Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Strawberry Layer Cake: Finally I did it!


I had a love at first sight, at the moment that I saw this cake on the cover of Vogue E+T issue: October/ November 2008, I thought “it’s a very beautiful cake”. And after I read the recipe I's so sure that it'll be the great cake too. The strawberry, mascarpone, the almond cake and amaretto, they will be perfect companion to each other.
I really want to make it but I just couldn’t find any good strawberry at that time so this project was on hold for almost a month now. Last Sunday, my brother went to supermarket and I told him to buy me strawberries if they were good and finally I had strawberry to make this cake. But forgot to tell him how many strawberry that I want, >*<, so I had only 250 g of strawberry, not enough to make the full recipe.

So, I had to make only half of the recipe and I made a mistake again. The original recipe uses 23 cm cake tin and the right size for the half recipe is 18 cm, but I used 15 cm, so you can see that my cake is very very hight, haha. But in the good way it’s a luxury sky high cake! (Actually I try to accept this idea but my cake was too high and it collapsed when I cut it, what a shame! So, please don’t make the same mistake, ^ ^). Beside from all the wrong things which cause by me, the cake is so great. The almond cake is good when paring with the strawberry, the strawberry jam and the mascarpone. I love the smell of the marzipan and the amaretto they are so great together, and the white chocolate ganache makes this cake perfect. Anyway I made full recipe of the white chocolate ganache, you can make only half of it, but for me more chocolate mean more delicious.

Adaptation from: Vogue E+T issue: October/ November 2008
Strawberry Layer Cake
Makes 18 cm (2-layers cake)

FOR DECORATING

60 g
strawberry jam, warmed (I used reduced sugar strawberry jam)
200g
strawberries, hulled, halved (or cut into thin slice if large)
3
pesticide-free pastel pink roses (I couldn’t find them, so I use the paper flower instead)
1
egg white

Caster sugar, to dust
80ml
pouring cream
1 teaspoon
glucose syrup
175g
Lindt white chocolate, finely chopped


ALMOND CAKES

3
eggs at room temperature, separated
110g
caster sugar
35g
marzipan, grated
⅛ teaspoon
cream of tartar
75g
cake flour


FILLING

5g
gelatine
30 ml
amaretto liqueur
60g
caster sugar
50g
Egg yolk
70 g
egg white
250g
mascarpone


Preheat oven to 180°C

For cakes, grease 2 x 18cm shallow cake tins and line bases with baking paper. Using an electric mixer, whisk yolks, 85g sugar, marzipan and ½ tablespoon water on high speed for 3 minutes or until mixture has tripled in volume. Transfer to a large bowl.
In a clean bowl, whisk whites and cream of tartar on high speed until soft peaks. Gradually beat in remaining sugar until stiff and glossy.


Add 2 large spoonfuls of meringue to egg-yolk mixture sift over flour and stir in. Gently fold in remaining meringue. Divide batter between tins, then spin tins to level batter.


Bake for 18 minutes, swapping shelves halfway through cooking, or until cakes spring back when pressed gently. Cool in tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks.


For filling, soak gelatine 3tsp of Amaretto. Meanwhile, place liqueur and 30g sugar in a small pan and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Add gelatine and stir until dissolved.


Using an electric mixer, whisk liqueur mixture with yolks until combined. Add the yolk mixture into the mascarpone, whisk until just thick, then transfer to a large bowl.


In a clean bowl, whisk whites to soft peaks. Gradually add remaining sugar and whisk until stiff. Fold meringue into mascarpone mixture in 2 batches.
Grease, then line base and side of a 18cm springform tin with baking paper (I used the plastic cake side cover). Place one cake in tin the right way up and brush with half the jam.



Stand strawberry halves upright and slightly apart so cut sides touch perimeter of tin, fill the centre with the rest. Carefully spoon mascarpone mixture over strawberries, filling the gaps. Level top, then knock tin gently on a work surface to remove air pockets. Brush remaining jam over second cake, then place, jam-side down, over filling. Cover tin with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to firm.

Brush rose petals and brush each lightly with egg white, then dust generously with sugar. Place on a wire rack to dry for 4 hours or overnight at room temperature.

For white chocolate ganache, bring pouring cream and glucose to the boil in a small saucepan, remove from heat, then stir in chocolate until melted. Place pan over a bowl of iced water and stir occasionally until mixture is the consistency of double cream.


To serve, release cake from tin, remove paper and slide onto a plate. Pour ganache over the top and spread to cover, allowing a little drip down the side. Return cake to the fridge for 30 minutes to firm, then decorate with sugared rose petals.


Strawberry Layer Cake: Finally I did it!

I have been tagged by Elinluv at Elinluv's tidbits corner to write this meme ….7 facts about myself :)
This is the second times that I have been tagged (^_^).

Are you ready to know me ?

