In the Gateaux

Splendid River Run Manor overlooking the James River in Goochland inspires cakes of rich chocolate and sweet strawberry, smooth Southern caramel, red velvet, and raspberry with a tart touch of lime. Treat yourself to decadent desserts artfully conceived and presented in a style befitting a queen.

^{Photography by Mark Edward Atkinson  •  Cakes by Nicole Jessee  •  Styling by Tracey Lee}

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Raspberry Lime Cake

1 cup butter, soft at room temperature

½ cup vegetable oil

3 cups sugar

5 eggs, room temperature

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup full fat buttermilk, room temperature

½ cup whole milk, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

10 limes

1 ½ pints fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. Cream together butter, oil and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding the next. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, milk and vanilla. Add dry mixture to creamed butter, alternating with milks, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix batter until thoroughly combined, making sure to not over mix. Evenly distribute batter into pans and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cakes are done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely before icing.

For lime cream cheese icing:

5 limes

½ cup unsalted butter

1 8-ounce container of Philadelphia Cream Cheese

3 cups confectioner’s sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest 5 limes and reserve the zest in a small bowl. Cream butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer. Slowly add confectioner’s sugar and beat for 2 minutes. Add half of the zest, distributing it evenly on top of icing, and beat for 2 more minutes. Turn off mixer, turn icing with a spatula and add remaining zest. Mix for 1 minute. Add vanilla and mix for 1-2 more minutes.

For red raspberry buttercream:

2 cups unsalted butter

5 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 cup Virginia all-natural organic Red Raspberry Jam              (no sugar added)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon vanilla

Cream butter in a stand mixer for about 2 minutes. Gradually add 5 cups of confectioner’s sugar on low-medium speed. Add red raspberry jam and beat for 2 minutes or until fully incorporated and raspberry in color. Add ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes until light

and fluffy.

Cake assembly:

Squeeze the juice of 10 limes into a bowl and set aside. Gently use a serrated knife to trim each cake layer. Completely trim the crunchy tops and bottoms off of each layer excluding the bottom layer of one of the cakes, leaving the golden bottom of the first cake layer to provide a solid foundation for the cake. Place this layer on cake board or pedestal, golden side down. Evenly drizzle 5 tablespoons of fresh lime juice over the cake. Spread an even coat of lime cream cheese icing over the cake layer. Butterfly the raspberries and arrange them on the cake so that they are touching but not overlapping. Add next layer and repeat, adding lime juice, lime cream cheese and fresh raspberries to the top of each layer. When all layers have been assembled, gently apply a light crumb coat of raspberry buttercream. Put cake in freezer for 30 minutes. Remove cake from freezer and generously ice outside of cake with raspberry buttercream. Top with fresh raspberries and lime zest.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 cup milk

½ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 8-inch pans with nonstick baking spray. In a stand mixer, combine first seven ingredients and mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, combine milk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk by hand until thoroughly combined. Slowly pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix on medium speed. Slowly and carefully add boiling water. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and mix one last time. Pour into pans and bake 30-35 minutes. Cakes are done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

For whipped ganache:

2 ½ cups heavy cream

4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

½ teaspoon vanilla

Heat 2 cups of heavy cream in a medium-sized, microwavable container and microwave for 3 to 4 minutes on high, or until it just begins to simmer; be careful not to boil over. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove plastic and vigorously whisk until silky smooth. Allow chocolate to come to room temperature, approximately 2 hours. Once at room temperature, whisk on high in a stand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and vanilla. Whip with whisk attachment for 1 minute.

For strawberry buttercream:

4 cups unsalted butter

9 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 ½ cups all-natural organic Virginia strawberry jam

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Cream butter in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly add confectioner’s sugar, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl regularly. Add jam and mix on medium-high speed until jam is completely incorporated. Add vanilla and salt, mixing for one minute or until light and whipped.

For chocolate covered strawberries:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 pint strawberries

In a microwave-safe container, add 1 cup of chocolate chips and vegetable oil. Microwave for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir mixture. Return to microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Continue melting chocolate in 10 second intervals until chocolate is silky smooth. When chocolate is silky, hold medium sized strawberries by the caps and dip quickly into chocolate. Lay on prepared parchment lined baking tray. When all strawberries are dipped, refrigerate.

