PINK CHAMPAGNE VELVET LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare the Champagne Reduction: In a medium heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, bring champagne to a boil. Boil until reduced to ½ cup, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, arrange oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease three 8-inch round or heart-shaped cake pans with shortening or oil. Line bottoms with parchment or wax paper cut to fit the size of pans. Grease paper linings and dust lined pans with flour, tapping out the excess. Set aside.
• Prepare the Champagne Velvet Layer Cake: Using an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix self-rising flour and sugar (or flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt) on low speed (stir) until well combined and aerated, about 1 minute. Add butter, shortening and oil and mix on slow speed until thoroughly combined. Mixture will be very thick.
• In a 2-cup glass liquid measuring cup, whisk together champagne reduction, buttermilk, egg whites and extracts using a fork until well blended. Slowly add half of the liquid mixture to the batter and mix on low speed. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of bowl as necessary with rubber spatula, about 2 minutes. Add remaining liquid mixture and beat just until smooth and thoroughly combined, again scraping down the sides of bowl as necessary, about 1 minute.
• Using rubber spatula, scrape and pour batter into prepared pans dividing evenly (a little over 2 cups of batter per cake pan). Smooth tops evenly with rubber spatula and then rap each pan on counter surface 2 to 3 times to expel any air bubbles. This step will create a nice level cake.
• Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. (I have found that 28 minutes is perfect.) Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Run thin metal spatula around edges of each cake to loosen, then invert onto wire rack and peel away parchment or wax paper. Turn right side up onto wire racks (using an additional rack to flip) and cool completely or wrap while still warm to retain moisture. Wrap each cake layer tightly in plastic food wrap and keep at room temperature until ready to fill and frost.
• To Assemble, Frost and Fill the Cake: Use a scant ¾ cup frosting between each layer. After frosting each the bottom and middle layer, pipe a simple ¼-inch border of buttercream around the perimeter of the cake to act as a dam to prevent the filling from going over the edge of the cake layer. Following this, lightly spoon about 4 tablespoons of the Strawberry-Raspberry Filling on top of the buttercream in the center. Using a small angled metal spatula, carefully spread the filling outward to the dam border of buttercream. Carefully place the next cake layer on top and press down gently. Proceed to frost the cake as desired with remaining buttercream.
• To Make a Rose Cake with "Rose Swirls"
• Use a scant ¾ cup frosting between each layer and then proceed to frost the cake with a "crumb coat" or thin coat, but not too thin. The cake should have good coverage and you should not see the cake peeking through the frosting.
• Next, assemble your pastry bag with coupler and tip. (I like to use my Ateco No. 846 tip because it makes gorgeous swirled roses. However, you can also use an open tip like the Wilton 1M.) Fill pastry bag and twist closed. Make sure your hands are not too warm or your buttercream will get too soft. You are now ready to pipe roses!
• To pipe roses, start at the bottom and work around the cake to complete a full circle of roses. To pipe each rose, start in the center of where you want your rose to be. Then pipe in a circular fashion counter-clockwise going around the center point once or twice depending on the size of roses you desire. The roses don't need to be perfect! This is what is so great about piping swirled roses as they look lovely shabby and chic. It is best to end in the same place each time and I like to end at the top right side of each rose.
• Once you complete the first row around the cake, continue with the next row and then the top. To fill in any gaps, I like to pipe small stars or flourishes that contour the rose swirls. Rose Cakes are the best. So simple, but so stunning!
• To Bake Cupcakes
• See specific baking directions and tips in the Notes section at the bottom below recipe.
• In general, most cake batters may also be baked in standard paper bake cups in standard 12-cup muffin pans for cupcakes. Usually, a one-layer cake recipe will yield 12 to 15 cupcakes and a two-layer cake recipe will yield 24 to 30 cupcakes. Fill cups at least 2/3 full and bake at 350ºF. until tops spring back when lightly touched, about 15 to 20 minutes. (An exception to this is Wicked Good Kitchen's Carrot Cake recipe, which requires a gentle oven at 325ºF. So, be sure to bake cupcakes at the same temperature as the cake recipe requires.) Rotate pan halfway through baking time for even baking and check for doneness 5 minutes before recommended baking time in recipe. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Transfer baked cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely, about 1 hour, before frosting.