Fresh Cherry Tart

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Lately I’ve been eating a lot of cherries.  And I do mean A LOT of cherries.  Some time ago I injured my leg and, as any good runner knows, cherries – especially tart cherries – are one of the best foods to eat for relieving muscle pain.  They are anti-inflammatory, help speed up muscle recovery, and are chock full of powerful antioxidants.

Because my injury has prevented me from driving (the down side of injuring my right leg), my husband has been doing the grocery shopping.  One afternoon I made a last-minute request for cherries, and we’ve been well stocked ever since.  I’ve had cherries in my yogurt, cherries on my salad, and oats topped with cherries for breakfast.  The other day my son got a stomachache from eating too many cherries.  Poor guy, he was eating them by the handful and I didn’t notice until it was too late.

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If you don’t have a cherry pitter, here’s a neat trick: use a piping tip.  That’s right –  the kind you use for frosting.  Works like a charm!  You can just poke the pit right out and it’s that simple.  Be sure to wear some rubber gloves.  I learned that lesson the hard way, and days later my hands still have cherry stains on them!

Today I’m sharing another recipe with you from The Best of Relish Cookbook.  With Father’s Day just around the corner, this cherry tart is a terrific dessert.  It would also be ideal for Flag Day (tomorrow) or the Fourth of July.  My favorite part?  The crust!  The grated orange rind packs huge flavor.

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Fresh Cherry Tart
The Best of Relish Cookbook

Pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
1 to 2 teaspoons ice water

Cherry Filling:
4 cups pitted cherries
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon powdered sugar

To prepare pastry, place first 3 ingredients in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until combined.  Add butter and orange rind; pulse 4 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal.  With processor on, add ice water through food chute, processing just until combined.

Press mixture gently into a 4-inch disk on plastic wrap; cover.  Chill 15 minutes.  Roll dough on a lightly floured surface into a 15-inch circle.  Place in a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom, letting pastry hang over edge.  Press dough against sides of pan.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To prepare filling, combine cherries, granulated sugar, and cornstarch.  Spoon mixture into prepared tart pan; fold edges of dough over filling.

Bake 40 minutes or until filling is bubbly and crust is browned.  Cool on wire rack.  Sift powdered sugar over pastry before serving.

Per serving: Calories 270; fat 11g; cholesterol 30; protein 3g; carbs 42g; fiber 2g; sodium 75mg.

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Monday just happens to be National Cherry Tart Day.  So go eat some cherries.  I know I will! Hopefully it won’t be too long before I’m out there pounding the pavement again.

For all the dads, thanks for being awesome.  Happy Father’s Day!

Until next time,
Carol

In the mood for more pie?
Fresh Pear Tart
Flat Apple Pie
Classic Apple Pie
Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie 
Grandma’s Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Beat the heat with this smoothie recipe.  It’s the perfect summertime drink!

 

 

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

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A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of attending a Relish Cooking Show with my friend Rebecca. You may get Relish in your Sunday newspaper.  It’s the nation’s largest food magazine, and I love how it is always chock full of fresh, seasonal recipes that celebrate America’s love of food.

During the two-hour show, Relish Chef Brian Morris took us back to the basics with a mouth-watering menu.  He shared some easy and simple recipes with us, and he had a really great sense of humor. We had a blast!  Rebecca was actually chosen to be one of the taste testers on stage and she said that the food was some of the best she had ever eaten.  We left feeling totally empowered to become amazing chefs!

Here’s a picture of me with Chef Morris…

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I was so excited to pick up The Best of Relish Cookbook: Celebrating America’s Love of Food.  From the editors of Relish magazine, it’s a collection of 150 quick recipes designed “to get you back in the kitchen and your loved ones around the table” – because that’s what good eating is all about, right? Spending time around the table with those you love.   The book also highlights dishes influenced by America’s rich cultural diversity.

