Orange Poppy-Seed Cake with Berries and Crème Fraîche

I just got back from a wonderful visit to Florida to see my family and friends and had a ton of fun :). I got to spend time sunning myself at the beach AND I finally made it to Harry Potter World in Universal Islands of Adventure-- something I've been wanting to do forever. You see, I am a Harry Potter freak and so my friends and I went to the park on the opening day. After waiting in line for 8 hours, me passing out with heat exhaustion and having to go to the medic room, and a long argument to get our refunds, we saw NOTHING. It was one of the most disappointing experiences of my life. But, I finally got to go and it was really quite fun! However, I do not recommend the Butter Beer. It's ultra weird and has a strange foamy, creamy layer on the top that I was told is a "non-dairy butterscotch flavoring." Ew.

Tomorrow I start my last quarter of college, EVER and I can't freakin' wait to get it over with :P!

So, about this cake... It's pretty amazing. It's fresh and unique and a perfect alternative to a rich, chocolate dessert. The orange syrup that is poured on the cake straight out of the oven gives it an extremely moist texture that can be described as almost pudding-like. The orange-Cointreau macerated berries are a nice counterpoint, and the creamy crème fraîche is a rich, zingy contrast.

Orange Poppy-Seed Cake with Berries and Crème Fraîche

recipe slightly adapted from here

ingredients:

for the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 2/3 cups sour cream
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

for the berries/syrup:

• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Cointreau
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 cups strips of orange zest
• 3 cups mixed raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries (strawberries should be halved or quartered)
• confectioners' sugar, for dusting
• crème fraîche, to serve

for the syrup:

1. In a small saucepan, combine the orange juice, Cointreau, 3 tbsp sugar, and strips of orange zest over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5-10 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat.
2. Fish out the zest strips with a fork and discard. Pour 1/3 cup of the syrup into a bowl and reserve the rest for the cake.
3. Add the berries to the bowl with the 1/3 cup syrup and place in the fridge, covered, to macerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24.

for the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9 or 10-inch springform pan and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and poppy seeds. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sour cream, and vanilla. Set aside.
4. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, 1 cup of the sugar, and orange zest for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Alternately add in the flour mixture and yolk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, beating well after each addition.
5. In another bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are foamy. Add in the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks. Add in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, a little at a time, and beat until stiff peaks.
6. Stir 1/3 of the meringue into the cake batter and then gently fold in the remainder.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. As soon as you remove the cake from the oven, poke the top all over and brush the top with 1/2 of the reserved syrup. Let stand for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the side of the pan and remove the cake. Invert it on a rack and poke the bottom all over. Brush the remaining syrup over it, re-invert the cake on another rack or plate, and let stand until entirely cool. (You can keep the cake like this wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for a day before serving.)
9. Before serving, sift confectioners' sugar over the top and serve with the macerated berries and crème fraîche.

Hot Milk Sponge Cake with Balsamic Berries and Stabilized Whipped Cream

For reasons I can't even explain, I had been non-stop craving a light cake with berries and cream for the past couple of weeks. Totally random thing to crave, I know, but nonetheless it wouldn't let up and I knew I had to act, hah.

I found this recipe for a basic sponge cake and it looked absolutely perfect. The suggestion was to serve it with balsamic berries and my-oh-my.... DELICIOUS!

This cake far exceeded my expectations. It is so light, sweet, and amazingly moist, and paired with the slightly sweetened whipped cream and balsamic macerated berries it was absolutely out-of-this-world! I am SOOO glad that the recipe made two cakes because I could not wait to dig in to one straight out of the oven before I could manage to take even a single picture. A really great perk about this cake is that the whipped cream is stabilized so it will hold it's shape for hours (even days!).

This cake makes an outrageously beautiful and simple summer dessert.

Guess what? This is my 100th post on my blog! I can't believe it! It seems like I just started it yesterday, hah, but it's been eight months already!

To show my appreciation for the support that you all have given me in my cooking/baking endeavors, I will be doing a giveaway on my 108th post. 8 is my lucky number so that's my logic behind the odd choice, so keep an eye out for a potential special gift from me to you :P!

Hot Milk Sponge Cake

recipe from here

ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans (or one 13x9-inch pan).
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs for around 4 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, slowly add in the sugar and beat for about 7-8 minutes until the mixture is thick and comes off of the whisk in a ribbon when the whisk is lifted.
4. While the eggs and sugar are beating, bring the milk and butter to a low boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
5. With the mixer running on medium speed, slowly add the hot milk mixture to the egg/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add in t he flour mixture just until combined. Immediately pour the batter into the prepared pans and place in the oven.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are golden and slightly pulling away from the sides. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Leave the cake in the pan for around 5 minutes to cool before turing the cake out onto a rack to cool further.
7. Top with whipped cream and balsamic berries (recipes below).

Stabilized Whipped Cream

ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp confectioners' sugar
• 2 tbsp cool water
• 1 tsp plain gelatin

1. About 15-20 minutes before you want to make your whipped cream, pop the bowl (metal please) and beaters you will be using into the freezer.
2. Combine the cool water and gelatin in a small bowl and allow to sit for about 5 minutes so that the gelatin can absorb, then place it in the microwave for about 5-10 seconds until liquid and allow to cool to room temperature (make sure it is still a liquid!).
3. Beat the cream, vanilla, and sugar together until slightly stiff. Add in the gelatin/water and beat until stiff peaks form.

Balsamic Berries

ingredients:

• 2 cups mixed berries (I used sliced strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries), washed
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp aged balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp fine grain sugar (caster sugar)
• pinch of freshly ground pepper

1. Combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl and toss to combine. Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes before serving.