Neapolitan Layer Cake

This stunning and delicious cake must surely be a female. I think I'll name her Miss Laci Le Belle. Her beauty is undeniable to all eyes that are fortunate enough to behold her. FYI.... this is a dense cake and wonderfully moist. So plan on serving at a large gathering, cutting slim slices. Take notice, I deliberately kept speaks of strawberry in my frosting.

Ingredients for chocolate cake:
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
6 tbsp. dark cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 large egg
1/2 cup black coffee
1/2 cup buttermilk
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Ingredients for the white cake:
2 large egg whites
1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup very cold water
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract

Ingredients for the strawberry cake:
1-1/4 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1-1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 oz. strawberry gelatin
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup sweetened strawberry puree*

*Ingredients for the strawberry puree:
2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled
4 cups white sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

Ingredients for the strawberry buttercream frosting:
1-1/2 cups fresh strawberries (8oz.), rinsed, hulled and coarsely chopped
4 large egg whites
1-1/4 cups sugar
3 sticks (1-1/2 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions for the strawberry puree:
1. In a wide bowl, crush strawberries in batches until you have 4 cups of mashed berry. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C). Transfer to hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace, and seal. Process in a water bath. If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don't bother with processing, and just refrigerate.

Directions to make the chocolate cake:
1. Butter and flour the edges of a 9-inch round pan, shaking out the excess flour. Line the bottom with a round of parchment.

2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt; whisk to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar, vegetable oil and egg. Beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, blend in half of the dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated. Blend in the coffee, buttermilk and vanilla just until smooth. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

3. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, then turn the cake out onto the rack and let cool completely.

Direction to make the white cake:

1. Butter and flour the edges of a 9-inch round pan, shaking out the excess flour. Line the bottom with a round of parchment. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt whisk to blend and set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to medium high and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Transfer the egg whites to another bowl and set aside.

3. In the bowl of the electric mixer now fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and butter, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.

4. With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Blend in the water, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients just until incorporated. With a silicone spatula, stir in about a quarter of the egg whites to lighten the batter. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites, until the batter is smooth
and no streaks remain.

5. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, then turn the cake out onto the rack and let cool completely.

Directions to make the strawberry cake:
1. Butter and flour the edges of a 9-inch round pan, shaking out the excess flour. Line the bottom with a round of parchment.

2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; whisk to blend and set aside. Combine the sugar, strawberry gelatin and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat the eggs into the sugar mixture one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

3. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until incorporated. Blend in the milk and vanilla extract. Add in the remaining dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. Blend in the strawberry puree.

4. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, then turn the cake out onto the rack and let cool completely.

Directions to make the frosting:
1. Place the strawberries in a food processor or blender. Puree until completely smooth. Combine the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.

2. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes. (The bowl should be cool to the touch.)

3. Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (or longer – don’t worry, it will come together!) Blend in the strawberry puree until smooth and completely
incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Directions to assemble the cake:

1. Torte each of the cake layers horizontally into two thin halves. (I didn't do this process because I was lazy and didn't want to. But if you have more desire and stamina, then by all means go for it.) Place one of the chocolate layers on a cake board or cake platter.

2. Top with a very thin layer of the strawberry jam. Place a layer of the strawberry cake on top. Again, cover with a thin layer of strawberry jam.

3. Top with a layer of the white cake. Cover with a thin layer of the strawberry jam. Repeat
the process with the remaining layers of chocolate and strawberry cake. (For a
taller cake, you can use the remaining layer of white cake. Otherwise, you can wrap tightly and save for later use or discard.)

4. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the strawberry buttercream. Transfer remaining buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip for detailing as desired.

Adapted from Sweetapolita