Summer … sort off
I have previously made a version of red berries soup as an ice cream cake with separate layers of strawberry sorbet and rhubarb sorbet. Now it’s a cake.
The cake is both sweet and slightly tart and is not too heavy, when the first piece is eaten. Then you can sneak some leftover home with you … if there is any more left.
RED BERRIES LAYER CAKE
8-10 SERVINGS.
MOUSSE:
200 G RHUBARB (FROZEN CAN EASILY BE USED)
100 G STRAWBERRY (SAME APPLIES AS ABOVE)
100 G SUGAR
4 SHEETS GELATINE
JUICE OF ½ LEMON
3 DL. HEAVY CREAM 38%
SEEDS OF 1 VANILLA POD
25 G ICING SUGAR
Start with the mousse so it can set a little before use.
Soak the gelatine in cold water for a minimum of 10 min.
Cook a compote of strawberries, lemon juice and sugar for 5-10 minutes until the fruit is soft and tender. (Use only frozen berries, then drain about half of the juice afterwards, otherwise the mousse will be too soft)
Blend the compote.
Knead the water out of the housebreaking and melt it in the puree.
Pour the mixture into a low bowl and place it in the fridge until the puree is just a bit cooler than your finger.
Cut the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a knife.
Beat cream, vanilla seeds and icing to soft peaks.
Gently fold the whipped cream together with the puree without knocking too much air out.
Put the mousse in a piping bag and place it in the fridge while you make the sponge.
SPONGES:
4 L EGGS
120 G SUGAR
60 G FLOUR
60 G POTATO STARCH
½ TSP. BAKING POWDER
½ TSP. RED FOOD COLOURING GEL
Whisk eggs and sugar for 10 min at high speed, this is easiest in a stand mixer, to a thick and airy cream.
Heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
Line a large baking sheet with baking paper.
Weigh the eggs and divide it into two equal parts two different bowls.
Make two bowls with 30 g potato starch, 30 g flour and 1/4 tsp. baking powder in each.
Take a few teaspoons. of the egg mixture from the bowl and place it in a separate bowl. Mix it with the colour, so they are well mixed together without lumps of colour.
Return the colored mixture to the larger portion of eggs and gently mix the two. Then sift the flour mixture into. Avoid knocking too much air out of the batter.
Sift the other flour mixture into the second bowl of egg mixture, without colour and gently fold them together.
Put the two batters in each their own piping bag and pipe patterns onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Bake the sponge in the oven for 8-10 minutes. it must spring back when you lightly press down on the middle of the sponge.
Remove the sponge form the oven, sprinkle it with sugar, put a new piece of baking paper and a clean tea towel on top and flip the sponge over. Remove the baking sheet and let the sponge cool completely.
You can remove the baking paper easily by tearing strips off, to prevent holes being torn in the sponge.
Cut an edge for the cake, 4 cm high and approx. 54 cm in total, and two circles of approx. 16cm in dia.
ASSEMBLY:
Line a 18 cm. spring mould, with baking paper in the bottom and the sides with a washed and cut plastic carton. (It okay if it goes high above the edges of the mould and can be reused for future cakes.)
Place the 3,5 x 54 cm pieces of chocolate sponge close to the sides of the mould, cut a bit off the ends if necessary to make it fit.
Place the first 16 cm base in the mould and brush with a few tsp. salty liquorice syrup.
Remove the mousse from the refrigerator and pipe a layer on top of the first sponge.
Place the second sponge on top and press down slightly to seal it.
Pipe the rest of the mousse on top, it will reach over the edge of the cake, so it is important that the sponge is close to the sides of the mould.
Smooth out the top of the mousse and chill the cake until it is completely set, preferably overnight.
DECORATION:
FRESH RASPBERRIES
SMALL MERINGUE
EDIBLE FLOWERS
CHOPPED ALMONDS
2 TSP. RASPBERRY JAM STIRRED WITH WATER AND WARMED UP
Wash and cut raspberries into half.
Brush the raspberry pieces with the jam mixture, it seals the berries and they do not dry out so easily.
Wash the edible flowers.
Decorate the cake with raspberries, meringues, chopped nuts and flowers.