Babyshower baking!

I had this wonderful idea to write down all my healthy, "good for you" recipes down. My problem was, that if i write them on paper - i loose the paper. If i write them in doc-file, i forget where i saved it... so my last option is, that i actually make a blog ;) this should be a bit easier to find afterwards, even for me! Then... great plan made real - and what do i do first? Well, i blog about cake! :D forget the word healthy - "good for you" not sure about it either - but this should make you happy! (i hope you dont count calories, like i do - but this time I'm too afraid to even write them down). Its a cake, no cheating, no low-fat ingredients - the real thing. Tomorrow i will have salad to compensate ;)

So, here we go!

for the base, you will need:
5 eggs (this depends of your mold size. i have around 23cm, this would be even better in 24cm mold)
flour + mixed in 1 teaspoon of baking powder
sugar (fine granulated)

you take 2 big glasses. Brake all eggs to the first one. Put the second glass next to it, and fill it up into the same level than the glass with eggs, but with sugar. Pour the sugar into a bowl, and now fill the emptied glass with flour, again into the same height as the eggs. The idea of this cake base is "same amount of everything" - simple and yet tasty!

(too fast baker - forgot to take pic of the eggs :) well... this is teh glass anyway of flour...)

Now you have your sugar in the bowl, so throw in the eggs too. Take something to whip, and start the work - you need to whip the eggs-sugar mix as long as it has doubled in size, id very pale colored, and if you draw a line in the surface, it will last a short moment. Then its enough whipped. This is important part - if you do this bad, you will have a flat cake.

at the start...

In the end of the whipping:

After you are done with whipping, take the flour. You might want to shift it in - slowly you add little by little flour into the eggsugarfluffything - mix it in slowly! less bubbles you break, higher cake you get.

(some i have seen using one hand, i haven tried it). Make sure all is mixed carefully, and pour into you mold. 175 Celsius, 40 minutes in the low level of the oven.

You might want to check that your cake doesn't burn - depends of the oven. Mine is fine, some get burned surface already in 20 minutes. then you might wanna put a bit folio in top of the mold after it starts to darken, until is done, to protect from getting totally burned. As said, i don't have that problem. when you insert a toothpick into the middle of the cake, and it comes out clean, is done. (too little baking - you cakebase will collapse after cooling!)

Let it cool for a moment, and take it out of the mold. After cooling more, cut in 3 pieces with a knife.

Fillings:

Chocolate-cream: (for one layer)
150g of your choice of chocolate. I use milk chocolate.
100g cream cheese
2,5dl cream for whipping ( i used double cream) - don't go for low fat, you need heavy, good whipped cream.

Melt the chocolate slowly, and mix the cream cheese in it.
Whip the cream (i add little bit vanilla) and when its well whipped, fold in the chocolate-cream cheese mix.

Strawberry-cream:
250g strawberries (frozen or fresh, as you choose, but aim for sweet!)
100g cream cheese
1dl sugar (go for a bit less first, and keep tasting. it should be a bit sweeter than you want, as gelatin takes away a bit of the flavor.)
2,5 dl cream for whipping
3 gelatine-disks.

Put the gelatin in cold water to wait.
Whip the cream.
Smash the strawberries with a fork. ( i used frozen ones, and for safety, i boiled the berries 2 minutes before smashing, to kill all possible bacterias - have caution with frozen berries!) - mix with cream cheese well. Add sugar, taste and adjust. Take a small cup, put just very little of water in it (like 2 teaspoons or even less) and make it boil in microwave. take the soaked gelatins, and squeeze water ouf of them with your hand - and put them in into the boiled water in a cup. Mix quickly, until totally melted. Mix this gelatin liquid into the strawberries ( i recommend electric mixer)
Take the whipped cream and fold in the strawberry-mix.

I used to take first lever of cake - moist with milk - add first filling layer. Then top that with second level of cake, moist it with milk, and add second filling. Put top layer, moist it and put in fridge covered. Cake gets just tastier by overnight in cold fridge. To moisting the cake layers, i need around 3dl of milk.

I use cake-base, that has a removable base. It helps me to build up the cake in second part, as i build the cake in top of the final serving plate - i use the removable edges to hold in the fillings, while is cooling down. Gelatin needs minimum 3 hours to get hard and steady.

Please note, i have noticed that gelatin is different in different countries :) you might wanna look from yours, how many disks/plates of gelatin they recommend to use for 3-4dl of liquid. Too much gelatin - takes away the flavor, but too little - it won't get hard. Is a learning process :).

For covering, i used a thin layer of buttercream on the surface of the cake, under the fondant - if there is no buttercream, fondant can start to "sweat"..

Cake ready to go :)

The baby shower have started, about to be tested!

I think they liked it! :)