Recipe: Raspberry Cream Cake

Wineberries

One of my favorite parts of summer: berry picking.  Right now it's wineberry season in my neck of the woods; a semi-wild variety of raspberries that originated in Asia.

The little jewel like berries pop up along the roadsides a creek beds, just waiting to be enjoyed.

 Here is one of my favorite summer berry recipes: Raspberry Cream Cake!

The recipe started out as a traditional Swedish cake, made with cloudberries and cloudberry jam, which are not easy to find around here, so I substituted raspberries and raspberry jam.  You can use any berries and jam that are available and seem tasty!

Ingredients:  For the cake:

• 1 and 1/3 cups of cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 and 1/3 cups sugar
• 6 eggs 
• 1/8th teaspoon salt

For the topping: 

• 2 cups raspberry jam
• Raspberries
• 1 and 1/2 cups whipping cream 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Sugar to taste

Line two 8 inch pans (preferably spring form) with parchment paper.  Butter and then flour them.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Separate the eggs.  Mix 1/3 cup of sugar into the yolks.

Add the baking powder to the flour.  Wisk briskly to mix and to aerate the flour.   Add to yolk mixture in thirds, beating until well mixed.

It should look like this when the flour is mixed it.  Although not so bright bright yellow, unless you are using free range eggs!

Add the salt to the egg whites and beat until soft peaks.

Turn up the speed on the mixer and add the remaining cup of sugar.  

Continue beating until the meringue holds a stiff peak.

Add half the meringue to the yolk and flour mixture.  Gently fold it in.

Add the other half of the meringue, and continue to gently fold until it is incorporated.  

Pour the batter into the pans and bake for 20 to 30 minutes.  Until the cake springs back when touched in the center.  Let cool completely.

Whip the cream until firm and add vanilla and sugar to taste.

Place bottom layer on plate and spread with jam and then whipped cream.  If your jam isn't spreading evenly, pop it into a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for a minute or so.  

Carefully place second layer on top of that.  It will want to slide around on the jam and cream.   Spread another layer of jam on top of that.

Fit a star shaped piping tip onto a pipping bag or plastic bag.  Fill it with the remaining whipped cream

You can decorate your cake how you please.  This is my favorite method because it's easy (even for someone who is a klutz at piping like me) and is also rather pretty.  

Pipe long "columns" around the edge of the cake.

Yes scallopy swags is a technical term!

Then pipe some scallopy swags around the top.

  And some dashes and dollops around the top and bottom.

Finally top with the raspberries!  

This is one of my favorite cakes ever.  It's rather light and delicate, so it's nice for a hot summer's day or night.  Because of the cream I suggest icing it shortly before you serve it, or storing the cake in a refrigerator.

What are some of your favorite berry recipes readers?