Cherry Vanilla Cake with Pink Dream Icing

It's a double whammy today...Easter dinner with the family and a celebration of two lovely young girls' birthdays...So what could be more appropriate than vanilla cake with maraschino cherry bits and a fluffy pink icing with pastel Mini Eggs?
When K was just three, she had a book called 'EAT YOUR DINNER, BA'...where a stubborn little bear had trouble eating his dinner...until his Dad pulled out dessert - 'a honey cake with pretty pink icing and cherries on top'....suddenly his appetite came back!  K loved that book and was so taken with the cake image that she requested this cake for her 3rd birthday.  I made one similar, but this is the grown up version...with the cherries in the cake!  So twelve years later, we re-create a favourite!  Happy Birthday to my lovely, sweet niece and my baby girl....

Cherry Vanilla Cake
(adapted from Chatelaine)

3 cups all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter (room temp)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs (room temp)
4 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 - 375 ml jar maraschino cherries, drained well, dried with paper towel and chopped (save some of the juice for tinting the icing)

Preheat oven to 350F

Spray 2 round 9 inch cake pans with oil and line with parchment circles.  Spray circles.  Stir flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Beat 1 cup of butter in a large bowl, using an electric mixer beat until creamy, about 1 min.  Gradually beat in sugar, then eggs one at a time.  Add vanilla.  Gradually beat in the flour mixture, then 1/2 of the buttermilk, scraping down sides of bowl, if needed.  Repeat, ending with flour mixture, beating just until blended.  Stir in cherries.  Divide batter between pans and bake in centre of oven for 25 - 30 mins or until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean.  Cool in pans 15 mins, then remove cakes to wire rack and cool completely.

Fluffy Icing 

This is an excellent icing.  Beautiful to show and easy to make.  It makes a glossy white frosting, which can easily be tinted with a bit of food colouring, or in this case some of the juice from the maraschino cherries.  

1 cup white corn syrup
2 egg whites, room temp
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla

In a small saucepan, bring corn syrup to a rolling boil.  Meanwhile beat egg whites and cream of tartar to stiff moist peaks.  Beating constantly at high speed on electric mixer, gradually add the hot syrup in a thin stream.  Continue beating until frosting hold stiff shiny peaks.  Beat in vanilla and/or food colouring.  Makes enough to frost an 8 - 9 inch layer cake.  Decorate as you see fit!