In 1998 I sat next to Rose Levy Beranbaum on a panel of bakers at a Barnes & Noble for a “Celebrity Cook Book Club.” I was freshly out of culinary school and working as a pastry chef at a fine dining restaurant. I was neither a “celebrity” nor a cookbook author, so how I ended up on that panel was a complete mystery. I just wanted to meet my baking hero in person. I was so nervous I could barely speak, felt like a world class imposter and must have blacked out because I recall NOTHING! I do remember Rose being kind and welcoming.
I baked my way through Rose Levy Beranbaum’s original Cake Bible in an attempt to fill the gaps left in my instruction at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Rose’s recipes are an education! The way she structures her books is so unique and the recipes ironclad—there is nothing left to chance. I can say with complete confidence that they ALL work flawlessly. Every pastry kitchen has a copy of The Cake Bible. I had two copies when I was running a pastry kitchen. I left one behind as a gift to my staff when I had my boys and decided to leave the restaurant world. It was the right thing to do, but I regret not taking that treasure home, which was filled with all my notes and splattered with so many years of baking memories.
Since that first encounter I have had the great fortune of seeing Rose at events and getting to meet her husband, Woody. They met over their love of baking cakes and have gone on to build a partnership and eventually create this 35th Anniversary edition of The Cake Bible together. In my view, the original book was perfection but now it is even better! I am so thrilled to consider them friends and mentors.
Be sure to enter for your chance to win a copy below!
GIVEAWAY
[GIVEAWAY CLOSED] Winners (Tiffanie & Vickie!) have been notified and accepted their prizes!
Rose and Woody have generously shared the Whipped Cream Cake recipe from the book, and are giving away TWO copies of The Cake Bible. GIVEAWAY DETAILS: Simply leave a comment below by Sunday, June 15, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. and you’ll be entered to win! We’ll randomly select winners early next week and notify them via email. US addresses only.
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 225 g (2 1/4 cups sifted into the cup and leveled off) bleached cake flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 348 g (1 1/2 cups / 355ml) cold heavy cream
- 225 g (1 cup plus 2 Tbsp.) sugar preferably superfine sugar
Instructions
PREHEAT THE OVEN + PREPARE THE PAN
- Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Set the oven at 375℉/190℃.
- Coat the tube pan with baking spray and flour.
MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and then sift the mixture onto a piece of parchment to make it easier to incorporate.
MIX THE LIQUID INGREDIENTS
- In a 1 cup/237 ml glass measure with a spout, lightly whisk the measured egg yolks and egg whites. Add the vanilla and whisk until lightly combined.
MAKE THE BATTER
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk beater, whip the cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised.
- Starting on medium-low speed, gradually beat in the egg mixture and continue beating for 2 minutes. The mixture will thicken into mayonnaise consistency (if high-butterfat cream is used, it will be less thick). Gradually beat in the sugar; it should take about 30 seconds to incorporate it.
- Remove the bowl from the stand. Add half the flour mixture to the cream mixture and with a flat wire whisk, or the whisk from the stand mixer, stir and fold it in until most of the flour disappears. Add the rest of the flour mixture and continue folding and mixing until all traces of flour have disappeared. Finish with a silicone spatula, reaching to the bottom of the bowl.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Run a metal spatula or dull knife blade through the batter, to prevent large air bubbles, avoiding the bottom of the pan, and smooth the surface with a small offset spatula. The pan will be half full.
BAKE THE CAKE
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted between the center tube and sides of the pan comes out completely clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from the oven.
COOL AND UNMOLD THE CAKE
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack that has been lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray. Cool completely.
Notes
Airtight: room temperature, 3 days; refrigerated, 1 week; frozen, 3 months POINTERS FOR SUCCESS The bowl and beaters for whipping the cream should not be chilled because the eggs will not emulsify as readily if the whipped cream is too cold. For the smoothest top crust, to eliminate bubbles from the airy batter, start filling the pan by spreading a little of the batter into the grooves of the pan and pressing it in with a silicone spatula. Then add the remaining batter. UNDERSTANDING
Compared to a basic layer cake, this cake has about 18 to 25 percent more butterfat, depending on the fat content of the cream, and almost the same amount of water content. It also has one extra egg, balanced by less baking powder. A lower amount of vanilla is needed because of the floral quality of the cream. COMPLEMENTARY ADORNMENTS
A light dusting of powdered sugar or whipped cream and berries
This recipe sounds lovely and I can’t wait to try it. And Zoe, love the interview and hearing about your history with Rose.
As many have, i learned the basics of cake making from Rose and her Cake Bible. I attended ICE later and found that I was more than suited and prepared for pastry school because of this early education, I would love to have the new edition of The Cake Bible in my pastry kitchen and I’m excited to try the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
This gorgeous cake will be our dessert on Father’s Day, thank you for the recipe! Looks delicious and surely a no fail if it comes from The Cake Bible!
I love to bake and would make great use of this cookbook (has been on my wish list for awhile).
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Would love to have a copy of Rose’s book!
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
This looks delightful! And I’d love to win a copy of the book-looks like a must have! ❤️
This recipe looks wonderful. Can’t wait to try it!
I love The Cake Bible because the recipes are guaranteed to work! For a long time, it was one of the few books that had weight measurements.
I am very much looking forward to baking this cake, and seeing what other alchemic delights are in Rose’s book. I didn’t know about The Cake Bible, but I will hopefully soon rectify that.
Looks like an excellent cake for summer – can’t wait to try it!
I have the original Cake Bible and am excited to get the 35th anniversary edition! Making this cake today!
Thank you Zoë and Rose – This looks like a fabulous recipe, I can hardly wait to try it. Thank you for all the helpful tips, I love the chemistry behind the bake.
Beautiful! I can’t wait to make it.
This looks amazing! I’m taking a lot of inspiration for the strawberry and champagne cake I’m going to make for my friend’s Mariah Carey themed birthday party
Looks amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I have the original Cake Bible, purchased for me by my husband when we were newly married almost 40 years ago! Of course I read it cover to cover. I’d love to have the updated version, I will be making the whipped cream cake too!
Can’t wait to make this cake this weekend with my son!
Zoe is my mentor and if she loves this cake then I am excited to try to make it! Thrilled to be entering the contest and the chance to win such an epic book!!!!
This cake looks beautiful! I can’t wait to try it.
Beautiful cake. I will be making this.
I love this cake.
This looks and sounds scrumptious!
Have been following both yourself and Rose for years now (God bless instagram for the introduction!) Excited to read her new cookbook. This cake looks like a dream. (Forgot to take a picture but recently made your pavlova with my daughter. Heavenly.)
Thank you for sharing this wonderful cake recipe!
I love both Pound and Sponge cake!
Can’t wait to try this!
What a wonderful recipe! Simple ingredients and easy to prepare.
I am TERRIBLE at baking cakes, and I don’t know why. I swore off them, said I’d stick with tarts and little plated fun things – but I’ll make an exception for this one.