Hey friends! I recently hosted a Galentine’s party with two of my good friends and it was complete with a rosé tasting, lots of beautiful florals, a vanilla bean raspberry cake and so much more. It was the perfect excuse to get all of our girlfriends together for a fun afternoon!

My two friends, Shelby and Caroline, are so incredibly talented and made this party happen. They love throwing a party as much as I do and their vision and ideas always blow me away.

Shelby Boston is a graphic designer and artist who designed the beautiful invitations, menu and rosé tasting cards & tags. She also did all the styling and the florals!

Caroline Boone made the gorgeous charcuterie board and sells them here on 30A. She planned the wine tasting portion of the party and it was so much fun! We voted on our favorite rosé and ranked each bottle. Caroline is starting to offer wine parties along with her grazing boards and I’m already looking forward to doing it again!

We went with a French garden theme and the menu consisted of charcuterie, French baguettes with olive oil, crudités, vanilla bean raspberry cake, strawberry macarons and decorated sugar cookies. It was all so delicious!

Mingle is a full-service local balloon and garland company that did an amazing job creating our greenery garland and balloons. Whenever we have a party, Mingle is the first one we call!

I love these girls! Brenna Kneiss (on the right) took these photos and she is the best! If you ever need a 30-A photographer, she’s your girl.

Shop our party favorites:

About the Cake:

Three layers of moist Vanilla Bean Cake with the fluffiest Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream…

This vanilla bean cake is made with a vanilla bean paste which gives it a rich vanilla flavor. I learned the hard way after buying 2 vanilla beans pods from the grocery store that cost $25 that vanilla bean paste is much more affordable because you can use it over and over again. You can also use vanilla bean pods and it will work just as great, it’s just a bit more pricey.

I’ve always wanted to make a swiss meringue buttercream and I learned how easy and DELICIOUS it is. It’s so light and fluffy and the raspberry makes it even better.

Swiss meringue buttercream is more time consuming than a regular buttercream but I promise it’s worth the effort! Follow the directions exactly and you will have no trouble at all!

Happy Baking and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Vanilla Bean Cake with Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Yield: 3 layered, 8 inch cake

Author: Elisabeth and Butter

prep time: 45 Mcook time: 25 Mtotal time: 70 M

ingredients:

For the Cake

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), softened to room temperature
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature

For the Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

2 cups frozen raspberries, thawed
6 large egg whites
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups unsalted butter (4 sticks), softened but still a bit firm

For the Raspberry Jam

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

instructions:

How to cook Vanilla Bean Cake with Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

For the Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease three, 8 inch pans with nonstick baking spray.
In a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together for 2-3 minutes or until it's light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add oil, egg whites, vanilla bean paste and almond extract and beat for 1 more minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour to the butter mixture and beat until incorporated, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add about half of the buttermilk to the batter and beat until incorporated, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Continue alternating the flour and buttermilk, ending with the flour mixture. Do not overmix.
Divide the batter evenly into the three pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then carefully transfer the layers on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

For the Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

In a food processor or blender, puree the thawed raspberries until smooth and then strain through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the seeds and collecting the juice in a small saucepan.
Place the small saucepan with the puree over medium-low heat and cook until thickened and reduced by half. You should have about 1/4 cup of cooked raspberry puree. Set aside to cool completely.
Place the egg whites and sugar in a large mixing bowl and set the bowl over a pot of simmering water (tip: do not separate the egg whites directly into your bowl. If you do that and have even one cracked yolk, you will ruin the whole batch of whites).
Cook the whites and sugar, whisking occasionally, until the mixture is smooth, thin and translucent. It will no longer feel gritty between your fingers when you rub them together. Remove from heat.
Pour this egg white mixture into a clean mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment (or you can use a hand mixer) and whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture is fluffy and thick. If there's even the slightest amount of grease or egg yolk in this mixture, the egg whites won't whip properly and will not get thick. Whisk until no hint of warmth remains when you place your hand on the side of the bowl.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition. If the mixture seems runny, place the bowl in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes and then re-whip. When all the butter has been added and the buttercream is light, fluffy and spreadable, stir in the cooled raspberry puree until combined.

For the Raspberry Jam

Combine the raspberries, maple syrup and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it thickens up a bit (8-10 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool completely before adding this to the cake. You can also store this in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

To assemble

Place one layer of cake on a cake pedestal or serving tray. Spread some of the cooled raspberry jam (add as much as you like) on the layer and then top with the buttercream. Repeat until your final layer is added to the top, bottom side up to create a flat top.
Frost the sides of the cake and then decorate with fresh flowers and raspberries if desired.