napletonia

How did we decide that the term 'Neapolitan' should refer to something from Naples? By my calculations, Napletonian (almost an anagram) is much more fitting.

It seems like my best creations are often the ones I have the most trouble photographing.  Sigh.

Regardless of the origin of the word, nearly everyone knows that a bucket of Neapolitan ice cream is simply the combination of three classic and popular flavors--chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. I'd be willing to bet that in your family, there are several people who fight for the chocolate and some who do battle for vanilla, leaving one or possibly two to eat the strawberry. Yep, in my experience, it's the strawberry that gets left behind, gathering ice crystals. Agreed?

I think it's a great idea to package multiple flavors together, and I think chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry make a great team. If it works for ice cream, why not apply it to cake? I'm definitely not the first person to do this, but I took the idea and made my own adjustments. You should, too.

Moist cake, made more tender by the addition of some jam between the layers, and frosted with the most supreme of all frostings, swiss meringue buttercream stuffed with sweet, ripe strawberries. Happy Memorial Day indeed!

Napletonian Cake
One recipe of your favorite chocolate cake, halved (or you could just make two 9-inch rounds and freeze one)
One recipe of your favorite vanilla cake
strawberry jam
strawberry meringue buttercream (recipe follows)

Assembly is easy. Plop a layer of vanilla cake on your serving piece and slather on some strawberry jam. Plop the chocolate layer on top of that and slather on some more jam. Place the other vanilla cake layer on top of that, and then frost the sides and top with your luscious buttercream. Refrigerate for an hour or so to let things meld.

Strawberry Meringue Buttercream
(from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes)

1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries (8 ounces), rinsed, hulled, and coarsely chopped
4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, cut into tablespoons, at room temperature

Puree strawberries in a food processor. Combine egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of a standing electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips).

Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, mix until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.

With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once all butter has been added, scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula and switch to the paddle attachment; continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Add strawberries and beat until combined. Stir with a flexible spatula until the frosting is smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.