cream – Sweet Tooth Experiments

Strawberry Jelly Soaked Vanilla Cake

Strawberry Jelly Soaked Vanilla Cake recipe

If you visit my blog frequently you will recall I went on a baking journey of 15 recipes from the Australian Green & Gold cookery book published by New Holland, in which features 100’s and 100’s of traditional Australian recipes from ‘experienced housewife’s and cookery experts’.

From the 15 recipes I made 3 were key standouts that I couldn’t ignore and had to add to my Aussie traditional section on this blog.

Following the Bread Fritters and the Sago Plum Boiled Pudding my final favorite was the Strawberry Soaked Sponge Cake.

Think sponge cake with strawberries and cream…yes it’s sounds quite standard and nothing special…however, what about if I mention…the whole cake is soaked in strawberry jelly?! I’ve made cake with jelly crystals before but never poured jelly over a cake like you would a syrup cake.

I did slightly tweak the volume of some ingredients to appeal further to the current palate, but only little tweaks here and there.

This cake is a delicious sponge cake with an Aussie traditional old school twist.

Strawberry Jelly Soaked Vanilla Cake recipe

Ingredients:

40g butter, softened
1+1/2 tsn vanilla essence
240g sugar
4 eggs
170g plain flour
1+1/2 tsn cream of tartar
¾ tsn bi carbonate of soda
250ml thickened cream (200g for the filling, 50g for decoration)
10g icing sugar
200g strawberries (160g for the filling, 40g for decoration)
140g strawberry jelly crystals
700ml water

Method:

Line a 25cm cake tin with baking paper and pre heat the oven to 180c degrees.
Place the butter, vanilla and sugar into a bowl and whisk using electric beaters for 3 minutes or until thick, pale and creamy.
Add eggs, beating in between each addition for 15 minutes in total.
Sieve the flour, cream of tartar and bi carb of soda into a bowl them add the flour mix into the egg mix.
Beat the mix until the flour is only just combine and there are no lumps.
Pour the mix into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 45 -50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
After 5 minutes cooling in the tin invert the cake on a cooling rack until cold.
Using electric beaters whisk the cream and icing sugar until stiff peaks form.
Wash and dry the cake tin used for the sponge cake, spray with oil spray and line the tin with 2 pieces of plastic wrap allowing for lengthily overlap.
Make the strawberry jelly by placing the crystals in a bowl with 400ml boiling water and stir.
When crystals are dissolved add the remaining 300ml cold water and leave the jelly aside to hit room temperature.
Meanwhile, cut the cake in half horizontally and place the bottom cake layer in the lined tin, cut side up.
Cover the top of the cake layer in the tin with 100g of the thickened cream.
Cut 160g of the strawberries into slices and scatter evenly on top of the cream.
Top the strawberries with an additional 100g of thickened cream then place the second cake layer, cut side down onto the cream layer.
Push the cake a little with your hands to ensure even consistency of cream and no air bubbles.
When the jelly is cooled pour half the mix over the top of the cake slowly, ensuring even coverage, allowing for the jelly to soak into the sponge before pouring further. Leave the jelly aside for later use.
Pull the overlapped plastic wrap over the top of the cake and place the tin in the fridge to set for 2 hours.
Following, pull the plastic wrap up to release the cake from the tin. Turn the cake carefully upside-down on the plastic wrap and gently place back into the tin.
Pour the now top (previously bottom) of the cake with the remaining jelly mix and cover the cake again with the overlapping plastic wrap. Place the cake in the fridge for 2 hours to set.
To finish the cake, remove it from the tin by pulling up the plastic wrap and place the cake onto a plate.
Spread the remaining 50g of whipped cream over the top of the cake and decorate with the remaining 40g of strawberries.
Enjoy!

Strawberry Jelly Soaked Vanilla Cake recipe

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Mocha Layered Date Mousse Cake

What a journey this experimental baking session as been.

Originally I was opting to make a traditional European cake. However, after I was unable to find quite a number of ingredients the recipe called for I was left to get creative with substitute flavour pairings. I soon realized that the ingredients I used to substitute actually have no baring at all of the flavors the cake was supposed to have. Without realizing I opted for coffee, chocolate and dates in which I bake with often as they are such great complementary flavors.

In addition to completely changing the flavors I actually changed some textures as well as I found the traditional recipe too sickly sweet (even for me), also I needed textures that would highlight the flavors and layers. Lastly as I didn’t have the tin that the recipe called for I changed the structure and presentation of the cake.

Sooo….in the end after a bit of trial and error I don’t think I actually kept one original element (85% of the recipe is me making things up as I went along)…but nether less the result was a tasty moreish and unique layered cake that melts in your mouth.

Cake:

4 eggs
125g sugar
30g cocoa powder
1/2 tsn espresso coffee granules
70g plain flour

Syrup:

75g sugar
75g water
2 tsn expresso coffee granules

Ganache:

120ml cream
140g dark chocolate

Date mousse:

190g dried dates
15ml rum
200ml thickened cream
12 glace cherries

Icing:

140g cream
220g ricotta cheese
65g icing sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180c degrees and line a 30cm x 45cm baking tray with baking paper.
Using electric beaters whisk the eggs and sugar until doubled in size.
Sift the cocoa powder, coffee granules and flour into the mix and fold with a spatula until just combine.
Spoon into the tray and lightly smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.
Bake the cake for 10 minutes or until the cake springs back when you lightly touch the surface with your fingers.
Leave the cake in the tin for 5 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack. Remove the baking paper.
Meanwhile make the syrup by placing the ingredients into a pan on a medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved and the mix resembles a syrup consistency.
Leave the syrup aside to cool.
To make the ganache heat the cream up in a bowl in the microwave until boiling.
Add the chocolate to the cream, leave for 1 minute before stirring until the mix resembles a silky thick consistency.
To make the mousse, place the dates in a food processor with the rum and blitz until the mix is smooth.
Add the cream and blitz until the mix is combine well and the cream is whipped to firm peaks, leave aside.
To assemble the cake spray with oil spray and line a 15cm x 20cm high cake tin with plastic wrap, allowing for overlap.
Cut 3 cake into 3 15cm x 15cm pieces.
Place 1 cake layer into the bottom of the tin a using the remaining cake cut 2 more pieces to line 2 opposite sides of the tin moving the bottom layer slightly for a snug fit.
Using a pastry brush brush the bottom and sides of the cake layers in the tin with 2/3rds of the coffee syrup.
Spoon half the ganache on top of the bottom cake layer and level out with the back of a spoon.
Spoon half the date mousse over the ganache pop in half of the cherries and smooth with a spoon.
Add the second cake layer and push down on top of the date mousse until snug.
Brush the remaining syrup onto the cake layer.
Repeat ganache layer with the remaining mix as well as the date mousse and cherries with the remaining mix.
Top the cake with the 3^rd cake and push down until snug, place the cake in the freezer to firm.
Meanwhile make the icing by placing the ingredients into a bowl and using an electric beater whip until firm peaks form.
Pull up the plastic wrap to remove the cake from the tin and invert onto a plate, remove the wrap.
Place the icing into a piping bag with a circle nozzle and pipe 5cm dots with peaks onto the top and cake sides of the cake.
Place in the fridge for 2 hours to set.
Serve by slicing across the side with no cake to show the beautiful mousse cake and chocolate layers inside.