Cake assembly:

Place chocolate cake on cake board or pedestal. Spread one thin layer of whipped ganache on cake. Spread a thicker portion of the strawberry buttercream directly on top of the whipped ganache. Repeat until all three layers are assembled. Use the remaining ganache to lightly crumb coat the cake. Put the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove and use the remaining whipped ganache to ice the entire cake. Cover top of cake with chocolate covered strawberries. Serve chilled.

Southern Caramel Cake

1 cup butter, soft at room temperature

½ cup vegetable oil

3 cups sugar

5 eggs, room temperature

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup whole milk, room temperature

½ cup full fat buttermilk, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Prepare frosting before baking (see below). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. Cream together butter, oil and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding the next. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate small bowl, combine buttermilk and milk. Add dry mixture to creamed butter, alternating dry and wet ingredients and ending with dry ingredients. Mix batter until thoroughly combined, making sure to not over mix. Evenly distribute batter into pans and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cakes are done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool and ice generously with caramel frosting (below). Refrigerate iced cake for one hour to set. Remove from refrigerator one hour before serving.

For frosting:

1 ½ cups unsalted butter

2 cups dark brown sugar

2⁄3 cup heavy cream

6 cups confectioner’s sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Melt 1 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat and stir in brown sugar and cream. Bring to a boil and transfer to a stand mixer. Add confectioner’s sugar. Mix on medium speed with paddle until thoroughly combined. Set bowl aside and allow mixture to completely cool. After cake is baked and cooled completely, return bowl to stand mixer. Add remaining ½ cup butter, vanilla and kosher salt. Whip with paddle until frosting is light and airy.

Red Velvet Cake with Buttermilk

Praline Buttercream

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 ½ cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 tablespoons red food coloring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 8-inch pans with nonstick baking spray. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla.Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed. Divide the cake batter evenly between pans. Be careful not to over bake; red velvet cake dries out quickly if over baked just for a moment. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

For buttermilk buttercream icing:

4 cups unsalted butter

8 cups confectioner’s sugar

½ cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

candied pecans

Cream butter until light and fluffy in a stand mixer. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar. Add buttermilk and mix for 1 minute. Add pecans and all remnants of caramelized sugar to the buttercream and mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with a spatula, making sure everything is incorporated. Add vanilla, turn mixer to low speed and mix for 1 minute. Beat 1 minute on medium speed, making sure that pecans are distributed throughout.

For candied pecans:

1 cup chopped pecans  

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Microwave 1 cup of water in a microwave safe container for 2 minutes. Mix with 1 cup of sugar in a medium bowl. Stir vigorously until sugar is completely dissolved. While sugar is dissolving, mix 1 cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon kosher salt in a separate medium bowl. Whisk to thoroughly combine dry ingredients. Drop 1 cup of pecans into sugar water mixture and stir. Remove from sugar water and drop directly into dry brown sugar mixture. Stir and coat, making sure all pecans are coated in sugar mixture. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 14 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes.

Cake assembly:

Carefully trim cake with serrated knife, making sure to remove any crunchy edges. Generously ice each layer with icing. Add a light crumb coat on the outside of the cake. Put the crumb-coated cake in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove the cake and generously ice with the remaining icing. Serve at room temperature.

Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Mini Cake Stacks

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

1 cup of bourbon set aside

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan with parchment paper and gently spray sides of pan with baking spray. In a stand mixer, combine first seven dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl combine milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk by hand until thoroughly combined. Slowly pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix on medium speed. Slowly add boiling water, being careful to incorporate gently. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and mix one last time. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Bourbon Buttercream

3 cups unsalted butter

9 cups confectioner’s sugar

1/2 cup bourbon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup store bought candied pecans (chopped)

In a standing mixer mix butter for 1-2 minutes. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar until thoroughly combined. Add bourbon and mix on low speed until combined. Add vanilla, kosher salt, and chopped pecans, reserving a few pecans for garnish. Turn mixer on medium to high speed and whip until light and fluffy.

Bourbon sauce

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons bourbon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in remaining ingredients. Simmer

until thickened, whisking often for about 3 minutes. Allow sauce to completely cool.