Since Tuesday was the last day of school for my kids, we kicked off summer with a recipe from the cookbook.  After playing outside, we sat down at the patio table and cooled off with this smoothie. It’s the perfect drink to beat the afternoon heat!IMG_4612

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie
The Best of Relish Cookbook: Celebrating America’s Love of Food

1 cup fat-free milk
1 6-ounce container low-fat vanilla yogurt (I used Stonyfield Organic lowfat french vanilla)
1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate (I juiced fresh oranges instead and then froze it)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ice cubes

Place all ingredients except ice cubes in blender; process 15 seconds to combine.  Add ice cubes and process 20 seconds to crush ice; serve immediately.

Per serving: Calories 180; fat 1.5g; cholesterol 5mg; protein 9g; carbs 32g; fiber 1g; sodium 135g

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Here’s to a great summer!
Carol

To view the Relish magazine online, click here.  You can also subscribe to their newsletter.
Relish has a FREE app so you can take it with you everywhere you go! I use mine all the time.
Check it out here.
Lastly, for the cooking show menu and recipes, click here.

Raspberry Cream Layer Cake and a Trip to Music City

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The tagline on the front of my April 2012 issue of Everyday Food magazine read The Ultimate Cake Recipe I flipped to the article right away and when I saw the picture, the cake had me.  There was no turning back.  I just had to make it.  Beautifully golden layers of cake topped with luscious raspberry whipped cream – who could resist that?  I could already taste it!

So I baked it for Mother’s Day that year and it was everything you would hope for in a cake – moist, buttery, yet light at the same time – and truly, it was indeed, the ultimate cake recipe.  My husband whipped up the frosting and we all swooned and raved over how good it was.

Then, several months later, my sister-in-law posted this on my facebook wall:

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So, I thought about it.  Actually, I didn’t think about it a whole lot right away, because I had a birthday cake to bake for my son’s 9th birthday party that week, and then there was Thanksgiving coming up, and then finally, after Thanksgiving, I thought oooh, I really should check that out!  And the very day I thought about checking it out, I saw this on my twitter feed:

to which I tweeted back:

And I won a front of the line pass to the casting call in Nashville!  Crazy, right?

I told myself this was really not something I would ordinarily do.  I’m a mom with two young children and I just didn’t feel right about skipping out on them and my husband for a few days.  I thought about it and then finally mentioned it to my husband several days later.  He totally jumped on board! Even better, my sister lives in Nashville.  What would be more fun than to spend a weekend with her? It was only a 5 hour drive.  I just couldn’t pass up the chance!

I planned out my strategy.  I would make a raspberry-cream layer cake each day to practice.  I had 5 days!  In essence, I was a recipe tester.  I experimented with all the ingredients – which brands were the best, whether or not the most expensive butter really was worth all that money (it was) – taking notes as I went.

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My husband said my 4th cake was absolute perfection!  After some research, I discovered the secret to perfect whipped cream.  I was slightly concerned about finding fresh raspberries since they were out of season, but knew I could always resort to frozen if I had to.

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Friday came.  I loaded up practically my entire kitchen and hit the road for Nashville!  My big sis and I don’t get a lot of time to hang out just the two of us, so I was looking forward to spending some time with her.  Friday night she took me to Etch, a new restaurant owned by Chef Deb Paquette.  We dined on roasted cauliflower with truffled pea pesto, turkish spiced cobia, and a seasonal pumpkin semifreddo.  Without a doubt, it was one of the best meals I have ever eaten!

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The next morning, it was time to bake.  The open casting call was from 11-4, and I had given myself enough time to bake a second cake if necessary.  Good thing, because my first cake was an absolute disaster.  As the cakes were cooling on the racks, my sister noticed cake batter pooling on the table below.  Not good.  I had taken them out of the oven too soon, and they completely fell!  Fortunately, my second cake was perfect.  The batter was exquisite, the cake light and fluffy.  I whipped up the cream, frosted the cake, and we were off to the audition site.  Kudos to my sister, who kept her cool the entire time.

