Flavorful cake
I have often found myself looking in the fridge and discovering a bit of candied orange, some sour cherries from a cherry liqueur, and leftover dark chocolate from another cake. This cake brings them all together. It's not the quickest, but it's the kind of dessert you can prepare in the evening, and the next day you can focus on assembling it. Every time, it seems better after a night in the fridge.
Quick Info
Total time: about 2 days (including cooling and resting the cake)
Actual preparation time: about 1 hour for the cake and creams
Baking time for the cake: about 40 minutes at 165°C
Servings: 10-12 slices, depending on how generously you cut
Difficulty: medium
Recipe type: occasion cake (birthday, holidays, or when you feel like something with chocolate and fruit)
Ingredients
For the cake:
6 eggs
200 g sugar
4 tablespoons sparkling water
4 tablespoons oil
7 tablespoons sifted flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 tablespoon rum essence
1 packet baking powder (activated with a few drops of lemon juice)
1 pinch of salt
2 tablespoons candied orange peel (chopped or processed in a food processor)
For the syrup:
300 ml water
1 tablespoon rum essence
100 g sugar
For the cream:
approx. 400 ml liquid vegetable cream
150 g dark chocolate
candied orange peel (for layering)
sour cherries, pitted, from cherry liqueur
For decoration:
2 tablespoons sugar for caramel
grated white and dark chocolate
decoration paste (Dr. Oetker white and yellow pencils)
Preparation Method
1. The Cake
1. Separate the eggs. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and the yolks in a separate bowl.
2. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt. When they start to foam well, add 100 g of sugar and continue until you achieve a firm foam.
3. Whisk the yolks with the remaining 100 g of sugar until they become lighter in color. Gradually add the oil, then the sparkling water, continuing to mix.
4. Activate the baking powder with a few drops of lemon juice and add it to the yolks.
5. Add the cocoa powder and rum essence. Incorporate the candied orange peel (I quickly process it in a food processor to make it finer).
6. Gently fold in alternating tablespoons of flour and egg white foam into the yolk mixture. Use the mixer on low speed, just enough to combine. Avoid overmixing to preserve the air in the batter.
7. Pour the mixture into a greased and floured cake pan.
8. Bake at 165°C in the middle rack for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Every oven bakes a little differently, but the cake should rise evenly and feel slightly elastic to the touch.
9. Remove the cake to a wire rack and let it cool completely. It's best to cut it the next day, as it's easier to handle.
2. The Syrup
1. Boil the water with the sugar. Let it simmer for a few minutes just until the sugar dissolves and it comes to a brief boil.
2. Remove from heat, let it cool slightly and add the rum essence.
3. The Cream
1. Place about a quarter of the liquid cream in a small saucepan over low heat.
2. Break the chocolate into pieces and add it to the cream. Stir until the chocolate melts and combines.
3. Let it cool, then place the saucepan in the fridge for at least an hour. I've noticed that if you don't chill it long enough, the cream won't whip well.
4. Once completely cooled, whip the mixture with a mixer on high speed. Gradually add the remaining cream and continue mixing until the cream becomes firm. If you want a fluffier texture, avoid overwhipping.
4. Assembly
1. Cut the completely cooled cake into two equal layers horizontally.
2. Place the first layer on a serving plate and soak it evenly. I use a spoon, not a brush.
3. Spread a layer of cream (about half or a little more, depending on how thick you want the filling).
4. Sprinkle pitted sour cherries and pieces of candied orange over the cream.
5. Place the second layer of cake, soak it, and spread the remaining cream over the cake and on the sides. From the total amount of cream, reserve about a quarter for the exterior decoration.
6. Refrigerate the cake for at least a few hours (preferably overnight) to allow the flavors to meld.
5. Decoration
1. For caramel decorations: place 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small pan over low heat. When the sugar melts and turns amber, quickly scoop it with a spoon and form different shapes (lines, circles, whatever comes to mind) on a piece of parchment paper. Let them cool completely.
2. Grate white and dark chocolate on top, in the center of the cake or around the edges, as you prefer.
3. Use Dr. Oetker pencils (white and yellow) for some lines or dots of color.
4. Place the caramel decorations on the cake just before serving; otherwise, they will soften in the fridge.
Why I Make This Recipe Often
It’s the kind of cake that doesn’t require complicated ingredients. The cake is soft, easy to cut, and the cream comes together quickly if you have liquid cream and chocolate. I love that I can use sour cherries from cherry liqueur and candied orange collected over the winter. It holds up well in the fridge and retains its fresh taste even after 2-3 days.
