Neapolitan Cake

The idea for this cake came from another baking blog, but the description of their cake said that it was light and fluffy and, frankly, that just isn't how I like my cake.  I prefer a cake that is dense and nicely textured.  It also seemed to me that, if I was mixing cake flavors, each layer should be as flavorful as possible so as to stand out but also mix well.  It might seem sort of ridiculous to make three different cakes for this recipe, but one bite and it won't seem ridiculous at all. It certainly isn't an everyday cake, but I made this as a birthday cake at it was amazing.

Makes one layer cake

Vanilla Cake:
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 egg whites (1/4 cup)

1. Grease and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.  Set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Stir in butter until mixture resembles crumbs.  Pour in 1/4 cup milk, vanilla, and almond extract.  Beat until batter is smooth.  Add remaining milk and egg whites; beat well. 
3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until it tests done.  Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn onto cooling rack and cool completely.

Strawberry Cake:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
1/2 egg white (1 tablespoon)
1 drop gel red food coloring
1/3 cup milk
1 cup finely diced strawberries

1. Grease and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.  Preheat oven to 350.
2. In small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.
3. In bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Add vanilla and almond extract, then beat well.  Stir in egg and white, then beat well.  Mix in red food coloring until a pretty pink color.  Stir in half the flour mixture, then all of the milk, then the rest of the flour mixture.  Stir in strawberry pieces by hand, gently folding just until incorporated.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan.  Smooth top and place cake in oven.  Bake for 25-35 minutes or until it tests done.  Cool in pan on cooling rack for 15 minutes, then turn onto cooling rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Cake:
6 tablespoons hot water
6 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 egg white (1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup sour cream

1. Grease and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In small bowl, mix hot water and cocoa powder together until smooth.  Set aside.
3. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. In bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add egg, white, vanilla, and almond extract.  Beat well.  Beat in cocoa mixture until incorporated.  Beat in half the flour, then all the sour cream, then the rest of the flour. 
5. Pour into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake in prepared oven for 25-35 minutes or until cake tests done.  Cool in pan on cooling rack for 15 minutes, then turn onto cooling rack to cool completely.

Assemble Cake:
Vanilla Cake
Strawberry Cake
Chocolate Cake
Strawberry Filling
Strawberry White Chocolate Frosting
Shaved white and dark chocolate, for decoration

1. Cut each cake layer in half to make two thin layers.  You should have 6 layers of cake.
2. Place a dollop of frosting on a cake plate.  Place chocolate layer on plate.  Spread with 1/5 of the filling on cake layer and smooth to within 1/4 inch of edge.  Top with strawberry layer and smooth with another 1/5 of the filling.  Top with vanilla cake layer and smooth another 1/5 of the filling.  Repeat layers with chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla and the remaining filling.  If desired, cut a bamboo skewer to the same height as the cake and push it into the middle of the cake, from the top down, to keep the layers in place.
3. Frost the cake with the white chocolate frosting.  If desired, frost with a very thin layer of frosting and refrigerate for 30 minutes to seal in crumbs.  Frost sides and top of cake evenly.  Sprinkle shaved chocolates over the top of the cake, if using.
4. Refrigerate cake until ready to eat. For best flavor, allow cake to chill for at least 3 hours to blend flavors.  Cake can be stored in refrigerator for up to 5 days.