It was early spring and we had some family friends at home. So I thought that it would be perfect to do a cake that didn’t only taste good, but also looked pretty. Also, it’s hard to resist the combination of the sweetness and sourness from the berries during a warm spring day.
MILLION DOLLAR CAKE
2 cups softened butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. ADD eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In another bowl, stiff flour, salt and baking powder.
ADD the butter, sugar, eggs mixture to the flour mixture and beat until just blended. STIR in vanilla.
Gradually, ADD milk and beat until smooth and just blended
POUR into greased and floured 10-inch springform pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 300F for 1h and 30min or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool for 20 minutes before removing from pan. Chill 8 hours or overnight.
VANILLA CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
1 stick unsalted butter (set at room temperature)
8 oz. full-fat cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream
DIRECTIONS
Place room temperature butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
ADD cream cheese and blend until fully combined and smooth.
ADD vanilla extract and powdered sugar and blend on low speed until combined. increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy.
Slowly add the heavy cream. BEAT until fluffy, about 1 minute.
ASSEMBLY
If the cake has formed a hat, trim to an even layer. Put frosting on top of the cake. Beginning from the center of the cake, using a spatula spread the frosting towards the edges. Top with preferred fruits and berries, arranging in circles.
Tip: When topping with fruits, begin from the edge and work in circles towards the center.