Tips and Variations
Tips
Let the cake cool completely before cutting.
If you want a moister cake, you can use more syrup or add a splash of real rum to the syrup.
Don’t whip the cream too much to avoid it curdling.
Substitutions
Vegetable cream can be replaced with natural cream, but the texture and taste will be slightly different.
Sour cherries can be substituted with cherries if you don’t have cherry liqueur.
If you don’t have candied orange, you can use fresh orange zest (only the orange part, without the white part), but in moderation, to avoid bitterness.
Variations
You can replace dark chocolate with milk chocolate for a sweeter cream.
If you want to avoid alcohol altogether, leave out the rum essence and use only orange flavor.
Serving Ideas
The cake slices more easily if it’s been chilled for a few hours.
It pairs well with an espresso or a small glass of cherry liqueur.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can the cake be made a day in advance?
Yes, the cake holds up very well if made a day in advance. You can keep it wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature.
2. Can I use canned sour cherries if I don’t have cherry liqueur?
Yes, canned sour cherries work well, but make sure to drain them well before adding them to the cake.
3. Can vegetable cream be replaced with animal cream?
Yes, natural cream can also be used, but you need to whip it carefully to avoid curdling. The taste will be slightly different, creamier.
4. Can I freeze the cake?
I do not recommend it. The cake holds up to freezing, but the cream and fruits change texture after thawing.
5. How sweet is the cream?
It’s not very sweet, especially if you use dark chocolate. If you want it sweeter, you can add sugar to taste, but try the cream after it’s cooled, then adjust.
Nutritional Values
Estimation for one slice (from 12 slices):
Calories: approximately 320 kcal
Protein: 5-6 g
Carbohydrates: 35-38 g
Fats: 15-18 g
Approximate values, depending on the type of cream, chocolate used, and the amount of syrup absorbed by the cake.
Storage and Reheating
The cake stores best in the fridge, covered. It retains its texture and taste for 2-3 days. There’s no need to reheat it; it’s served cold. The caramel decoration should be added just before serving; otherwise, it will soften in the fridge. If you want to make the decoration in advance, you can store it in a dry box at room temperature.
Preparing the base: -separate the egg whites from the yolks; beat the egg whites into a foam with 100 g of sugar; -mix the yolks with 100 g of sugar, add the oil, then the mineral water; -dissolve the baking powder in a few drops of lemon juice, then add it to the mixed yolks, also add the cocoa powder and the candied orange peel processed in a food processor; -alternately add a tablespoon of flour and one of egg whites foam. Mix with the mixer on the lowest speed until all quantities are incorporated; -grease the tray with a little oil, dust it with flour. Add the obtained mixture to the tray and bake at moderate temperature until it passes the toothpick test (about 40 min, 165 degrees). The next day, cut the base into 2 (layers). For the cream, put a little whipped cream in a saucepan over low heat, add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate dissolves. Let it cool, then refrigerate this mixture for at least 1 hour. After this time, whip the cream at high speed with the mixer, add the rest of the whipped cream, and when we achieve the desired consistency, we can fill the cake with cream, but not before soaking the layers obtained by splitting the base into 2. On top of the cream layer, place halves of sour cherries from the sour cherry liqueur and pieces of candied orange peel. From the obtained cream, we kept a quarter for covering the cake. From 2 tablespoons of burnt sugar, we form different shapes that we place on the cake. Decorate with decorating paste from Dr. Oetker (pencils), grated white + dark chocolate. Keep the cake cold until serving. Enjoy your meal!
Ingredients: Base: 6 eggs, 200 g sugar, 4 tablespoons sparkling water, 4 tablespoons oil, 7 tablespoons freshly sifted flour, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon rum essence, 1 packet baking powder dissolved in a few drops of lemon juice, a pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons finely chopped candied orange (in a food processor). Syrup: 300 ml water, 1 tablespoon rum essence, 100 g sugar. Cream: about 400 ml liquid vegetable cream, 150 g dark chocolate, candied orange peel, sour cherries (pitted) from cherry liqueur. Decoration: burnt sugar shapes, grated chocolate (white + dark), decorating paste (Dr. Oetker pens): white and yellow.
