Blueberry Jam Cake, Carrot Layer Cake, Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake

Special occasion cakes for Easter and beyond [Log In]( [America's Test Kitchen]( [FIND RECIPES]( [START FREE WEB TRIAL]( Notes from the Test Kitchen [Special-Occasion Cakes (For Easter and Beyond)]( April 7, 2017 Special-Occasion Cakes (For Easter and Beyond) Easter is next Sunday, April 16. Is your menu ready to go? If you don’t have dessert planned—or even if you do—you’ll want to drop everything and make one of these special-occasion cakes: [Carrot Layer Cake]( [Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake]( or [Blueberry Jam Cake](. For more cake recipes like these, check out [Cook’s Country magazine]( which features a Great American Cake recipe in every edition. If you have a sweet tooth but are cutting back on sugar, our cookbook [Naturally Sweet]( has cake recipes and other sweet treats that are just for you. [Blueberry Jam Cake]( [Blueberry Jam Cake]( Celebrate Easter with [this beautiful layer cake]( that suits the spring season. We start by baking white cake layers, and we use a quick homemade blueberry jam for the filling. To achieve the proper ombré effect (colors that blend into one another from dark to light) with the frosting, [a cake stand with a turntable]( is a must. To create those varying levels of color, we mix differing portions of the blueberry filling, which we pass through a fine-mesh strainer, into the frosting. Cream cheese frosting is the perfect pairing for blueberries—we preferred it to plain buttercream frosting in our tests. [View Recipe]( [Carrot Layer Cake]( [Carrot Layer Cake]( So many employees of the test kitchen rave about this [Carrot Layer Cake]( from Cook’s Illustrated . Preparing this cake in a half sheet pan means that it bakes and cools in far less time than a conventional layer cake. To create the layers, simply cut the sheet cake into four rectangles and stack! Don’t worry; the carrots will still soften properly because we add extra baking soda to raise the batter’s pH. To make our cream cheese frosting extra tangy and delicious, we add a special ingredient—buttermilk powder. [View Recipe]( [Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake]( [Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake]( If chocolate is what you’re craving, we’ve got you covered with our decadent and very impressive [Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake](. When we created this recipe, we aimed for each layer to have its own distinct flavor and for the cake as a whole to be far lighter than other recipes. We build our cake in a springform pan, ensuring that each layer is lighter in texture and richness than the previous one. The base layer is comprised of flourless chocolate cake in order to support the upper two tiers; folding egg whites into the batter helped lighten the cake without affecting its structural integrity. The middle layer is a traditional chocolate mousse that’s lighter and creamier, without the eggs and with less chocolate. The top layer is an easy white chocolate mousse—whipped cream folded with melted white chocolate and a little gelatin. [View Recipe]( [Claim your free trial issue of Cook's Country magazine. Every issue is packed with hearty crowd-pleasers and easy weeknight dinners, such as Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf, Carolina Shrimp Burgers, Classic Macaroni and Cheese, Zucchini-Corn Salad, and more. IF, after receiving your free trial issue, you continue as a paid subscriber, you'll save 44% off the newsstand price and pay just $19.95 for a full year of foolproof family favorites and revived heirloom dishes. Sign me up.]( Recommended Equipment for These Recipes [Winco Revolving Cake Decorating Stand]( Height: ★★★   Weight: ★★★   Surface: ★★★   Rotation: ★★★   Stability: ★★★   A revolving cake stand will help you achieve ombré frosting perfection on your Blueberry Jam Cake. We love this stand from Winco—it’s tall and provides excellent visibility and comfort. It’s solid but light, and its surface and base are attached. The stand rotates quickly and smoothly yet stops precisely where we asked it to. [Learn More →]( [BUY NOW]( [OXO Good Grips Bent Icing Knife]( Blade ★★★   Handle: ★★★   Ease of Use: ★★★   Frost your special-occasion cakes with our favorite bent icing knife from OXO. From handle to tip, this spatula is sized right. The 6.5-inch blade is sturdy but nimble, and you can make quick work of icing cakes with all types of frosting. It also feels exceptionally comfortable in hand, thanks to an easy-to-grip rubber-coated handle. [Learn More →]( [BUY NOW]( [Williams-Sonoma Goldtouch Springform Pan, 9-inch]( Seal: ★★   Design: ★★★   Release: ★★★   Browning: ★★★   Durability: ★★½   We make our Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake in a springform pan, and we prefer to use this model from Williams-Sonoma. This gold-toned pan produces pristine cheesecakes with golden, evenly baked crusts. A ridge along the top is a great guide for leveling batters, and its tall sides give you something to grab when turning the full or hot pan. [Learn More →]( [BUY NOW]( News and Events [Home Cake Decorating Kit: Your cakes deserve to look as good as they taste. The experts at America's Test Kitchen have assembled the must-have tools for home cake decorating. cue the ooohs and aaahs. Shop now.]( [America’s Test Kitchen on The Splendid Table]( This week on The Splendid Table, Cook’s Country magazine traveled to North Carolina to find our new favorite fried chicken recipe – Dipped Fried Chicken. Tucker Shaw shares our recipe and goes deep on the recipe hunt trail, including the story of Linda Dillard, a North Carolina native whose father made Dipped Fried Chicken famous back in the 1940s. Tune in to your local public radio station or listen at [splendidtable.org](. Bob's Red Mill is the premiere sponsor of The Splendid Table episodes featuring America's Test Kitchen. 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