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Monday, June 27, 2011

HCB - Red Fruit Shortcake

This week's cake was a winner! The Heavenly Cake Bakers baked the Red Fruit Shortcake. Although this sponge cake is supposed to be topped with 3 kinds of red fruit (strawberries, raspberries and red currants), I made it with all strawberries which worked really well too. That's not where the deviation from the recipe ended (and if you've read my blog a couple times, you're not surprised) :o) For a change of pace, I baked the cake in a heart shaped pan. The genoise rose beautifully and is probably my most successful (aka high) genoise to date! I also decided to make my standby orange syrup to brush on the genoise, mainly because I wasn't patient enough to wait for the macerating fruit to release all of their juices :o)

Who says heart-shaped cakes are for V-day only? :o)
Here are some step-by-step pictures:



Look at that height!
With such a lovely height, I decided to cut the cake in half. I brushed both halves with syrup and spread some homemade Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam in between and on top.


Homemade jam in the middle and on top. Yum!
Thinly sliced strawberry were neatly arranged on top for a more dramatic effect :o)

Ta-dah!

Of course I have to share with a picture of the inside. The crumb of this cake is absolutely beautiful. It absorbed the syrup so well while remaining soft and tender, without becoming soggy.

Look at that crumb!
I served this cake following a Cous Cous dinner at our house. My friend Wafae and her family enjoyed it very much. For variety, Wafae baked and brought a banana cake that was topped with jam and toasted sliced almonds. Nobody went hungry that night :o)



Final thoughts/tips:

  • Hubby loved this cake too but then again, I knew he would because he prefers light cakes like sponge cakes. He gave it an 8.5 out of 10.
  • I loved this cake too. It's definitely something I'd make again. The best part is that it doesn't take that long to make.
  • Whenever I make genoise, I don't bother taking the eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, because they will be heated on top of simmering water anyway. For the same reason, I use regular granulated sugar instead of superfine sugar, because it dissolve in the warm egg mixture anyway.
  • As you might remember from my previous post, I forgot the sugar in last week's cupcakes. This week I tried very hard not to forget anything, and yet I did. I forgot the vanilla extract in the genoise but after the orange syrup soak, nobody seemed to notice :o)

11 comments:

  1. may a suggest a great French method called mis-en-place for not forgetting ingredients. You told me about it and it works beautifully...:)
    Your cake looks AWESOME. I would so love a piece RIGHT NOW! I also love the cake pan - first time I see a heart of that shape.

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  2. HANAA!!!!!!! It's gorgeous! I love love love love love your pan. That's an unusual heart shaped. I love the pointy end (have I said I love your pan?)

    I also love how you decorate it with the strawberries. They look like they're lining up to be eaten!

    PS: I often forget vanilla extract too, and no one noticed :).

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  3. your cake looks so pretty! i bet the orange syrup paired really nicely with the strawberries. great job!

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  4. Beautiful! The combination of flavors sounds delicious.

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  5. Hanaâ!! This cake is stunning! Wow. Love that you used all strawberries...the crumb is gorgeous...what a lovely summer cake!!

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  6. Your genoise turned out really well. The split with jam reminds me of a Victoria
    Sponge.

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  7. Oh it is so beautiful! Perfect.Love the heart tin. Should really get me one of those.

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  8. Ha--you added orange syrup. What a surprise! (I think it must have been you who really coined the phrase, a day without an orange is a day without sunshine).
    I also love your pointy-tipped heart pan--it makes the cake really look like a heart instead of a misshapen circle.

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  9. @Anat: ha ha. I’ll try the mis-en-place next time. You can have a piece anytime, but you’ll have to travel to MN :o)

    @Jenn: thank you so much! This (unusual) heart-shaped pan is really meant for cakes that have a fondant covering. The cake’s edges are much “rounder” in this cake pan than regular cake pans.

    @ECL: yes, the orange syrup worked great with the strawberries. Try it! :o)

    @Vicki: thank you!

    @Nina: thanks, Nina. It is a great summer cake, and you could use whatever fruit is in season.

    @Lois: you’re right. It does bear resemblance to the Victoria Sponge :o)

    @PleaseDNFTA: thank you and thanks for stopping by!

    @Marie: you know me too well :o) What can I say? I love oranges.

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  10. Wow Hanaa, that is a beautiful cake! I love the jam in the middle and the gorgeous array of strawberries on top. Looks like a valentine's day cake :)

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  11. Hanaa, that cake looks absolutely divine. I want a slice now! When I first saw the photo I thought it was an upside down cake, but this sounds even better.

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