1. I have a lot of cookbooks, last year when I started my blog I had about 300 but now there are about 400+, I don't know why they grow so fast. Now my best friend told me to stop buying Haha. I had to make a promise not to buy any book for 3 months, and it's only one month after the promise I'm about to die !

2. Because I live with my mom and she always warn me about the baking pans and all the equipments (again I can't stop buying them), so when ever I buy new things they will be in my bedroom until I have a chance to use them. So, I end up have a lot of cake pans and cookie cutters in my bedroom and some of them sleep with me for almost 2 years now.

3. I got a driving license when I was 18, but I rarely drive and I start to forget how to drive. I always have a lot of idea in my head and I almost hit the other car so many times. So I decide I must stop driving before I hurt myself (and other people).

4. I'm still fall in love with Hello Kitty and all the Japanese manga. I don't know why people have to tell me that I'm too old for these kinds of stuff, I never think I'm old enough to resist them. ^^"

5. I addict to baking! I love to bake or cook or do something in the kitchen, actually if I didn't have a chance to cook or bake for 2 days I will have a migraine.

6. I'm not good at writing, if you saw my older blog you will know it. But I try to communicate with all the reader and I hope my writing will be better and better. I'm almost run out of thing to talk about myself now haha.

7. Last thing, the happiest moment in my life is whenever I have a good time with all of my family Mom, Dad, my brother and my sisters. I don't need anything more in the world.

I am tagging the following 7 bloggers:

1. Koy at Bake-Aholic
2. Khun Koy at Pepsakoy
3. Oum at La mia cucina
4. Kam at Cook with love bake with heart
5. P'House at "She said pastry, He said Food"
6. beansproutscafe - at beansproutscafe
7. Sorry I can't think of anyone Haha.


Here are the rules for tagging:

Link to my blog (tagger) on your blog.
Give seven facts about yourself.

Tag another seven bloggers by leaving a comment on their blogs and letting them know they were tagged and listing them (and their blogs) on your blog.

17 comments:

  1. wooo...I saw this Vogue too...it is very cute ka and ur one looks exactly the same....

    thanks for tagging ka :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. Needless to say how gorgeous your cake is...

    As for tag, I really feel ashamed that I haven't had a response on your previous tag yet! now here the second one comes..oh nooo..55

    Anyway, no promise but I will try my best !! :) Please accept my apology in advance if I can't manage to do it...

    ReplyDelete
  3. The cake is so beautiful. You are such an artist!

    ReplyDelete
  4. wow i am in awe right now. you truly have a cake making/decorating gift!!! i would be proud to serve this to anyone. i love the flower petals on top. they make it look so elegant. amazing job!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful! I don't see any mistakes, and yes, it does look luxurious! Fit for a princess :).

    ReplyDelete
  6. Awesome! Well done! And you are the most wonderful person to show us step by step how to make this cake.*hugs* and thanks for doing the meme :) Now I know you beta^*

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi, Bean sprout.
    Thank, and hope you enjoy my tag ^ ^.

    Hi, Khun Koy,
    I'll wait and wait for you (^_^).

    Hi, Marija
    Thank you.

    Hi, Joanna
    Thank you.

    Hi, Sophie
    Oh, You couldn't see it, because the worst was happen when I cut it. My cake just separated in 2.

    Hi, Elinluv
    Thank for tagging me, it's fun to talk about myself haha.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your cake is so fabulous!!

    We have something in common..guess what!!!

    thank you for tagging na ja.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is a very tall cake & it looked so yummy !

    ReplyDelete
  10. you know what Pook, I am going to self invite myself to your hse when I visit BKK. beautiful cake

    ReplyDelete
  11. May I ask one thing ka? Which template of the blog are u using? Cuz mine one it is too narrow but when I choose the strecth one...it is too wide but I saw urs is in the middle...I just couldn't find it T_T

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi, Oum
    Thank you.

    Hi, ganache-ganache
    Thank you.

    Hi Yves,
    Oh, you're welcome, just tell me when.

    Hi, Bean Sprout
    About the template, I use minima
    But I adjust the column by myself. You can do that too, I read the tip from here: http://tips-for-new-bloggers.blogspot.com/
    Pook

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is so nice! I really enjoying reading your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh wow, damn, I am speechless. This is one of my favorite cake ever. I had one so great in NYC. And could not believe how well you execute it.

    Bravo to you ka, Nong Pook. It is such an amazing cake, work, and posting.

    And thanks for tagging me na ka. P' has been busy with no day off until today ka. Hope u forgive me for that ignorance.

    I hope my Pookie will be able to bake this cake as good as you. Yum yum yum :)

    Best,

    P'House

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh shoot, I got tagged by this sister from another side of the planet.....

    what a homework to write about me !! Thanks ka, Nong Pook.

    Stay well, eat healthy, bake bake bake and please stay away from the road ka.

    ReplyDelete
  16. P Pook
    Everytime I visit your page, I always feel like seeing artist's performance. You're my real idol!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi, Missju
    Thank you so much for your compliment .
    ^ ^

    ReplyDelete

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