Birthday cake adventures

Pretty? Yeah, that's what I thought and that's where I went wrong. 

I chanced upon this beautiful Pink cake with Aqua cream topping (well, the original cake had a Tiffany-blue frosting, which is almost the same) and I fell in love with how pretty it looked. So mesmerised I was with it that I chose to ignore the core ingredient in the cake - Maraschino cherries. 

Really? Maraschino cherries? Cocktail cherries? Even with alcohol they taste medicinal - a cake with Maraschino cherries? What was I thinking?

Well, I obviously hoped the baking process and the combination of the cherries with butter, flour, sugar and almond meal would transform it somehow.

I decided to make this cake for my own birthday earlier this week (there really is nothing wrong with making your own birthday cake, I believe). As expected, the cake looked fabulous. 

But, what of the taste? 

Well, lets just say you have to LOVE Maraschino cherries to like this cake. Love, not like. I don't and so I didn't enjoy the cake at all. The flavour of those cherries are just too strong. But, taste is subjective and I suppose if you've tried and like cherry cola, you might like this cake (for it does taste an awful look like it). 

Owww! Happy Birthday, Me! What, now? What was I to do with a whole cake I didn't like? At all?

More importantly, what cake was I going to eat on my birthday? I had no choice. I had to make another one because what's a birthday with no cake, right?

This time, I decided not to experiment with strange flavours but to stick to the familiar. Raspberries (yum), coconut (yum, yum) and lemon curd (oh, so yum). Couldn't go that wrong with that right?

Thankfully, the second cake was a good one.

I'll start with the frosting - simple whipped cream with lemon curd. Light-ish and not too sweet with the tang of lemon. Yum. 

The cake was moist and not too sweet. Loaded with raspberries - I used frozen whole raspberries, chopped roughly AND some puree and combined with shredded coconut (unsweetened), this cake was a vast improvement from the cherry disaster even if it didn't look quite so vibrant.

So, all's well that ends well - I had my cake and ate it too! And now I'm left with another which I have no idea what I'm going to do with. 

Sunday Tea: Victoria Sponge

Before I try my hand at making a classic cake, I do a lot of research first. This pleasant Sunday (it was muggy, but I was so glad it wasn't scorching like it was during the week) I decided to make the classic Victoria Sandwich, also known as the Victoria Sponge, for tea. 

I read at least a dozen recipes and incorporated tips from the best of them to make my own version of the dessert - Mary Berry, Dan Lepard and Felicity Cloake had my three favourite recipes. I was sure I'd end up with a superb cake. 

I did. It was very, very fine. So fine that I actually had a sit-down tea - just me, my tablet, my cake and a cup of freshly brewed spiced tea. 

The husband? Sleeping upstairs. You snooze, you loose, buddy! 

The key to making a great Victoria Sponge is getting the sponge cake right. Since Felicity Cloake (in her 'How to make the perfect ...' column in The Guardian) had already done the hard bit by testing various techniques out, I followed her recipe ... almost to a T. You can view her recipe here.

The secret? You have to measure the eggs (in their shells) first. Then, using the weight of the eggs as a guide, you measure equal portions of flour, sugar and butter. My three eggs weighed 192gms and so I measured 192gms (or thereabouts) of self-raising flour, sugar and butter. 

For the method though, I referred to master baker Dan Lepard. I was intrigued by his technique which I'd never come across before.

The usual method I use when making most cakes is pretty straightforward: first cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffy; then add the eggs one at a time till incorporated and then fold in the flour, baking powder and salt (sieved and whisked together). 

Lepard uses a different method. 

He creams the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. But ... BEFORE adding the eggs, he adds 1/3 of the flour (minus the baking powder and salt). This, he says, is an old baking technique that makes the cake a little more moist. Once the flour is mixed into the butter and sugar mixture, you add the eggs and then the remaining flour + baking powder + salt.

More moist? I had to try it. 

My cake turned out super moist! Lovely.

The next step to a fabulous Victoria Sandwich is the jam. Traditionally, raspberry jam is used. I used strawberries - they're cheaper and just as delicious.  

To make the jam, I washed and hulled the strawberries and then combined them with some sugar and a little water and cooked them over low heat until the fruit and it's juices become one gooey, sweet mush. 

Now Lepard's Victoria Sandwich has only jam as a filling. Some versions use cream. I decided to use jam and buttercream because ... well, I had some leftover buttercream from a cake I made a couple of days ago and also because buttercream lasts longer than cream. 

I may like the cake but I wasn't going to eat the whole thing in a day. Not even two. So, it needed to keep.

Just a little buttercream. A thin layer of sweetness to counter the tart jam (my strawberries were not all that sweet).

And there you have it. A lovely cake that's perfect for a lazy Sunday!