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Once we got downtown, we had to park and walk.  Walking through downtown Nashville with the cake and all my supplies was an experience I won’t soon forget.  I had the cake in a carrier (praying the whipped cream would not fall), my plate and supplies in a bag (I had to plate a slice of the cake for the judges), and a cooler with fresh raspberries, mint leaves, and a raspberry reduction sauce to complete the presentation.  It was quite a long wait before my group was called back, and all the while I was stealing glances at my cake to make sure the whipped cream was still standing.  We were sitting under hot lights and I was starting to sweat.  Finally we went back.  There were about 20 of us, and we all lined up by these long tables, with our individual places marked by blue tape.  I only had 3 minutes to plate my baked item.  My plan: slice the cake, plate it, then add the fresh raspberries, mint leaves, and a drizzle of the raspberry reduction sauce to finish it off.  3 minutes may sound like a long time, but it really isn’t.  The time went by so fast.  I was worried I wouldn’t get the drizzle of sauce on the plate in time, but I did.  Whew!  Afterwards, the casting assistant came by and asked each of us questions one at a time, followed by the food judge (a chef from LA!), who tasted our food and inquired about the baking process.  Then we were told to wait while the judges conferred.  Soon the announcement was made: 5 of us would advance to the next round.  I was one of the 5!  We waited a little while longer, and then were called upstairs to a room for a brief interview with the casting producer and his assistant.  We were then told that 3 of us from that group would move on to the next round, and we headed back downstairs to wait.  At this point, I was quite nervous.  The entire day had been such a marathon up until that point and I hadn’t really stopped to process it.  It had been so fun and I was thrilled to be there.  Soon the casting producer and his assistant came downstairs and made the announcement.  I had been chosen as one of the 3!  Here’s a picture of my plate, after the chef had taken a bite:

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The next step in the casting process was the on-camera interview.  Yikes!  That sounded really professional to me and the more I thought about it, the more nervous I got.  But I had a full day to prepare for it, thankfully.  My sister, who knows much more about fashion than I do, took me shopping and we found the perfect outfit.  The interview went well.  The casting assistant was friendly and made me feel completely at home.  The interview was done all on camera, so it was definitely nerve-wracking, but I just did my best.  It was late once it was over and I was incredibly glad to be headed home.  Later that night, I received an email saying that I had advanced to the next round!  The next round involved producing a 10-minute home video of me baking my most impressive baked item.  I also had to fill out all sorts of paperwork, complete a background check, and send in photos of myself and my baked goods.

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Since I was a French major in college, I chose cream puffs for my baked item.  I made cream puffs filled with lemon mascarpone cream, goat cheese and roasted cherry cream puffs, eclairs with Julia Child’s chocolate ganache icing, a croquembouche drizzled with melted white chocolate,  cream puff swans, a cream puff gateau with layers of whipped cream, and savory cheese gougeres using a Dorie Greenspan recipe.  Producing the video was the hardest part of the entire process.  My husband was a trooper!  We were up until the wee hours of the morning recording it, and then he had to edit everything and condense all of the footage down to 10 minutes before we sent it off.

Sadly, I did not make the final cut, but the entire process was such a blast that I am simply grateful for the opportunity.  Just knowing that a chef liked my cake well enough to send me on to the next round was so fulfilling.  I mean, she really liked my cake!  For me, that was the ultimate compliment.  From the meaningful time spent with my sister to the challenge of baking the perfect cake, the entire trip was a rich, rewarding experience that I will never forget.

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I set out to accomplish something that day in my sister’s kitchen in Nashville.  I wanted to bake a cake that would impress the judges, and I proved to myself that I could do it!  And even though I didn’t end up in Hollywood, I’m so proud that I gave it my best shot.

