Friday 29 July 2011

Fresh Fruit Cream Cake

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For the longest time I've wanted to try making one of these magnificent patisserie-style cakes typically found in Chinese bakeries, and earlier this week my friend Yishyene gave me the perfect excuse to experiment as she celebrated her birthday and happened to LOVE fruit, LOVE cream and HATE chocolate.

The result: almost a success! Although everyone else seemed very impressed by it I personally found it lacked sweetness and depth of flavour, so the recipe below includes what I think are suitable modifications which I haven't retested but should work. When I get round to making it again I'll come back and let you know :)

Feel free to use your favourite varieties of fruit for the topping- I chose strawberries, canned peaches, green grapes and canned pears simply because they were red, orange, green and... erm, translucent respectively.

Fresh Fruit Cream Cake
Makes one 8" gateau


Beat together until thick and pale:
4 egg yolks
½ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp oil


Sift and fold in:
½ cup flour
1 tbsp cornstarch
A pinch of salt

Beat until a stiff glossy meringue and fold in:
4 egg whites
¼ cup sugar
Few drops lemon juice
Pour into 2 lined 8” sandwich tins and bake 160 C fan-assisted (180 without) for 25-30 mins until skewer inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely and remove from pan.

Filling/Topping:
Using cold equipment and ingredients, whip 2 cups (500ml) double cream with ¼ cup icing sugar until floppy. Set aside half for frosting.

Thoroughly drain 1 tin fruit cocktail (or chopped up strawberries, mango, whatever fruit you want etc). Pat dry further with kitchen towels.


Stir the chopped fruit into the other half of cream and spread over one layer of sponge.

Top with other layer, then coat top and sides with rest of cream. (Tip: spread a very thin layer first all over the cake as a crumb catcher, to make frosting smoother and easier)

If using canned fruit like I did, drain thoroughly using a sieve.


Decorate the top with fruit as desired and the sides with chopped almonds. Dust with icing sugar. Chill for at least a few hours before serving.

11 comments:

  1. Hi Samantha, I LOVE your blog! I especially love your photos and creative presentation. I made the fruit cream cake today and it was a real hit all the way here in New Zealand. The recipe looked complicated but was so quick & easy once I had measured out everything. I will definitely make it again.

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    1. Hi Audrey! Thanks for the kind words, very glad the recipe turned out for you and was enjoyed in NZ!:)

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  2. Thank you for this recipe, it is really helpful.

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  3. How much in grams in 1/4 cup?

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    1. Hi Ravi,

      It depends on the ingredient. 1/4 cup granulated sugar is 50 grams, 1/4 cup flour is about 30 grams.

      Hope that helps!

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  4. Hello! I was going to bake this cake for my friend. But I have to bring the cake to school-just wondering whether the cake can survive in the heat of a Singaporean classroom for one or two hours before we partake of its creamy, fruity goodness? Thank you!

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    1. Hi! Yes it should be fine for a couple of hours as long as you make sure it is chilled well beforehand. I would recommend maybe making it the night before and letting it refrigerate overnight.

      Happy baking!

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  5. Hi Samantha,

    Great recipe, going to make it asap! Just a quick question, is the flour plain or self-raising? And would it better to use one or the other?

    Thank you!

    Kris

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    Replies
    1. Hi Kris! Any recipe that says just "flour" refers to normal plain flour, not self-raising :)

      Different cakes need different types so there isn't a "better" one really, just depends.

      Good luck, let me know how it turns out!

      Regards,
      Sam

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    2. Hi Samantha,

      Thank you for explaining that.

      I'm a novice at baking but have recently discovered a passion for it.

      I will let you know how it goes.

      Kind Regards,

      Kris

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  6. Hi Samantha ,
    Do I need to cool the cake completely inverted? I had tried other recipes without inverting it & the cake sank :(

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