In honor of Presidents Day I’ve made a delicious cake which, of course, has special significant history.

The White Cake with Raspberry Buttercream filling was served at the wedding reception of President and Mrs. Kennedy on September 12, 1953.

The cake was also served at President Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961 and for his 100th birthday celebration at The Kennedy Library.

It became such a beloved and popular cake and was later served at the inauguration celebrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Presidents Cake

Cake Ingredients

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

⅔ cup olive oil

2 cup granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon almond extract

2 ⅔ cup + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk, room temperature

6 large egg whites, room temperature

Buttercream Frosting Ingredients

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3 Tablespoons Whole Milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 8-inch round cake pans by lining the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper and generously greasing.

In a large bowl, use a handheld electric mixer to beat the butter on medium-low speed until light and creamy.

Add sugar and olive oil and beat until all of the ingredients are well-combined and creamy.

Add in the almond extract and stir.

In separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the milk. Mix together really well.

Add the flour ingredients to the butter mixture and use an electric handheld mixer to mix together really well until all is well blended.

In separate bowl add the egg whites and using a hand-mixer on high-speed to beat until stiff peaks form.

Use a spatula to gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Mix well but do not over-mix.

Evenly divide the cake batter into the prepared cake pans.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from the pans. Cool the cakes completely on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream Frosting Directions

In a large bowl, use an electric handheld mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy – 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually add in the confectioners sugar and continue to mix. Add milk, vanilla, salt and continue mixing. If the buttercream is too thick, add more milk if needed.

Divide the buttercream in half into two separate bowls. Add a teaspoon of raspberry jam into one bowl and mix together to use for the layer of buttercream raspberry frosting.

For the bottom layer of the cake, add a layer of raspberry jam.

Pipe raspberry buttercream frosting directly into the top of the jam.

Add the second cake layer.

Frost the top and sides of the cake with the white buttercream frosting. Use a frosting piping bag to add dollops to the top of the cake with the remaining raspberry buttercream frosting.