This delicious cake was quite popular when I was a kid, it was almost always present on our table every special occasions. I thought this is my first time to make crema de fruita at home but my sister-in-law corrected me, she told me I made one before when she was a little girl ( she’s about 19 now) and I was just learning my way through baking and cooking.
She reminded me that I made it with lady fingers (the cookies, not the veggies – okra is also called lady fingers in the southern part of US) and just like the rest of my baking/cooking experiment before, it was a disaster but we still ate the whole thing because it was yummy lol. I honestly cannot clearly recall this as I have so many mishaps in the kitchen, but I told her I remember the brownie that looked like a pudding, the pudding that looked like chocolate soup :).
My, oh, my I must be getting old..I remember saying something similar to my mom and one of my aunts and they cannot recall the memories of what I was saying too. Cest la vie! ( I’m trying to learn French ^_^)
Back to this cake, the recipe is pretty simple and like what I did the first time as mentioned this can be done without an oven, substitute lady fingers/broas/savoiardi cookies for the cake. But I suggest you brush it with the fruit cocktail syrup to soften it before doing the layering, pretty much like making tiramisu. My crema de fruita is not perfect but it’s pretty close to what I used to have both in appearance and taste 🙂
I made this for Christmas (Noche Buena) meal, but it’s great anytime or for any occasion:)
CREMA de FRUITA
recipe from Maya Kitchen’s Complete Guide to Baking
CAKE
6 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoon melted butter
FILLING
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup cake flour
2 3/4 cups fresh milk
5 egg yolks
3/4 cup water
TOPPING
1 can fruit cocktail or peaches (29-ounce), drained (reserve syrup)
1 1/2 cups fruit cocktail juice (reserved syrup plus enough pineapple juice to make 1 1/2 cups)
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin powder (I used Knox)
1 cup water
6 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon calamansi juice ( you may sub lemon juice)
HERE’S HOW:
Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. Butter/grease a 13×9-inch ovenproof glass dish. Set aside.
Prepare Cake: Beat eggs until fluffy. Add sugar and continue beating until thick. Fold in flour and salt; add the melted butter. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool. Remove cake from glass dish by inverting into the wire rack. Split cake horizontally into two.
Prepare Cream Filling: Blend all ingredients for the cream filling together in a saucepan or double boiler. Stir over low fire/heat until it thickens. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Prepare Topping: Mix all ingredients together except for the fruit cocktail. Cook until gelatin powder is completely dissolved. Cool.
ASSEMBLY:
Put back one layer of cake into the glass baking dish. Spread half of the cream filling over the cake. Top with remaining cake then spread the rest of the filling. Arrange the fruit cocktail over the cream filling. Gently pour the gelatin to cover the fruit cocktail. Chill until set.
♥ Thanks so much for reading! Have a nice day!! ♥
Crema de Fruita
Ingredients
- CAKE
- 6 EGGS
- 3/4 CUP SUGAR
- 1 1/4 CUPS CAKE FLOUR
- 1/4 TEASPOON SALT
- 4 TABLESPOON MELTED BUTTER
- FILLING
- 1 CUP SUGAR
- 1/3 CUP CAKE FLOUR
- 2 3/4 CUPS FRESH MILK
- 5 EGG YOLKS
- 3/4 CUP WATER
- TOPPING
- 1 CAN FRUIT COCKTAIL OR PEACHES 29-OUNCE, DRAINED (RESERVE SYRUP)
- 1 1/2 CUPS FRUIT COCKTAIL JUICE RESERVED SYRUP PLUS ENOUGH PINEAPPLE JUICE TO MAKE 1 1/2 CUPS
- 2 ENVELOPES UNFLAVORED GELATIN POWDER I USED KNOX
- 1 CUP WATER
- 6 TABLESPOON SUGAR
- 2 TABLESPOON CALAMANSI JUICE YOU MAY SUB LEMON JUICE
Instructions
- PREHEAT OVEN TO 325 F DEGREES. BUTTER/GREASE A 13×9-INCH OVENPROOF GLASS DISH. SET ASIDE.
- PREPARE CAKE: BEAT EGGS UNTIL FLUFFY. ADD SUGAR AND CONTINUE BEATING UNTIL THICK. FOLD IN FLOUR AND SALT; ADD THE MELTED BUTTER. POUR INTO PREPARED PAN AND BAKE FOR 15 TO 20 MINUTES. COOL. REMOVE CAKE FROM GLASS DISH BY INVERTING INTO THE WIRE RACK. SPLIT CAKE HORIZONTALLY INTO TWO.
- PREPARE CREAM FILLING: BLEND ALL INGREDIENTS FOR THE CREAM FILLING TOGETHER IN A SAUCEPAN OR DOUBLE BOILER. STIR OVER LOW FIRE/HEAT UNTIL IT THICKENS. REMOVE FROM HEAT AND SET ASIDE TO COOL.
- PREPARE TOPPING: MIX ALL INGREDIENTS TOGETHER EXCEPT FOR THE FRUIT COCKTAIL. COOK UNTIL GELATIN POWDER IS COMPLETELY DISSOLVED. COOL.
- ASSEMBLY:
- PUT BACK ONE LAYER OF CAKE INTO THE GLASS BAKING DISH. SPREAD HALF OF THE CREAM FILLING OVER THE CAKE. TOP WITH REMAINING CAKE THEN SPREAD THE REST OF THE FILLING. ARRANGE THE FRUIT COCKTAIL OVER THE CREAM FILLING. GENTLY POUR THE GELATIN TO COVER THE FRUIT COCKTAIL. CHILL UNTIL SET.