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Sorry fellow blogger's, I have not had the time to look at any of your blogs. I will take a look at all your posts soon. I was also ve...

Strawberry Mascarpone Whipped Cream Cake For Little Mermaid Birthday Party

Sorry fellow blogger's, I have not had the time to look at any of your blogs. I will take a look at all your posts soon. I was also very busy preparing for my daughters birthday and keeping her busy over the winter break. For her birthday party, my daughter wanted me to bake the birthday cake. She always wants a strawberry cake with whipped cream frosting. Though I love to bake cakes, I have always had problems when it comes to baking her birthday cake. I usually order the cake from the local super market chain Vons (they make the best  fruit layered whipped cream frosting  cakes). Not this time,she told me that she believes in my baking skills and wanted me to bake it with her help. 

I think this one is the best cake I have baked so far. I thought it was a big deal when I first read the recipe because it was over whelming. I confess that I ran  into issues with the whipped cream, so I made changes to the frosting as per the advice of my little baker and all ended well. It also helped because she picked the little mermaid theme and decorating was a breeze. I must make a mention that in birthday parties most cakes are chucked into the trash. No kid eats the cake, but this one had minimum wastage and the adults enjoyed it. At the end of the day my daughter and I were very proud of our achievement.If anyone wants to bake any such cakes please give this one a try. 

I am documenting the original recipe and marked my additions in red for all those who want the original recipe. 


Recipe source from :Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake by Amy Wisniewski


Gadgets:

Electrical mixer
Bowls
Measuring cups, spoons and scale
Parchment Paper
Spring form pans 2 (9 inches)
Cake Stand
Offset Spatula
Cutting Board
Knife

Ingredients:
For the Strawberries:

Strawberries - 2 pints, rinsed and hulled (  I used 3 cups)
Granulated Sugar - 1 tbsp
Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp ( about 1.2 a lemon)
Vanilla Extract - 1 1/2 tsp
Grated Lemon Zest - 1 tsp

For the Cakes: ( Two (9 inch cakes)

Cake Flour - 2 cups
Baking Powder - 2 tsp
Kosher Salt - 1/2 tsp
Vegetable Oil - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/4 cup
Lightly Packed Lemon Zest - 1 tsp
Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp
Large Eggs - 6, separated
Granulated Sugar - 1 1/2 cups

For the Filling:

Mascarpone Cheese - 1/2 cup
Heavy (Whipping) Cream - 1/2 cup( check for fat content over 35%)

For the Frosting:

Vanilla Extract - 1 tbsp
Granulated Sugar - 6 tbsp
Heavy (Whipping) Cream - 3 cups
1 cup mascarpone cheese (my addition)

For Decorating:

Mermaid Doll 
Sugar toppings that go with little mermaid theme (Michael's)
Wilton's Blue granulated sugar

Preparation:( as per the original recipe)

Strawberry Preparation: 


Combine all ingredients in a medium nonreactive mixing bowl and toss to thoroughly coat strawberries. Let macerate at room temperature at least 20 minutes before using. Strain macerated berries and reserve syrup separately.

Cake Preparation:

Heat oven to 350°F and arrange rack in upper third. Butter and flour two 8-inch( I used 9 inch) cake pans. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a mixing bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, combine vegetable oil, water, lemon zest, vanilla extract, egg yolks, and 1 1/4 cups of the sugar. Whip on medium speed, until mixture is airy and light in color, about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl; add dry ingredients and whip until smooth, about 1 minute more.

In a clean bowl, whip egg whites to medium peaks. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute more. Using a rubber spatula, fold 1/4 of the egg whites into the cake batter until evenly incorporated; gently fold in remaining egg whites until just combined.

( I used a spring form cake pan. Lined the base with the parchment paper and the sides I coated with some butter.)
Divide batter between prepared cake pans. Bake until surface of cakes springs back when pressed and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Remove cakes from the oven, and let cool 15 minutes. Run a knife around the perimeter of each, and turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely. Meanwhile, make the filling and the frosting.

For the filling:

Combine mascarpone cheese and heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and whip until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the frosting: 

(note: the heavy whipping cream from Costco does not have the required fat content and I ran into issues with the consistency of whipped cream. The fat content over 35% works well and so to stabilize the frosting I added mascarpone cheese)



Place the cleaned bowl of the stand mixer and the whip attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes. ( I had it in the freezer for 1 hour) 

Combine vanilla extract, sugar, mascarpone cheese and heavy cream in the chilled bowl and whip at medium speed until medium peaks form, about 2 minutes. 

Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least one hour. (The frosting can be prepared upto 12 hours ahead.)

To assemble:

Using a long serrated knife, trim the tops of the cakes as necessary so they are level. Place cake rounds on a clean, dry surface and, using a pastry brush, brush 1/2 of the reserved strawberry syrup on the cut side of the first cake round; repeat on the cut side of the second cake round.




Evenly spread 1/4 of the mascarpone filling over the cut side of the bottom cake layer. Arrange strawberries standing upright, stem end down, over the mascarpone layer and trim as necessary to create an even layer. Cover berries with the remaining filling, being sure to fill in any empty space.

Place second cake layer over mascarpone and strawberries, cut side down, pressing gently to secure it. Using an offset spatula or a long, thin spatula, spread 3/4 cup of the frosting in a thin layer over the top and sides of the cake. Return remaining frosting and cake to the refrigerator until frosting on cake is set, about 15 minutes.

Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides of the cake. Let sit in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before serving. ( I kept mine for over an hour)









For Decorating:
Using the offset spatula make wave like flicks on the icing to get wave like effect.

Place the mermaid doll in the middle and arrange the sugar toppings as per your kids wishes. Sprinkle the blue sugar all over the cake to mimic the water/ ocean. Place it back in the for over an hour and then serve it.

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One of the most important things while entertaining (which I was doing the whole of last month) is having a variety of things on the menu ...

Cauliflower Peas Curry / Poriyal

One of the most important things while entertaining (which I was doing the whole of last month) is having a variety of things on the menu which are simple to whiz up in small portions. It is usually these simple things that most people appreciate a lot and makes it very enjoyable to entertain. This afternoon, I made cauliflower and peas curry to go with molagu or pepper kozhambu for my uncle and aunt. Cooking cauliflower sounds very simple. It can be cooked very well or half cooked to maintain a crunch. There is a fine line to have it well cooked and still have it crunchy. When I started preparing it, I was wondering if there was a technique to achieve this easily. I think cooking in a iron wok a little over medium heat helps to maintain  the moisture and still keeps the crunch.


Gadgets:

Cutting Board
Knife
Wok
Spatula
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Bowl
Colander

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 1 medium size cut into uniform small flowers
Peas - 1/2 cup
Cilantro - 1/4 cup chopped
Green Chilies - 2
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Udad Dhal - 2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt
Turmeric Powder - 1/8th tsp

Preparation:

1. Cut the cauliflower ( soak it in warm water with salt if in India) and wash it well.

2. Heat a heavy bottom wok with oil a little over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and allow it to pop. Add the udad dhal and green chilies.

3. When they get lightly toasted. Add the cauliflower to it and cook them on medium heat.

4. Add salt and turmeric powder to it and mix well. Add peas and cook until the cauliflower is cooked well and it has a bite but does not turn mushy.

5. Add chopped cilantro and keep tossing it and serve it hot with rice, roti or as a salad.



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