Ribbon Cake

This is Portia Kelaart Foulstone's recipe on Sri Lanka Food Lovers (Facebook).

For the Cake

Ingredients

250g butter - unsalted

225g caster sugar

250g all-purpose flour

5 large eggs   

2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup fresh milk. Add 1 tbsp lemon juice into milk if you do not have yoghurt or sour cream. 

Optional for Extra Softness:

1 tbsp yogurt or sour cream (you can add the yogurt, sour cream or lemon juice into the milk) 

* I added 1 tbsp of natural yogurt

Optional - add a drop of Almond Essence

Food colouring (typically pink and green, or colours of your choice)

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a square or round cake tin (8/9 inch).

Sift flour and baking powder together 3 times . Set aside. Keep the butter at room temperature. Separate the egg yolks from the white. whisk the whites separately and fold lastly) keep the milk at room temperature.

Ingredients	lined pans	baked three colours

Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (5–7 mins).

Add the egg yolks one at a time beating well after each addition (this will fluff the mixture)

Add vanilla extract and Add the beaten white of eggs and then alternatively add the sifted flour and milk/yoghurt or milk and lemon juice mix. Lastly ending with the flour.         

Fold the flour gently into the mixture to avoid over mixing.

(The trick to a super soft cake is to gently fold in the flour in batches . Otherwise it will get dense).

Stacked Layers	Russian Nozzle	view from top

If you have 3 cake pans and your oven can hold three at the same time divide the batter into 3 equal parts - add a few drop of food colouring to each and mix gently.

Smooth the top. Tap the pan to remove bubbles. 

For the Classic Ribbon cake: Colour One pink, one green, one plain (white/yellowish) Layer

Gently spoon each coloured batter into the pan in layers. If you are using one pan - You can alternate layers or marble the colours with a skewer.

Make sure to measure the mixture in 3 equal part before adding the colours 

That way you will get the 3 cakes with same heights. This will look good when iced.

Or you could make three different cakes and bake separately.

Bake for 20 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Mine was ready in 20 minutes.

Check your cake as they are thin layers and bakes fast. 

Let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the butter icing

Ingredients

680g sifted icing sugar

1706g unsalted butter at room temp. 

4.5 tbsp milk 

1.5 tsp Vanilla extract

Drops of any food colouring if using

Method

Use the big bowl of an electric cake mixer. Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until thickened. Add the food colouring and turn the mixer off. Using a spatula, fully incorporate the colour into the frosting.

NB: if icing is still too thick add a little more milk. For a bigger cake double the quantities