Celebrate the New Year with Champagne Cake

Champagne bottles are popping for New Year's, so last night I thought about Madonna Inn's Pink Champagne cake. I found a Pink Champagne cake and a Bavarian cream recipe to try out. The result...oh my! These two together go so well. This is to be a repeat cake for other occasions.
The cake is similar to a white cake with a slight champagne flavor. The cream taste great just on it's own. It is similar to vanilla pudding but a little sweeter.

Pink Champagne Cake
(recipe from Los Angeles Times by Rose Dosti)
2 3/4 cups sifted flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup champagne (I used a Sweet Rose sparkling wine)
6 egg whites (save yolks for Bavarian cream)

1 Resift flour, baking powder, and salt.
2 Cream shortening and 1-cup sugar until fluffy.
3 Add flour mixture alternatively with the champagne and mix until smooth.

4 Beat egg whites on high speed until stiff. Gradually add 1/2-cup sugar and continue to beat until stiff.

5 Fold half of the meringue into the batter and mix gently with a whisk. Gently fold remaining meringue.
6 Pour into prepared cake pans and bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes.

Bavarian Cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 heavy cream
1 tablespoon gelatin
3 tablespoon milk
1/4 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups whipped cream

1 Mix vanilla and heavy cream. Sprinkle gelatin into milk and set aside.
2 Whisk yolks and sugar together. Warm the cream mixture and slowly whisk into eggs.
3 Place mixture over simmering water and stir until it is thick enough to coat a wooden spoon.
4 Remove from heat and add milk and gelatin mixture.
5 Place bowl in an ice bath and stir until it is at room temperature.
6 Fold in whipped cream and refrigerate for 4 or 5 hours until mixture is set.

I made three 6" round pans and 5 cupcakes with the batter. I spread some Bavarian cream in between each layer. Then covered the cake with buttercream and added pink chocolate pieces, to make it pretty like Madonna Inn's cakes. :)