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
Baking cakes is what started my love to cook . Can’t wait to try this one!
Simple yet beautiful! Looking forward to making it!
Beautiful! I can’t wait to try it!
Sounds amazing! Thank you!
I would love to have this new book. Rose is a legend in the baking world! Can’t wait to read and bake from the updated version!
I can’t wait to try this!!! Years ago I went to a small lighting store and was there so long, the manager asked me to have a piece of whipped cream cake she had made. It was her MIL’s recipe and knew it off the top of her head. I have made it several times over the years but this sounds EVEN BETTER!!!
I would SO LOVE to win that book!! The cover was delectable!
Hi, Zoe! I love baking cakes, but lost my copy of Rose’s Cake Bible. I do have the Pie and Pastry Bible. Recipes from it are great, as are recipes from Zoe Bakes Cookies, which I also own!!
Oh I cannot WAIT to try this ~ my project for this weekend! THANK YOU!
So excited to try the recipes!
My daughter and I love baking together and we are going to make this for her dad’s 65th BD party next week! Love the idea of the mountain of whipped cream and berries on top!
Can’t wait to try this!
I love cake! This looks amazing!
This looks like the perfect summer cake! I can’t wait to make it!
Hi! I love learning about baking! Thank you for sharing!
A cake heroine for sure! I would love a copy of her book. Thank you for running this contest!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe and history of your friendship with Rose and Woody!
Looks delicious…I will make it for our July 4th celebration!
Thank you for generously sharing this recipe and your knowledge of baking with us. My first edition of The Cake Bible is just about worn out from use. Would love to have a copy of the newly revised edition!
Thank you for the recipe.
A beautiful and delicious cake is truly a work of art.
Thank you for the free recipe! Making this for my 84 year old Dad for Father’s Day here in Chicago!!
I am looking forward to meeting you all at the event and trying out this amazing recipe.
I treasure my old copy of the Cake Bible
And can’t wait to try this updated recipe from Rose! J’adore Zoe!
I can’t wait to try this recipe. It sounds delicious. Thank you.
Such an elegant and beautiful cake. I need one of those fluted pans.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. A+ presentation & photography. Can’t wait to bake and taste!