Peach & Raspberry Mousse Cake

Adora is a wonderful friend of mine and I've been baking cakes for her more times than I can remember. Not all cakes have been a blessing and more often than not, I haven't been able to try the cakes myself. :/ Risky business.

I didn't get to try this cake from Whisk Kid but it sure looked and sounded wonderful.

I'd like to try it again and do a better mousse filling. I kinda whipped my cream a tad too long so some of it curdled. It was still spreadable but not all fluffy and stuff. Here again expensive ingredients were called into play: Peaches and Raspberries. I'll have to find alternative ingredients. :/

I'm not too sure of the icing. Italian/Swiss/French Meringue Buttercream always seems so tricky. This time it was Italian. Very sweet on it's own but not sure what it was like with the cake.

The cake was a cream cake. Terribly unhealthy but tasted real good. Cake flour is the difference. I'll do another blog post explaining differences between the flours we use in cake. Cake flour has a distinct smell and taste. But it sure does make fluffy cakes more sturdy for things like stacking.

Anyway, I really should get down to the recipe...Here's Adora's Birthday cake:

INGREDIENTS

Cake

• 1 3/4 cup cake flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 yolks
• 3 tbsp buttermilk

METHOD

Cake

1. Grease and flour 2 7" round tins
2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside
3. In a large cold bowl (I put mine in the freezer for about 10mins) whisk the cream and vanilla until soft peaks form
4. Reduce mixer to low speed and add sugar; whisk until incorporated but NOT until stiff peaks form
5. Add the eggs and yolks and whisk until well incorporated but still forming soft peaks
6. In three additions, whisk in the dry ingredients and mix well
7. Finally fold in the buttermilk
8. Divide the batter equally between the tins and bake in a pre-heated 175 degrees C oven for about 15-20mins or until the cake springs back when pressed lightly
9. Remove from oven when done and leave to cool for about 10mins

INGREDIENTS

Peach Compote

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 30ml water
• 225g peaches, peeled and pitted

METHOD

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil
2. Cook until peaches are soft and mushy
3. Transfer to blender and blend until process until smooth
4. Leave to cool and chill in fridge

INGREDIENTS

Raspberry Sauce

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 170g raspberries

METHOD

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil
2. Stir and mash raspberries occasionally until they give up all their juices
3. Transfer to blender and blend until process until smooth
4. Press through sieve to remove seeds
5. Leave to cool and refrigerate

INGREDIENTS

Italian Meringue Buttercream (IMB)

• 35ml water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 120g butter, softened and cut into small cubes
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

1. Place egg whites in a clean (grease-free) bowl ready to be whisked
2. In a saucepan, heat 1/2 cup sugar and water until sugar has dissolved
3. When the sugar is about 110 degrees C, begin whipped the egg whites
4. Add the 1/8 cup sugar and whip until they get soft peaks; do not overbeat
5. With the mixer going at medium speed slowly add the syrup pouring it down the side of the bowl
6. Turn the mixer up to high and whisk until the outside of the bowl has cooled to room temp; this make take a good 7-10mins
7. When the bowl has cooled, slowly start adding butter a piece at a time with the mixer at medium speed
8. Keep whipped until the mixture comes together like frosting
9. Finally add the vanilla and mix well
10. Refrigerate until ready to use

ASSEMBLY

Ingredients

• Cream cake
• 1 1/2 tsp gelatin
• 2 tbs water
• 295ml heavy cream
• Peach compote
• Raspberry sauce
• IMB

Method

1. Cut horizontally and level cakes to form 4 layers
2. Mix gelatin and water in a microwave proof bowl and leave to set for about 5 mins
3. In a large bowl whip cream until soft peaks form
4. Microwave gelatin for about 5-10 secs to melt
5. Pour gelatin into whipped cream and whip on high until stiff peaks form
6. Place 2 thirds of the whipped cream into a bowl and fold in the peach compote
7. Fold a few tablespoons of the raspberry sauce into the remaining cream
8. Spread half the peach mousse onto the bottom layer of cake and sandwich with the next layer
9. Spread all the raspberry mousse onto the 2nd bottom later and sandwich again
10. Spread the remaining peach mousse on top of this layer before sandwiching with the last layer of cake
11. Crumb coat the cake with a few tablespoons of IMB; refrigerate until buttercream is set
12. Frost with remaining buttercream and decorate as desired

No here are the photos. They're quite bad and I apologise profusely. I wasn't at the cake cutting so never took a real good photo of the inside. :/ & :(

But when I do do it again, there'll be better photos to drool on!

Love,

Amy.