What’s holding you back from doing something new?  What is something you’ve always wanted to try, but never have?  What’s keeping you from achieving that goal?  My advice is this: What do you have to lose?  Go after it!  You won’t be sorry you did.  And you never know what you’ll gain in the process.

The American Baking Competition airs tonight on CBS at 8PM EST.  I can’t wait to watch it!

Click here for the Raspberry-Cream Layer Cake recipe.
Click here for the whipped cream recipe.

Until next time,
Carol

Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

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After weeks of waiting, strawberry season is finally here!  I’m so glad we live near a local strawberry farm that brings truckloads of strawberries to town every day.  Fresh, sweet strawberries are hard to beat.

I made this cake for my husband’s birthday yesterday.  I don’t know who enjoyed it more – him or the kids!  Or maybe it was the homemade strawberry ice cream I made to go with it…

The recipe comes from Nashville’s famous landmark restaurant, The Loveless Cafe.  I think we definitely need to check this place out!

Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe cookbook

Cake

  • 2 cups fresh ripe strawberries, stemmed and hulled
  • 2 1/3 cups cake flour
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a 9 x 13- inch cake pan.

Puree the strawberries in a food processor or blender.  Measure out 3/4 cup for the batter and reserve 1/4 cup for the frosting.

Combine cake flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl and with the electric mixer on low, blend to combine, about 20 seconds.  Add the softened butter and the strawberry puree and mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Raise the speed to medium and mix until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg whites, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Add the egg whites mixture to the flour in several additions, scraping the bowl once or twice and mixing each time only until blended.  Spoon batter into pan.

Bake until a toothpick or cake tested inserted in the center of cake comes out clean, 25-3o minutes.  Remove pan from oven and let cool completely in pan on a rack.

Spread buttercream frosting on top of cake.

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Strawberry Buttercream

  • 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 1/4 cup fresh strawberry puree
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

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Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl for 1 to 2 minutes, to whip lightly.  Add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time and continue beating.  Add the strawberry puree and vanilla, scrape the bowl well, and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.  Use immediately.  

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Note: I halved the frosting recipe and had plenty.  If you are making cupcakes out of the batter, you may want to stick with the original amounts.

More strawberry recipes…

And, here’s a recipe from Cafe Sucre Farine that I’m dying to try!

What’s your favorite way to eat strawberries?  Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,
Carol

Fresh Swiss Chard Quiche

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I love quiche!  It’s often my go-to meal when I can’t think of anything else for dinner.  It’s perfect for Meatless Mondays too.

Recently my husband has been spending a lot of time getting our garden ready for the summer.  Lately we’ve been enjoying some swiss chard, and I found this great recipe over at Stonyfield.com.  I love that it uses yogurt instead of heavy cream.  Serve it with a nice salad, and voila!  You’ve got a complete meal.

Fresh Swiss Chard Quiche
(Stonyfield Farm)

Ingredients:

6 eggs
2/3 cup plain lowfat yogurt
1/3 cup whole milk
4 oz. swiss cheese, shredded
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 bunch Swiss chard (stems removed and leaves chopped)
1 onion, diced
1 9-inch piecrust (see my recipe here)

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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate, crimping the edges.

Whisk together the eggs, yogurt, milk, cheese and 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper, and set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook onion for 8 minutes.  Add chard leaves to skillet and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt.  Cook until wilted, stirring often, about 3 minutes.  Stir chard into egg mixture and pour into crust.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 325 and bake another 30 minutes or until browned.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

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Have a great weekend!
Carol

Thoughts on Mother’s Day

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It’s hard to believe my son will turn ten years old this fall and my daughter will be six.  Whoa!  Have I really been a mom for that long? Where did the time go?

You would think that with ten years of experience, I could offer profound wisdom on this mothering thing.  But the truth is, I’m still learning.  Every day is a new adventure in the journey.  And just as soon as I think I’ve got it all figured out, I find out I really don’t.

