Let’s make cakes to celebrate commencement and anniversaries 2023. We just got back from Boston, the city we’ve gone for more graduations than any other US cities. We have a lot to rejoice! The curd, cream and berry cake is not difficult to do. In many ways, the operations feel like moving along an assembly line with a number of work stations.
One for baking the cake, one for infusing the syrup, one for whipping the cream. If all goes well, you’d arrive at the end of the production line and start assembling the cake. Along each station, you may encounter challenges. Then you stop on your track, slow down or take a detour. That’s life and career, in a nutshell!
The sponge cake — This is an old-fashioned hot-milk sponge cake which manages to be both soft and sturdy. The challenge is: the 9-inch cake turns out to be so flat (about one inch in height) and does not rise too much when baked. Looks like I may not have enough batter. I feel lucky it does not fall apart when I split the cake in half. To remedy that, I’ll use an 8-inch pan next time — just to be safe.
The orange-lemon syrup — That involves making a simple syrup as you dissolve sugar in boiling water. Add lemon juice, strips of orange and lemon zest in the syrup. This can be done ahead of time.
The mascarpone cream — There are three parts to the cream: mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, whipped and the meringue. For the meringue, egg whites are beat, combined with sugar, to firm peaks. I make the meringue twice and never attains the stage of firm peaks. I use the second batch, fold it in the mascarpone and whipped cream mixture, and call it a day!
You’d expect occasional breakdowns over the course of the assembly line. There are always snags in the process. As the saying goes: expect the unexpected. It has been a long and exhaustive line of production. Yes, the chaos in the kitchen reflect that. However, I do enjoy the cake. Congratulations to all the graduates!
Curd, Cream and Berry Cake
This is a beautiful cake topped and filled with fresh berries and curd. In between the layers, mascarpone cream tastes rich and the orange-lemon syrup adds pops of flavor.
Ingredients
- FOR THE CAKE:
- 1 cup (136 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 clementine or ½ orange
- 1 lemon
- ½ cup (120 ml) milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- FOR THE SYRUP:
- ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water
- Reserved strip of clementine or orange zest (from above)
- Reserved strip of lemon zest (from above)
- Juice of ½ lemon (from above)
- FOR THE CREAM:
- 1 cup (226 grams) mascarpone
- 1 cup (240 ml) very cold heavy cream
- 2 large egg whites (60 grams), at room temperature
- ½ cup (100 grams) sugar
- FOR THE FRUIT AND CURD:
- About 1 pound (453 grams) berries, such as strawberries, hulled and cut into bite-size pieces, blueberries or raspberries, or a mix
- About ¼ cup (60 ml) lemon curd, homemade or store-bought, such as Stonewall Kitchen or Bonne Maman
Instructions
TO MAKE THE HOT-MILK SPONGE CAKE: Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. You can use a 9-inch round cake pan, one with 2-inch-high sides, or a 9-inch springform. Butter and flour the pan, or use baker’s spray.
Whisk together the flour and baking powder.
Make the citrus flavored sugar: Put the sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl that you can use with a hand mixer. Remove a strip of zest from the clementine or orange and one from the lemon and set aside for the syrup. Working over the bowl, finely grate the remaining zest from the clementine or orange and the zest from half of the lemon (set the lemon aside for the syrup). Using your hands, rub the ingredients together until moist and fragrant. Attach the bowl to the mixer stand, if using, and fit with the whisk attachment.
Make the hot milk: Put the milk and butter in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil, or do this in the microwave. Set aside for the moment—when you’re ready for it, you’re going to want it very hot, so don’t transfer it into another pan or container.
Make the batter: Add the eggs to the sugar and beat on medium-high speed for 5 minutes—the mixture will be pale and light. Beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in 3 additions, mixing only until the flour disappears before adding more. Scrape the bowl really well—get down to the bottom to make sure there are no clumps. Check that the milk-butter mixture is still very hot—if it’s not, give it more heat—and, with the mixer on low, slowly and steadily pour it into the bowl. When it appears to be incorporated, give the batter a last turn by hand and scrape it into the pan. Swivel the pan to even the batter.
Bake: Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until the cake is golden, springs back when gently prodded and is starting to come away from the sides of the pan; a tester inserted into the center of the cake will come out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and let rest for 5 minutes, then run a table knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake, if needed, and unmold onto the rack; invert the cake and allow it to cool to room temperature right side up. this point, the cake can be wrapped well and kept at room temperature
TO MAKE THE ORANGE-LEMON SYRUP: Bring the sugar, water and reserved strips of clementine and lemon zest to a boil in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar (or use the microwave). Stir in the lemon juice, and set the syrup aside until it is just warm or at room temperature. can make the syrup up to a week ahead; remove the zest and refrigerate the syrup in a covered
TO MAKE THE CREAM: Scrape the mascarpone into a large bowl and, using a flexible spatula, stir until it’s creamy and spreadable. Don’t beat it—it will tighten rather than smooth.
Working in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream until it holds medium peaks. Using the spatula, fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone. There’s no need to be thorough—you’ll be folding again in a minute.
Wash and dry the bowl and beater(s) and start beating the egg whites at medium-high speed. When the whites are foamy and opaque, begin adding the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting until each spoonful is incorporated before adding the next. When all the sugar is in, the whites should be glossy and hold firm peaks. Scrape the whites onto the mascarpone and fold everything together with a light touch.
TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Using a long slicing knife—I like one that’s gently serrated—split the cake in half. Place the bottom half cut side up on a serving platter. (If you’ve got a footed cake stand, this is a good time to pull it out.) Brush the layer with half of the syrup. Cover it with one quarter of the cream, scatter over half the berries and dot with lemon curd. Then top the fruit with one third of the remaining cream, spreading it gently. Place the top layer cut side down on the filling. Brush the cake with the remaining syrup, spread the rest of the cream over the cake—swirl extravagantly—and top with the remaining berries. Dot with the remaining curd.
You can serve the cake now, but it will taste better and slice more easily if you refrigerate it for at least 1 hour; 3 hours would be even better.
STORING: The cake is best served the day it is made.
4 Comments
Diane Zwang
May 23, 2023 at 4:20 pmSounds like cake baking is a metaphor for life. Congratulations to the graduates. I am glad to know I am not the only one with a short cake. Good idea to use a smaller pan next time. The cake is beautiful.
Kim
May 25, 2023 at 9:18 pmCongratulations to your graduates and to you with your beautiful cake! It was a celebration worthy cake for sure!
Cakelaw
June 3, 2023 at 4:36 amYour cake turned out beautifully. congratulations to your graduates.
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