Friday, September 19, 2014

strawberry cloud cake

I made a cake today.

That, in itself, is not a surprise.

Then I took a bite. And it made my toes curl. And I let out a small, satisfied grunt.
Of pure pleasure.

It was unbelievable!

This is one of the most beautiful cakes I have ever made. And, yet, probably one of the simplest.

Because, you see, it is a cloud cake.

And you don't need an oven to make this cake.
God I love everything about this cake - the process of making the cake, the lovely shades of pink, the marshmallowy texture, the smell of the fresh strawberries, and of course, how beautiful it looks.

And it took me all of 20 minutes to make this lovely, lovely cake.

Here's how.

In a food processor, I blitzed the graham crackers. You can use any type of sweet biscuits. I always have graham crackers in my pantry so that was what I used.
Into this, I added melted butter, desiccated coconut and cinnamon.
I really love this combination. The smell of the coconut. Hmmmm. :)

I transferred this into a lined and greased Spingform pan and using a flat bottom cup, I pressed the crumbs down.
This was placed in the fridge to chill.

I hulled and sliced the strawberries and set them aside.
In a mixing bowl, I whisked together egg whites and sugar.
I added vanilla extract and lemon juice.
Then the strawberries.
And beat on high speed for 5-6 minutes, until the mixture is REALLY fluffy, and all the sugar had dissolved.
I poured the mixture into the pan.
And using a spatula, I smooth the top as best as I could.
I covered the top with a piece of baking paper and this was placed in the freezer to chill for at least 4 hours.

To serve, I simply topped it with berries and sprinkle on some icing sugar.
I love Annabel Langbein's recipes. To date she is one of my favourite cooks because her recipes are down-to-earth, simple and totally easy to follow.

And they work every time.

Don't have an oven? No problem.

Never made a cake before? No worries.
Now you can. :)

The very fantastic folks at Tovolo would like to give away a set each of the Tovolo Star Pop molds and the Groovy Pop Molds with 2 readers of The Domestic Goddess Wannabe! To participate in the giveaway, click on the pictures below!

RECIPE
Strawberry Cloud Cake (Serves 10-12)
Adapted from Annabel Langbein

Ingredients:
For the base:
150g plain sweet biscuits - I used graham crackers
½ cup *46.5g) desiccated coconut
1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
100g unsalted butter, melted

For the filliing:
2 egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) sugar - I reduced this to 3/4 cup
250g (1 punnet) ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract

To garnish:
fresh raspberries
fresh blueberries
fresh blackberries
icing sugar

For the berry syrup:
3 cups raspberries, fresh or thawed from frozen
½ cup caster sugar
2 tbsp water

Method:
For the base:
Line the base of a 26-28cm spring form cake tin (I used a 10-inch Springform pan) with baking paper or waxed paper. This makes it easy to lift the cake out later.

Make the base by putting the biscuits in a brown paper bag and crushing them into crumbs by beating carefully with a rolling pin. Pour the crumbs into a medium bowl and add the coconut, cinnamon and melted butter. Stir well to combine.

Press firmly into the base of the prepared tin. It doesn’t need to be a thick layer – just enough to cover the bottom of the tin. Refrigerate the base while you prepare the filling.

For the filling:
Place egg whites, sugar, sliced strawberries, lemon juice and vanilla in the clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high speed for about 6-8 minutes until the mixture is very thick and fluffy and the sugar has dissolved. To test whether it is ready, rub a bit of the mixture between your fingers. You should not feel any gritty sugar. If you do, beat a little longer.

Spoon the filling over the chilled base, smooth the top, cover with a sheet of baking paper and freeze for at least 4 hours. The cake will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month.

To serve, cut cake into wedges using a knife that has been warmed in hot water. Garnish with fresh raspberries on top and drizzle with Berry Syrup to serve.

For the berry syrup:
Put the berries in a pot and add the sugar and water. Bring to a simmer. Remove the pot from the heat and press the berries through a sieve or mouli to extract the juice and remove the pips. Berry Syrup will keep for up to 10 days covered in the fridge.

Note: I omitted the berry syrup.
Also: I use organic eggs bought from a source I trust. I also use them while they are very fresh. If you are worried about using raw eggs, you can always look for pasturised egg whites, or skip baking this cake altogether - I understand it is not for everyone!

"Raw Egg Whites  Although it is possible for Salmonella to be in both the white and the yolk of the egg, the white does not readily support bacterial growth. Cold soufflés, mousses, and chiffons containing raw beaten whites require refrigeration to maintain their character, and added safety factor. Such dishes might be considered low risk for healthy individuals." Source: here.

6 comments:

  1. A very beautiful and tempting cake. However, I noticed that the egg whites weren't cooked in anyway. I am always not comfortable with using uncooked eggs in my food. I really need some convincing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HI Veronica, actually eggs are very safe as long as you purchase from a reliable store and store them properly. many chocolate mousse recipes use raw whites too!

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  2. only egg white? so amazing. I think I have to try it out!

    ReplyDelete