Though I grew up in America, lofty, frosted, layered cakes did not figure that much in my life. The blame can't be put on bland Betty Crocker boxed cake mixes but on all those wonderful, taste-bud-spoiling German-American bakeries that dotted NYC at that time. My preference for European styled cakes became even more entrenched after having lived a couple of decades in France. Therefore when coming across the concept of a naked cake, that is, a layered one, but without frosting or icing hiding its layers, I said this is for me. The French frequently showcasing fruits via desserts is an aspect much appreciated by me. Frozen blackberries from a late-summer harvest gives a tartness to this soft icing and colours it a delicate mauve. The cake is the dark, moist banana bread that was baked last week (my recipe) for two hours at a low temperature and of which I have a nice supply in the freezer. The icing can also be made ahead and frozen. Once the ingredients are at the ready, it is a cinch to layer, ice, and serve. Leftover cake lasts at least a day in the fridge—oh, what a nice breakfast that was the next day!
The festive table decoration was put together thusly: curl, layer, and press close to the sides of a glass jar whatever greenery and berries comes your way. Slowly trickle in water almost to the top. Remove the metal casing from a votive candle by pulling on its wick, place it on the submerged foliage or float on the water, and light it. In our garden, I found sprigs of leyland cypress, ivy with its berries, desiccated hydrangea blooms, orange rose hips, lily of the valley red berries, red blueberry bush twigs, and orange-red strawberry leaves. I love, love, love its portability, the ease in which it was assembled, plus how beautifully shining and translucent it looks! To look its freshest it's best to add water shortly before presenting.
Ingredients (Makes a 7.5 cm/3 inch diameter cake, serving 2 to 3. There is enough frosting and banana bread to make several cakes, either all at once, or gradually in the future as bread and frosting can be frozen. Frosting adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction)
If you have more berries than a cup, don't hesitate to make extra coulis as it can be frozen. It makes a delicious dessert sauce especially when served over vanilla ice cream. I made the coulis from three cups of frozen slightly sweetened blackberries (they were frozen in that quantity, three cups of garden berries in six separate containers, a total of eighteen cups. A blackberry bonanza from just a solitary bush!) which gave a lot more than the two tablespoons required. If a frosting is preferred rather than a somewhat drippy icing, then reduce the recommended amount of coulis over a medium flame until halved. Also either leave out the vanilla extract or let a split vanilla bean steep in the hot coulis for around ten minutes. Remove bean, cool, and use. For an even fluffier effect, if available choose the block form of cream cheese (less introduced air than the whipped version in the tub). If not, then use more from the tub than recommended, around three extra heaping tablespoons.
Place a sieve (or a Foley mill) over an appropriately sized bowl and add the berries. With a large wooden spoon squish, mash, and push their juice through the sieve. Make sure the spoon by which the sieve's bottom is scraped from time to time is clean. Reserve two tablespoons and if not using the extra soon, freeze the surplus.
If using a stand mixer: beat butter and cheese until fluffy. Add sugar and beat. Add the salt, blackberry coulis, and vanilla (if using). Beat until smooth. Doing it by hand: in a large mixing bowl, work the softened butter with a fork until fluffy and light-coloured. Add the cream cheese and continuing working with a fork.
Whisk in gradually the sugar.
Add the blackberry coulis, salt, and vanilla (if using).
Whisk until smooth.
Cut thick slices from a loaf of banana bread. Use a jar whose mouth basically covers most of the slice without going over the edges. With a sharp knife, cut straight down around the diameter. Repeat two more times to get a total of three round layers. The cake cuttings can be toasted and used as croutons for fruit salad or toasted, crushed, and layered into a parfait.
Spread the icing thickly over the bottom slice, top with a second, and spread more icing, top with the last slice and spread icing. The more liquid the icing is, the more there will be an attempt for the cake to resemble the Tower of Pisa. In that case, gently coax it back into shape. Garnish with a blackberry and a banana sliver.
It slices well to give three portions.
