Raspberry Shortcake

this is the best cake ever,

well - at least in Denise's baking endeavour,

& this makes her a very happy girl,

so happy in circles she could twirl & twirl...

for baking a decent creamed cake happens only in a leap year..

& this recipe is a keeper my dear!

oh yes, we've got raspberries & Korea's lady strawberry tea

1st attempt at torting a cake, woots!

the assembly is the best part, so pretty & yes I was extremely generous with the berries

what did I tell you, best ever (winks)!

Makes one 8-inch cake

Ingredients (soft sponge cake)

- 4 eggs, seperated

- 120g sugar

- 3 tablespoons low-fat milk

- 120g cake flour, sifted 3x

- 20g butter, melted

- tea dust from 1 bag of strawberry tea

Ingredients (stabilized whipped cream)

- 1 1/2 teaspoon gelatin powder

- 6 teaspoons cold water

- 330ml cold whipping cream

- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted

Ingredients (syrup to glaze)

- 1/4 cup (55g) sugar 

- 1/4 water (50ml) water

- 1 1/2 punnets raspberries

Methods (soft sponge cake)

1. Preheat oven to 175 degree C. Line an 8-inch cake tin or grease the tin with butter and coat lightly with flour.

2. Beat the egg whites till soft peaks form, add the sugar and beat until stiff and glossy.

3. Add the egg yolks to the egg white mixture and whisk lightly till just combined.

4. Add the milk, flour, tea leaves and fold in gently.

5. Fold in the melted butter and pour the batter into the prepared tin and hit the cake tin on the kitchen table a few times (get rid of air bubbles and ensure a smoother cake surface). 

6. Bake for 25 -30 minutes until golden brown and cool completely on a wire rack in its tin.

Methods (stabilized whipped cream)

7. Place the cold water in a tiny saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over, allowing to stand for 5 minutes.

8. Place the saucepan over low heat and stir constantly to dissolve the gelatin, allow to cool to room temperature.

9. In a chilled mixing bowl, combine the cold whipping cream and sugar, beating until slightly thickened.

10. Gradually pour in the gelatin and whip on high speed until stiff.

Methods (syrup to glaze)

11. In a tiny saucepan, combine the sugar and water, bringing the water to a boil and stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Allow to cool.

The Assembly

Slice the cake in halves, horizontally. Place one sponge layer (cut side up) on a cake board and brush the surface with the sugar syrup. Spread a thin layer of whipped cream and arrange the raspberries on top (reserve some berries for the top of the cake). Spread another layer of whipped cream over the berries and brush the cut side of the other cake with syrup. Place this layer over the berries and cream. Frost the sides and top of the cake with remaining whipped cream and place some raspberries on top of the cake.

Enjoy with a cup of tea!

How was it?
such a lovely flavour. adding strawberry tea leaves in the cake was fantastic, gave the cake a sweet aroma and a fruity tinge in flavour...but cake was a little dry in texture & raspberries were great but a tad too much (was challenging during the assembly, had to push some of the berries that were at the edge, towards the center so the sides could be frosted well). cream was a little runny but this happens all the time to my whipped cream..am working on achieving a stiff whipped cream. all in all, I adored this cake, made history in my tiny little bakery - first ever decent layered cake!

Better it up!
tip from my friend Addie - soak the tea dust in the milk/melted butter before adding to cake mixture (might prevent the cake from drying out as the tea dust will soak up the moisture). reduce the raspberries by 1/2. whip the cream by hand to prevent over beating.

Verdict

Recipe adapted from 
Lafugi Mama