Ribbon Jewel Cakes

These cookies are a pain to make, because of the multiple layers and because of the way the cake layers are baked - you turn a 13 x 9 cake pan upside and spread the somewhat sticky batter on that. It helps to have a good icing spatula that you can use to spread the batter and to spread the fillings. They are worth the trouble, though, because they look nice on the tray and they are yummy!

RIBBON JEWEL CAKES

4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted flour
1 cup dairy sour cream
1/2  cup red raspberry preserves
1/2 cup apricot preserves

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Bring eggs to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350. Separate eggs, placing whites into a medium bowl. Beat until stiff. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks all at once; beat well. Stir in flour then fold in egg whites. Butter and lightly flour an inverted 13 x 9 baking pan. Measure 2/3 cup batter, spread with a spatula almost to the edge of the pan (a long icing spatula like the one pictured here works best). Bake for 7 - 10 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Remove layer from pan to wire rack and cool (the icing spatula can slide under the layer, loosening it to slide it onto the wire rack). Repeat this baking process 4 more times. Assemble the cooled layers as shown in the illustration (beige = cake, white = sour cream, pink = raspberry and orange = apricot). Once the layers are assembled, cover the top layer with a sheet of waxed paper, then place the cake pan, right side up, on top of the pile. Put something heavy, like a large book or two bricks, into the pan and let it press the layers together for about an hour. Using a serrated knife, gently trim the edges into a smooth rectangle, then ice with confectioners sugar icing, using food coloring to make it pink. Let the icing set up for about 1/2 hour, then score the icing on the diagonal in both directions. Use these lines as your guide to cut the cake in even pieces. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or freeze for up to 3 months.