Why I Won't Be Making Jennifer Garner's Favorite "Whipped Cream Cake" Again
One of the first businesses I ever started involved me taking on countless all-nighters to bake fresh Bundt cakes to sell at a local farmers market in Chicago. I spent days on end meticulously measuring ingredients, creaming butter with sugar, pouring batter into prepared pans, and boxing them up to sell to loyal customers who would line up ready to snag everything from my stand.
Needless to say, I developed a true infatuation with the art of making Bundt cakes. I prefer ones that balance sticky-yet-fluffy textures. Most importantly, they must possess an incredible flavor and rich crumb.
I recently came across a recipe favorite from Jennifer Garner for a whipped cream Bundt cake. At first glance, it looked like my ideal baked good. So, on a day when I was feeling inspired to pull out my measuring cups and KitchenAid, I decided to test it out.
Get the recipe: Jennifer Garner’s Favorite Whipped Cream Cake
How to Make Jennifer Garner’s Favorite Whipped Cream Cake
First, preheat your oven to 375°F and place its rack in the lower third section. Next, prepare a 10-cup fluted tube pan by coating it with nonstick cooking spray and flour.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: sifted cake flour, baking powder, and fine sea salt. In a one-cup glass measuring cup with a spout, lightly whisk the egg yolks and whites, then add the vanilla extract and combine.
Grab a stand mixer and whip the cream on medium-high with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Then, reduce the speed to medium-low, gradually beat in the egg mixture, and continue to mix for another two minutes. (The batter should start to thicken into a mayo-like consistency.)
Next, gradually beat in the sugar for about 30 seconds. Then, remove the bowl from the stand mixer and add half the flour mixture to the whipped cream with a flat wire whisk. Stir and gently fold the batter (a little bit at a time) until the flour disappears.
Then, pour the batter into your prepared pan. Run a metal spatula or dull knife blade through the batter to prevent large air bubbles. Pro tip: Don’t fill the pan more than halfway to avoid it rising to a point of no return.
Bake the cake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean from both the center and sides. Then, let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Once it chills, invert the cake onto the wire rack that’s been lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray.
My Honest Review of Jennifer Garner’s Favorite Whipped Cream Cake
It took me about 30-plus minutes to create the batter for this whipped cream cake, which is more time than I usually spend on a recipe like this. There were a lot of steps involved, so if you intend to try this out, save it for a weekend when you have loads of free time.
For the amount of labor it takes to bake this cake — between making homemade whipped cream and meticulously measuring out ingredients — I wasn’t wowed by this recipe. The crumb was a bit drier than cakes that I typically enjoy, so I found myself trying to layer massive dollops of whipped cream on top of it to give it the moisture it was lacking.
I served this cake to friends for dessert during a fun weekend visit. Unfortunately, many were disappointed by the result (they have high expectations for my sweets!). While we adore celebrities — especially ones like Garner — just like regular home cooks, they, too, can miss the mark. This recipe needs to go back to the drawing board to be developed with more flavor and a fluffier texture to shine.
Tips for Making Jennifer Garner’s Favorite Whipped Cream Cake
Add butter. Creaming a fat like butter with the sugar in this cake recipe may help improve its richness and give it a tender and fluffy crumb.
Don’t overmix. While I didn’t enjoy the flavor of this cake very much, it still looked pretty. It’s important not to overmix the batter to prevent overdeveloping the gluten and ending up with a dense baked good.
Prep your Bundt cake pan. Due to all the grooves in fluted tube pans, it can be challenging to remove the cake. To prevent this from happening, generously prepare it with nonstick cooking spray and a dusting of flour.
Get the recipe: Jennifer Garner’s Favorite Whipped Cream Cake
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