Mini Cake Assembly:

Allow cake to completely cool. Using a round cutter (like a biscuit cutter), cut circles from the entire sheet pan, starting in the corner. Set cake circles aside. Using a serrated knife, gently torte cake, slicing each circle horizontally. After all of the circles have been torted, drizzle 1 teaspoon of bourbon over each circle and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Fill a piping bag or large zip-close bag with bourbon buttercream. With a pair of scissors, cut the end of the piping bag or corner of the zip-close bag large enough for the buttercream to generously pass through. In a circular pattern, starting from the center, generously cover the surface of each cake. Drizzle with bourbon sauce and repeat with 3 layers of cake, stacking each atop the other. Garnish top with a dollop of buttercream, a pecan, and a generous drizzle of bourbon sauce. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve at room temperature.

Pumpkin Whoopies with Fig Cream Cheese

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 ½ tablespoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon ginger

2 cups dark brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger; set aside. In another bowl, whisk brown sugar and oil until combined. Combine flour and pumpkin mixtures and fold gently but thoroughly until completely combined. Refrigerate batter for 20 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and use an ice cream scoop to drop batter on baking sheets, making sure whoopies are about two inches apart. Bake immediately for 12-14 minutes. Remove from oven, and make sure whoopies are baked through with a toothpick; toothpick should come out clean. Let cool completely.  

Cream cheese icing:

1 stick of unsalted butter

1 8oz container Philadelphia Cream Cheese

3 cups confectioners sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer. Slowly add confectioners sugar and beat for 2 minutes. Turn off mixer, turn icing with a spatula and mix thoroughly. Add vanilla and mix for 1-2 more minutes. Refrigerate.

Fig reduction:

1 pound of ripe figs

1 1/5 cups of water

1 zest of lemon

2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Rinse, stem and quarter figs; add to a medium pot. Pour over water and bring to a boil. Add sugar and stir. Cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes until the figs begin to become syrupy and thick. Add lemon zest, and stir constantly for 10 more minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate for at least two hours before adding to icing.

Assembly:

After both cream cheese and fig mixture have chilled, gently fold the two together, leaving ribbons of the fig reduction exposed. Pipe or spread on cooled pumpkin whoopies and refrigerate. For a simpler preparation, omit the fig reduction and just use cream cheese icing. Toasted pecans can be added for crunch.

Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

1 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup vegetable oil


3 cups granulated sugar


5 eggs at room temperature

3 cups all purpose flour


2 teaspoons baking powder


1/2 teaspoon salt


1/2 cup whole milk at room temperature


1/2 cup full fat buttermilk at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

maraschino cherries to garnish

Prepare 3 large cupcake pans with 18 paper liners. Fill each paper liner with 3 tablespoons of rum sauce and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and cut fresh pineapple rings to fit tightly into bottom. Place one maraschino cherry in the center of the pineapple and refrigerate for another 15 minutes.

Cream together butter, oil and sugar. Whisk in eggs one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding the next. 
 In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry mixture, along with both milk and buttermilk to creamed butter, alternating dry and wet ingredients, ending with dry mixture.
 Mix batter until thoroughly combined making sure to not over mix.
 Evenly distribute batter into muffin pans and bake for 25-30 minutes. 
If using small muffin pans reduce baking time to 15-20 minutes. Cakes are done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 
Allow cakes to cool completely. Gently run a butter knife around the edge of the pan and flip cake out onto a plate. Peel off the liner. Garnish with confectioners sugar and cherries.

Rum sauce:

1 stick unsalted butter

3 1/2 cups light brown sugar


6 ounces dark rum


maraschino cherries

1 fresh pineapple, cored and cut into rings

Put sugar and butter in saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved and a shade darker or about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add rum. Return to heat and stir until combined, about another 30 seconds.

^{Credits: special thanks to Nicole and Bryan Jessee of Shyndigz in Richmond for creating our cakes; model, Lauren Starkey; style assistant, Laura Easter; Virginia Repertory Theatre for the Marie Antoinette Gown custom made and created to an authentic pattern; Thea Montgomery of hexhearthollow for the rococo baroque shoes; Paisley & Jade; and West End Antiques Mall.}

^{Location: River Run Manor, special thanks to the Massey family and Richard Bower of Joyner Fine Properties}

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This article originally appeared in our October 2015 issue.