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I do know this: I am beyond thankful for my two beautiful children.  I am thankful they are both healthy.  I am thankful for the many ways they brighten my day.  I am thankful for how they have given my life new meaning.

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My daughter, who is six, can bring me joy in the smallest things.  Her smile lights up any dreary day and causes me to pause as I remember my own dad singing to me as a little girl, “you are my sunshine, my only sunshine…”  She is a nonstop bundle of energy, always in motion, never stopping. Happy, glimmering, and sparkling, she is my sunshine.

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My son, fast approaching ten, shows me how to slow down and savor life.  He stops and takes notice of nature’s wonders, begging me to see the spectacular iris blooming in our yard or calling me to come and look at the four-leaf clover he just found.  He is attentive to detail, sensitive, compassionate, and kind.

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Some days I long for those sweet moments when I held their tiny little bodies as they slept, unaware of the world around them.  Those are the days I realize just how fleeting life is, and I want to hold on and make time stand still.

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I may not be the perfect mom.  I may lose my patience.  I may get caught up in my own busyness and not be still enough, or stop long enough to really notice the small grown-ups they are slowly becoming. With each passing day, it is one step closer to the moment that they will be ready to fly away on their own.

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I know I’m not the perfect mom.  I don’t strive to be.  I only strive to love my children unconditionally. And I hope that when they are fully grown, they can look back and say just one thing – that they always knew how much I loved them.

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If you’re still looking for the perfect Mother’s Day dessert, check out yesterday’s post:
Devil’s Food Cake with Fluffy Frosting

Happy Mother’s Day!
Carol

 


Devil’s Food Cake with Fluffy Frosting

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My husband asked me the other day what I wanted for Mother’s Day.  As in, to eat.  All I could think of was one thing: chocolate.  So, I made this cake!

Devil’s Food Cake with Fluffy Frosting
Everyday Food, June 2012

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Ingredients:
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for pans
1 cup boiling water
1 cup sour cream
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 3/4 cups sugar, divided
4 large eggs, plus 5 large egg whites, room temperature, divided
5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided
1 tablespoon corn syrup

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line with parchment; butter parchment and dust pans with cocoa.  Whisk boiling water into cocoa until smooth; whisk in sour cream.  Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat butter and 2 1/4 cups sugar on medium-high until fluffy and pale yellow.  Beat in whole eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.  With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions cocoa mixture, and beat until combined.  Fold in 4 teaspoons vanilla.

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Divide batter among pans.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.  Transfer pans to wire racks and let cool completely.  Remove cakes from pans and discard parchment.  Trim cakes if desired.

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In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, whisk together remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar, egg whites, and corn syrup until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat; using mixer, beat on high until stiff, fluffy peaks form, about 5 minutes.  Fold in remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Transfer a cake layer to a serving plate and top with 1 cup frosting.  Stack second cake on top and cover top and sides with remaining frosting.

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Happy Mother’s Day!
Muncho Mom


Devil’s Food Cake with Fluffy Frosting

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for pans
1 cup boiling water
1 cup sour cream
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 3/4 cups sugar, divided
4 large eggs, plus 5 large egg whites, room temperature, divided
5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided
1 tablespoon corn syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line with parchment; butter parchment and dust pans with cocoa.  Whisk boiling water into cocoa until smooth; whisk in sour cream.  Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat butter and 2 1/4 cups sugar on medium-high until fluffy and pale yellow.  Beat in whole eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.  With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions cocoa mixture, and beat until combined.  Fold in 4 teaspoons vanilla.

Divide batter among pans.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.  Transfer pans to wire racks and let cool completely.  Remove cakes from pans and discard parchment.  Trim cakes if desired.

In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, whisk together remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar, egg whites, and corn syrup until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat; using mixer, beat on high until stiff, fluffy peaks form, about 5 minutes.  Fold in remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Transfer a cake layer to a serving plate and top with 1 cup frosting.  Stack second cake on top and cover top and sides with remaining frosting.