Neapolitan cake

This retro cake recipe draws inspiration from the Australian Women’s Weekly ‘100 Favourite CAKES’ cookbook published in 1972.

Their ‘Rainbow Cake’ (much like a Neapolitan cake) is included in their ‘Layer Cakes’ section, which offers ‘layered beauties in all flavours’. The Rainbow cake is chronicled as a ‘three-layered beauty [that] makes a wonderful birthday cake for a child.’

My Neapolitan cake, a twist on this Women’s Weekly retro cake classic, comprises three different flavoured cake layers: chocolate, berry/aniseed and vanilla. Vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream, with a hint of bitter almond, brings all three layers together.

This is only one of a range of vintage retro recipes on my website – many based on women’s weekly retro baking recipes. Check out the full range of recipes here!

Ingredients

Devil’s food cake layer

113g unsalted butter

113g brewed black coffee

28g Dutch-processed cocoa

57g dark chocolate

152g light brown sugar

5g vanilla

1g flaky salt

100g (2 large) eggs, fridge cold

15g (1 large) egg yolks, fridge cold

85g plain flour

4g baking soda

Vanilla/anise butter cake layers

303g caster sugar

12g baking powder

5g flaky salt

150g unsalted butter, soft but cool, about 16°C

100g (1 large) eggs, brought to about 18°C

10g vanilla extract

303g whole milk brought to 18°C, in a pourable jug

303g plain flour

1 tsp anise seeds, toasted and ground (added to half the batter)

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

170g egg whites, from 5 to 6 large eggs

310g caster sugar

1/2 tsp (3g) salt

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

565g unsalted butter, softened to about 18°C

5g (1 tsp) vanilla extract

5g (1 tsp) vanilla paste

1/4 tsp almond extract

80g (1/4 cup) raspberry jam

Maraschino cherries, to decorate

Method

1. For the devil’s food cake, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 180°C. Boil the kettle. Grease and line one 20cm round cake tins with baking paper. Combine butter, coffee and boiling water in a pan over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat. Mix in cocoa and chocolate, followed by brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Mix in eggs and yolks. Sift in flour and baking soda. Whisk to combine. Do not overmix. Pour batter into pan. Bake 28-35 mins until toothpick comes out with a couple of moist crumbs. Cool in pan for 15 mins. Invert onto wire cake rack and cool completely. Keep oven on.
2. For the butter cake, grease two 20cm aluminum cake pans and line base and sides with baking paper. Sift the flour into a medium bowl. Combine sugar, baking powder, salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix thoroughly. Connect the paddle attachment and add butter. Mix on low speed to roughly incorporate, increase speed to medium. Beat until fluffy, pale, and light, about 5-10 minutes. About halfway through, pause to scrape the bowl and beater.
3. With the mixer still running, add the eggs one at a time, letting each fully incorporate before adding the next, followed by the vanilla extract. Reduce speed to low and sprinkle in about 1/3 of the flour, then drizzle in 1/3 of the milk. Repeat with remaining flour and milk, working in thirds as before. Scrape the bowl and beater, and briefly mix once more to ensure everything is well combined. Once mixed, the batter should register between 18 and 20°C.
4. Fold batter once or twice (getting right to the bottom) to ensure fully mixed. Pour half the mix (600g) into the first cake pan. Stir the toasted and ground anise seeds and gel colour into remaining batter and mix until fully combined. Transfer to the second cake pan. Place both pans together on the oven rack, and bake until puffed, firm, and pale gold, about 28-35 minutes.
5. Cool cakes in their pans for 15 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges to loosen. Invert onto a wire rack, peel off the baking paper, and return cakes right-side-up. Continue to cool completely. While cooling, prepare the buttercream.
6. For the Swiss meringue buttercream, fill a pot (that will sit a large bowl above the water line) with around 5cm of water. Heat water until steaming-hot, then adjust temperature to maintain a gentle simmer.
7. Combine egg whites, sugar, salt, cream of tartar in a large glass bowl and set over steaming water. Stir and scrape constantly with a flexible spatula, until egg whites reach 75°C (about 12 minutes). Once ready, transfer to a stand mixer bowl fitted with whisk attachment and whip at high speed about 5-10 minutes, until meringue is glossy, stiff, and cool to the touch, around 32°C.
8. With mixer still running, add butter, 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time. Continue whipping until buttercream is thick, creamy, and soft but not runny, around 22°C. Mix in extracts and paste on low speed until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and place aside, at room temperature, until the cake layers are ready.
9. To assemble, place the chocolate cake layer on a cake drum, securing it with a little buttercream. Spread generously with buttercream, followed by the anise cake layer. Spread the second layer with buttercream, making a dam in the middle. Add a generous dollop of jam and gently smooth.
10. Place on the top cake layer bottom-side up to give a flat top. Use a small spirit level to ensure it is even on all sides. Crumb coat and chill in fridge for 10 minutes. Then add a top coat of buttercream. Decorate with Maraschino cherries.