This cake is on the cover of the baking book, Ultimate Cake by Barbara Maher that my husband gave me years ago, but this is only the first time I have tried making it because I kept on hoping that I will eventually get my hands on fresh strawberries and raspberries which this cake has in the book but it’s so hard for me to find really good fresh strawberries and on several occasions that I did, it went straight in my mouth ( I can’t help it, I love strawberries) or in my smoothies.
I just used the next best thing I had on hand for this cake: mangoes..sweet, juicy, plump fresh carabao mangoes from the province of Pangasinan! I’d like to say that this is the best in the world but I haven’t tasted mangoes from outside my country..for me, these are the best from the Philippines..
..and this cake is the perfect summer cake, it’s very easy to make, you can even “cheat” and buy ready made sponge cake if your bakeshop has it but if you’re like me who likes baking from scratch, you should try the recipe below, it’s quite long but it’s really simple and easy enough and you can use whatever fresh berries you have for the filling.
The only thing I changed in the recipe is the fruit used and the Kirsch, I don’t have it so I used rum but for finishing the cake, I just used plain syrup (with a drop of lemon essence) because I have kids.
In France, Germany and Austria, biscuit is the customary name for light sponge cakes, suitable for layered and rolled cakes that require a firmer and slightly drier sponge ( Ultimate Cakes, p. 65)
soaked each cake layer with syrup, then lay mango on top
add whipped cream
..repeat
..et voila..tres belle gateau.. the one from the book with strawberries and raspberries is even more beautiful 🙂
BISCUIT de SAVOIE
Recipe from Ultimate Cake by Barbara Maher
Ingredients
60 g (2 oz) all-purpose flour
60 g (2oz) potato flour ( I usually substitute cornflour or cornstarch when a recipe calls for this)
180 g (6 oz) icing sugar ( confectioner’s sugar), sifted
5 eggs, separated
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dark rum
For the filling and decoration:
90 ml (6 tbsp) Kirsch-flavoured syrup ( 4 tablespoons syrup + 2 tablespoons Kirsch)
250 g (8 oz) fresh strawberries ( I replaced this and the raspeberries with 3-4 ripe mangoes)
250 g (8 oz) fresh raspberries
4 tablespoons caster sugar
450 ml heavy cream
1 tablespoon Kirsch (use rum or fruit juice as substitute or omit entirely if you have kids)
strawberry leaves and icing sugar
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease and line an 8 1/2 inch springform pan (a baking pan with removable bottom).
Here’s how:
For the cake, sift flours together three times, set aside.
Reserve 3 tablespoons of the icing sugar. Whisk the remaining icing sugar ans the egg yolks together until very light and fluffy and able to hold it’s shape for 3-4 seconds ( ribbon stage).
In another bowl, whisk the egg whites and salt into soft peaks. Sift over the reserved sugar and whisk until it forms slightly stiffer peaks; fold in the lemon juice.
Stir 2 large spoonfuls of the wgg white into the egg yolk mixture to loosen the texture. Gently fold in the flour and the rum. Carefully fold in the remaining egg whites, taking care not to knock out the air.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake in the center of the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes before invertin cake into a wire rack; Leave to cool and peel off lining paper once cooled.
To Finish The Cake:
Slice cake horizontally into three layers. Sprinkle the botto two with syrup. Place the bottom layer on a serving plate, syrup side up.
Set aside a few of the best strawberries and raspberries for the topping. Remove the stalks from the remaing strawberries and cut them into quarters. Miz the raspberries with 1 tablespoon of the caster sugar. Whip the creamm the remaining caster sugar and the Kirsch if using into stiff peaks.
Carefully spoon the quartered strawberries evenly over the bottom cake layer to within half inch of the edge. Spoon over the third of the whipped cream and spread evenly over the fruit. Cover with the second syrup-soaked layer, syrup side up. Spoon over the raspberries and spread out followed by another third of the cream. Cover with the top layer and press it down lightly so theat the fruit becomes embedded in the cream.
To decorate: Spread remaining cream evenly on top of the cake, using a palette knife ( or spatula). Arrange the reserved fruit/berries and leaves on top and dust lightly with icing sugar before serving.
This cake stays good for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. You can freeze the cake, undecorated for a month.
♥ Thanks for reading..have a nice day!! 🙂 ♥