Lovely in looks, gorgeous in taste! I am so glad that I have enough ingredients in the freezer to turn out more of these delicious beauties. Though I adored the icing soaking the cake, for the next one I will try the instructions following the ingredients list towards the beginning of this post to see how a fluffy frosting works out. I will report back.
See you in January!
 |
| What a cutie! |
The festive table decoration was put together thusly: curl, layer, and press close to the sides of a glass jar whatever greenery and berries comes your way. Slowly trickle in water almost to the top. Remove the metal casing from a votive candle by pulling on its wick, place it on the submerged foliage or float on the water, and light it. In our garden, I found sprigs of leyland cypress, ivy with its berries, desiccated hydrangea blooms, orange rose hips, lily of the valley red berries, red blueberry bush twigs, and orange-red strawberry leaves. I love, love, love its portability, the ease in which it was assembled, plus how beautifully shining and translucent it looks! To look its freshest it's best to add water shortly before presenting.
Ingredients (Makes a 7.5 cm/3 inch diameter cake, serving 2 to 3. There is enough frosting and banana bread to make several cakes, either all at once, or gradually in the future as bread and frosting can be frozen. Frosting adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction)
- Blackberries, fresh or frozen (can be lightly sugared), 1 cup which makes 2 T of blackberry coulis)
- Cream cheese, 224 g/8 dry oz
- Butter, unsalted, softened to room temperature, 60 g/4 T
- Sugar, icing, 360 g (3 American 8 fluid oz cups)
- Vanilla, extract, 1 tsp
- Salt, a pinch (1/8 tsp)
- Banana cake/bread, 3 thick slices (recipe is here)
- For garnishing, blackberries and banana slices
If you have more berries than a cup, don't hesitate to make extra coulis as it can be frozen. It makes a delicious dessert sauce especially when served over vanilla ice cream. I made the coulis from three cups of frozen slightly sweetened blackberries (they were frozen in that quantity, three cups of garden berries in six separate containers, a total of eighteen cups. A blackberry bonanza from just a solitary bush!) which gave a lot more than the two tablespoons required. If a frosting is preferred rather than a somewhat drippy icing, then reduce the recommended amount of coulis over a medium flame until halved. Also either leave out the vanilla extract or let a split vanilla bean steep in the hot coulis for around ten minutes. Remove bean, cool, and use. For an even fluffier effect, if available choose the block form of cream cheese (less introduced air than the whipped version in the tub). If not, then use more from the tub than recommended, around three extra heaping tablespoons.
Place a sieve (or a Foley mill) over an appropriately sized bowl and add the berries. With a large wooden spoon squish, mash, and push their juice through the sieve. Make sure the spoon by which the sieve's bottom is scraped from time to time is clean. Reserve two tablespoons and if not using the extra soon, freeze the surplus.
If using a stand mixer: beat butter and cheese until fluffy. Add sugar and beat. Add the salt, blackberry coulis, and vanilla (if using). Beat until smooth. Doing it by hand: in a large mixing bowl, work the softened butter with a fork until fluffy and light-coloured. Add the cream cheese and continuing working with a fork.
Whisk in gradually the sugar.
Add the blackberry coulis, salt, and vanilla (if using).
Whisk until smooth.
Cut thick slices from a loaf of banana bread. Use a jar whose mouth basically covers most of the slice without going over the edges. With a sharp knife, cut straight down around the diameter. Repeat two more times to get a total of three round layers. The cake cuttings can be toasted and used as croutons for fruit salad or toasted, crushed, and layered into a parfait.
Spread the icing thickly over the bottom slice, top with a second, and spread more icing, top with the last slice and spread icing. The more liquid the icing is, the more there will be an attempt for the cake to resemble the Tower of Pisa. In that case, gently coax it back into shape. Garnish with a blackberry and a banana sliver.
It slices well to give three portions.
Lovely in looks, gorgeous in taste! I am so glad that I have enough ingredients in the freezer to turn out more of these delicious beauties. Though I adored the icing soaking the cake, for the next one I will try the instructions following the ingredients list towards the beginning of this post to see how a fluffy frosting works out. I will report back.
See you in January!
