Fresh Fruit Cake with jelly topping for Mum's Birthday
Was worried about many things that could have gone wrong...
- What if the cake is underbaked ? Burnt?
- What if it falls apart when I remove it from the cake pan?
- What if it sinks after cooling?
- What if it's tough like a cookie?
- What if I can't get a nice fuit arrangement?
- What if the jelly topping wouldn't set?
- What if everything get stuck to the cake ring?
- What if the cake dries up and hardens after putting it in the fridge?
Was really keeping my fingers crossed every step of the way & was prepared to buy a cake from the bakery if the cake didn't turn up well...
Fortunately, all these didn't happen and everything turned up quite well, except for the fact that I wasted a batch of sliced almonds when I over-toasted them.
A flea's eye-view of the cake...
10 Steps to Fruit Cake?
(Should have taken a picture every step of the way, my sis couldn't believe that I can make something like this...)
1) Sat morning: Bake a vanilla sponge cake & remove from the cake tin.
Actually thought they look good enough to be eaten already :)
No cracks, even when I removed it from the springform cake pan.
I greased the pan before pouring in the cake batter & didn't line the tin with greaseproof paper.
2) Cool the cake till room temperature, then put in the fridge.
I was afraid that the cake will dry up in the fridge, so I put the entire cake in a big "Lock&Lock" airtight container, using the cover of the container as a base for the cake.
Putting the cake into the fridge will reduce crumbs when cutting up the cake to sandwich the filling in-between.
3) Sunday Morning: Prepare fresh whipped. Whipped topping cream till stiff.
Divide into 2 portions. 1/3 for the filling to sandwich the cake. 2/3 to cover the cake.
For the filling to sandwich the cake. Chopped up some fresh fruits (kiwi, strawberry & canned peach) & mix well.
4) Cut the cake in half horizontally. I got myself a Wilton's Cake Leveler to help me get a straight cut.
5) Spread the fresh cream with fruit mix on the cake & sandwich the other half of the cake on top.
6) Spread the rest of the fresh cream to cover the cake. It doesn't matter if u can't get the cream smooth as they'll get covered up eventually by fruits on top or almond slices by the side.
7) Arrange fruits on the cake as desired. I actually tried arranging the fruits on a separate plate until I'm happy with the layout. Then I transferred the fruits to be placed on the cake.
8) Place adjustable cake ring around the cake & slowly pour instant jelly mixture over the fruits.
(Jelly Topping: Boil 200ml of water with 50g of sugar. Add 10g of instant jelly power. Stir well till you get a clear solution. Let the jelly mixture cool a little first before gently pouring over the fresh fruits using a spoon.)
Cover up & put cake into fridge for jelly topping to set.
9) 2 hours later, jelly topping has set. Remove cake from cake ring...
Fortunately, whipped cream around the cake has also set, so I didn't get a messy cake ring with cream all over... The side of the cake looked pretty smooth :)
10) Finally, cover the sides of the cake with toasted almond slices.
Tata.... A beautiful fruit cake for my mama...
Half the battle won... Now waiting for the taste test...
After the dinner feast, birthday song, birthday wishes, cutting the cake & finally the taste test...
The Verdict:
Yummy... Cake was still soft & spongy, even when it was placed in the fridge for about 2 days. Not too sweet. The filling of fresh cream with fresh fruits was yummy! Just the right amount, not too thick, like a lot of cakes from the bakery. (Sometimes, there's more cream than cake. I usually scrape away the cream & just eat the cake.) Fresh fruits & jelly topping... Hmm... Everything's just right....
Perfect! I may be baised cause of all the effort I've put in :)
But from all the praises & the clean plates, it must be good!
Now, my sis, SQ, has requested for an ice-cream cake next week for her birthday...
The question is how to make sure the cake doesn't melt during our 30 mins journey?
Well, I can definitely make an ice-cream cake.... Love the challenge :)
But I just wonder if my sis will be happy with her cake that melts....
Let's see...
hey can find out what brand of whipping cream did u get and how much to whip it that is enough for the whole cake?
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteBased on my very limited cake decorating experience, I've used non-diary top whipping cream from the supermarket. I've also used the same whipping cream for making ice-cream. I've read that they're easier to cream than dairy ones. About 250ml of cream will be sufficient to sandwich & cover a 9-inch cake.