Eating In // Sponge Cake with Fresh Summer Fruit and Lavender Syrup
It sure was tough trying to fit all of the components of this cake into one brief title. There are so many things worth mentioning, including the fact that this sponge cake only requires 3 ingredients ( not including the fresh fruit, syrup, and copious amounts of fresh whipped cream). I had never made this sponge before and found it to be very simple and perfect for layering with all of summer's fruity goodness. Don't be alarmed by all of these steps. It is simply just a matter of baking the layers, making the syrup, whipping the cream, and then piling it all together on a cake plate.
Ingredients:
For the cake:
- 6 eggs, seperated
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup cake flour
For the syrup:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1/2 tsp dried lavender buds
For the topping (whipped cream and berries)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbls sour cream
- 1/2 granulated sugar
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 3 peaches, sliced
- 1 cup blackberries
- 1/2 pistachios
Directions:
For the cake:
1. Separate the egg yolks from the whites into two separate bowls.
2. Add the white into the bowl of the your stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
3. Whip at high speed and gradually add in 1/2 cup of sugar and whip until stiff, glossy peaks form. 4. Remove the whites from the bowl and plop into another bowl.
5. Add the yolks and other 1/2 cup of sugar and whip until fluffy and pale.
6. Fold in the whipped egg whites and then gently fold in 1 cup of cake flour.
7. Pour the batter into 2, 9" prepared cake pans and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
For the syrup and whipped cream:
1. Combine the sugar, water, juice, and lavender into a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil and boil for 3 minutes; remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. Pour the heavy cream and sour cream into a mixer with the sugar and whip with the whisk attachment until light fluffy.
3. Grab a cake plate and put the first cooled cake layer down, sprinkle with syrup and add half the whipped cream and fruit. Top with the other cake layer and then add the rest of the cream, syrup and fruit on top and then sprinkle with the pistachios. Serve right away.
