OMG! I am actually posting as I planned on the first day of 2019! Whoopie! Well done, Me! LOL. Now I hope that is a harbinger of the year to come ;-)
First, let me start with wishing you all a wonderful and fulfilling year ahead. My wish to you is that this year be full of Life for you - with all its twists and turns - so you may grow stronger, happier and more positive. At the end of 2019, I wish you may look back on the year and say how much better you are then than you were today! For that, I do believe a good dose of all things in the emotional spectrum is needed. In the end, we will remember the happiness and forget the rest as that is indeed survival but there is no happy without the opposite. So, I wish you everything, and a big ladle of joy that will help you live the life of your dreams!
Now about my Day 1 of the year. I managed to get time for myself! A huge accomplishment. I went for a run, I baked this cake (baked actually the night of 31st and finished today), which, is one that has been on my list for three years now. It is the simplest way I have seen to make a sponge cake that is light, airy and amazing!
The thing is I have a particular fantasy of a cake. The first decadent slice I had was one from the Taj Hotels in Chennai and that cake was oh so light, fluffy and evenly spaced with cake and filling/frosting. Every cake I have eaten since then has been measured up to that one memory. Perhaps, it is flawed; perhaps the taste in my memory was enhanced by the fact that it came from a luxury hotel cafe that was light years beyond our reach at the time; perhaps it was not. I have actually gone back (since growing up and getting a $ pay job) to cafes in Taj Hotels and have not been able to replicate that experience. That is until I had this cake for the first time, three years ago in Ireland. I won’t lie, it is not the exact match of my memory but it is the closest I have gotten to, and it is pretty close close.
And, why did it then take so long to recreate, you ask. Oh well… you know life… then i was strictly GF for a while and I would not use premade GF flours, just my own mix of oat and almond. And, it needs a super fine mix to get the right texture. If in Europe, I recommend using 00 flour, which, is finer than the AP flour we get here. I have not tried it with maida (also a finer grind); when I do I will update.
So, before, time runs out.. let me post the recipe.
And again,
I wish you a Very Full 2019 Filled with Life and More Life!
LEMON VICTORIA LAYER CAKE
WITH LEMON CURD FILLING AND MASCARPONE FROSTING
Notes: I have listed below the original recipe. My version here actually was made with duck eggs - 4 yolks and 2 whites, which made for a very rich cake and not as airy as you would get with hen eggs because of the lesser amount of whites and fat content of duck eggs. If you have access, I would still recommend duck eggs or pastured fed hen eggs (again the original recipe that used eggs from the family chickens), as the flavor is divine!
Ingredients
4 whole eggs (hen or duck)
4 oz fine flour
4 oz white sugar'
zest of 1 lemon
Directions
Preheat oven to 375F (400F for non-convection).
Whip the eggs and sugar together till tripled in volume and very very very pale yellow. Another test is if the mixture flows in ribbons when poured on itself. You can test with the whisk. {If you use less whites, it will not triple but the pale yellow and ribbon texture still hold}.
Add the lemon zest. Gently and quickly fold in the flour in three parts making sure it is fully mixed. Use quick strokes and as few as possible to protect the airiness of the batter.
Pour into a prepared 8 inch tins (or two if you don’t fancy slicing).
Bake for 15-20 minutes until springy and golden on top. Cool on rack fully before slicing or frosting.
Frosting & Filling
1/2 cup lemon curd (recipe here)
4T + 5T mascarpone
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 T powdered sugar
dark chocolate flakes (optional)
To make the lemon curd filling, whip together lemon curd, 4 tablespoons mascarpone and 2 T of the heavy cream till fully mixed and thick.
To make the frosting, whip the remaining heavy cream, mascarpone and powdered sugar till thick. The mixture suddenly turns from whipped cream texture to buttercream texture. Keep an eye out and stop as soon as you get to butter cream consistency.
To Assemble
Slice the cake in half if baked in one pan. Spread the filling on the bottom cake later, slightly thicker in the center, paring to the edges. Gently place the top layer and spread the frosting on top. Sprinkle the chocolate flakes on top and you are done!
