or two of food colour to create a medium toned pink.
- In another bowl, add sifted cocoa powder and lightly mix to combine evenly through cake batter.
- Add contents of each bowl into the three pans.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until each cake is well risen, springy in the centre and a skewer comes out clean once inserted into the centre of the cake.
- Cool cakes before icing.
Buttercream
- 250 g butter at room temperature
- 3 cups of sifted icing sugar
- 1-2 TB milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 TB vanilla essence.
- 1-2 TB pureed strawberries
- 1 tsp strawberry flavouring
- 1 TB sifted cocoa powder
- Beat butter with an electric beater until pale, smooth and fluffy.
- Add icing sugar in 2 batches and beat well after each addition.
- Add vanilla and beat well.
- Add milk a tablespoon at a time, in order to get the right consistency.
- Take half a cup of icing and add to a small bowl. Add 1-2 tablespoons of strawberry puree or freeze-dried strawberries to the bowl. Mix well. Add a drop or 2 of pink food colouring.
- In another small bowl, add half a cup of icing and add 1 TB sifted cocoa powder. Mix well to combine.
Assemble Cake
- On a flat cake plate or board, place the strawberry cake layer and top with the pink buttercream. Smooth evenly over cake.
- Add chocolate cake layer and top with the chocolate buttercream.
- Top with the vanilla cake layer.
- Use remaining buttercream to cover cake and decorate.
