Blueberry Cloud Cake

I knew I had to try this when I read Diana's blog post. I mean, can you imagine eating a cloud cake?

I was super duper curious. I ran through the recipe, then went through it again thoroughly. It all seems too unbelievably easy. I could only start to imagine how it would feel like to have a mouthful of this cake....frozen, cold and berried meringue cake in your mouth....

This cake is one of Annabel Langbein's recipes. Annabel Langbein is a New Zealand celebrity cook, food writer and publisher. I'm so glad to know about her through Diana. I will definitely be trying more of her recipes.

Back to this cake...

This would be a perfect cake for Kimberly's birthday. (My girl's Mummy Margaret's daughter) I couldn't find any strawberries at the supermarket near my house, so decided to replace with blueberries to make a Blueberry Cloud Cake instead. 

The whole process of making this cake was almost effortless and also, enjoyable. You don't need an oven to make this. The only electrical 'equipment' I needed was an electric mixer and the refrigerator. I made some changes to the steps as the original recipe does not require the egg whites to be cooked. I read that "Although it is possible for Salmonella to be in both the white and the yolk of the egg, the white does not readily support bacterial growth. Cold souffles, mousses, and chiffons containing raw beaten whites require refrigeration to maintain their character, and added safety factor. Such dishes might be considered low risk for healthy individuals." (Source : What's Cooking America) Still, to alay any fears of eating raw eggs, I decided to take the additional step to 'cook' the egg whites while beating it to 65C as though I'm making a swiss meringue buttercream. I've read that egg whites in buttercream is safe for consumption once it reaches 65C.

I was super delighted when the meringue turned into a beautiful purplish blue when I beat in the blueberries. It's simply beautiful! This cake requires patience, as you need to chill it in the freezer for it to set for at least 4 hours. When it was time to unmould and decorate the cake with fresh berries....WOW! Look at what was presented ... a STUNNING looking cake! I'm on cloud 9 just looking at the cake. :)

This refreshing dessert is perfect for our hot weather. But because this is a frozen dessert (like an ice-cream cake), it cannot keep in the open for long in our hot climate.

Blueberry Cloud Cake

Inspiration from Diana and recipe adapted from Annabel Langbein's Strawberry Cloud Cake

(my notes in red)

makes a 10" round spring form pan (I make the cake using a 9" round pan with removable base)

Ingredients:

For the Base

150g plain sweet biscuits (I used digestive biscuits)

1/2 cup desiccated coconut (I omitted)

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
100g butter, melted (I used unsalted butter)

For the Filling
2 egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup sugar (about 200g. I reduced to 150g)
250g (1 punnet) ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced (I replaced with 1 punnet of blueberries)
1 tbspn lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

To Garnish
fresh blueberries
fresh raspberries

For the Berry Syrup (I omitted)
3 cups raspberries, fresh or thawed from frozen
1/2 cup castor sugar
2 tbspn water

Method:

For the Base

1. Line the base of a 26-28cm spring form cake tin (I used a 9" round cake tin with removable base) with baking paper or waxed paper. This makes it easy to lift the cake out later.

2. Make the base by putting the biscuits in a brown paper bag and crushing them into crumbs by beating carefully with a rolling pin. Pour the crumbs into a medium bowl and add the coconut, cinnamon and melted butter. Stir well to combine. 

(I crushed the biscuits in a plastic bag and mixed in the cinnamon powder before stirring the biscuit mixture to the melted butter)

 

3. Press firmly into the base of the prepared tin. It does not need to be a thick layer - just enough to cover the bottom of the tin. Refrigerate the base while you prepare the filling.

For the Filling

4. Place egg whites, sugar, sliced strawberries, lemon juice and vanilla in the clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high speed for about 6-8 minutes until the mixture is very thick and fluffy and the sugar has dissolved. To test whether it is ready, rub a bit of the mixture between your fingers. You should not feel any gritty sugar. If you do, beat a little longer. 

(I placed the egg whites and sugar in a large, clean and dry bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The mixture would be at around 65C if measured on the thermometer. The sugar should be dissolved and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream.)

(To cool the mixture down, put the bowl into a basin of cool water. You can also transfer the mixture into another bowl first before placing the bowl in the basin of cool water. I did not do that and it was fine. Continue to beat the meringue on medium speed as it cools. Add in lemon juice, vanilla extract and blueberries. Beat on high speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture is thick and fluffy.)

5. Spoon the filling over the chilled base, smooth the top, cover with a sheet of baking paper and freeze for at least 4 hours. The cake will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month.

 

6. To serve, cut cake into wedges using a knife that has been warmed in hot water. Garnish with fresh raspberries on top and drizzle with Berry Syrup to serve.

For the Berry Syrup (I omitted)

7. Put the berries in a pot and add the sugar and water. Bring to a simmer. Remove the pot from the heat and press the berries through a sieve or mouli to extract the juice and remove the pips. Berry Syrup will keep for up to 10 days covered in the fridge.

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