Last month it was exactly one year since I got married. To me, it’s almost unbelievable how quickly time flies. It seems just weeks ago that we exchanged our vows on a sun-filled Indian summer day.
To celebrate our first anniversary in style, I decided to make a small version of our wedding cake. Or to be precise: I wanted to incorporate all the flavors of the original cake in a new creation. Or wedding cake (the tasting part was perhaps my favorite moment of all wedding preparations) had two flavor combinations: Red velvet cake with a salted caramel cream and almond cake with raspberry mousse. All those flavors can be found in this little jubilee cake.
The base of this cake is a delicious Red Velvet cake, with almond meal and honey that make sure it’s moist and airy at the same time. I covered the layers with a mix of luscious cream and mascarpone, with a touch of salted caramel and raspberries.
The final result is an amazing little cake you just can’t stop eating. Festive, very delicious and still easy to prepare. What more does one want?
INGREDIENTS
for 1 mini cake
2 eggs, divided
¼ cup (60 ml) honey
seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
¼ tsp baking soda
1 small cup (90 g) almond flour
extra: 6 inch (15 cm) cake pan, greased and lined with parchment paper
½ cup (125 g) mascarpone
1/3 cup +1 tbsp (100 ml) cream
2 tbsp salted caramel*
1 cup (125 g) berries
optional: icing sugar, for dusting
* I used dulce de leche (can be made by boiling an unopened can of condensed milk for 3 hours in a pan with enough water to cover the can) and a pinch of sea salt
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350F (175C).
Using a very clean bowl and mixer, whisk the egg whites at low speed until foamy. Increase mixer speed to medium, and mix until soft peaks form. Set aside.
Beat egg yolks, honey, vanilla bean, baking soda and a pinch of salt until well combined and lightened in color, about 5 minutes with a mixer. Add almond flour and beat for 1 minute at low speed until combined.
Fold 1/3 of the stiff egg whites into the batter, stirring well to incorporate. Fold the remaining egg whites into the batter as gently as possible, being careful not to deflate whites.
Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cake feels solid in the middle when tapped and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool completely.
Meanwhile, whip the cream in a cold bowl until soft peaks form. Whisk the mascarpone in another bowl until creamy. Add the mascarpone to the whipped cream and mix at low speed until you’ve got a creamy, smooth mixture.
Cut the cake in half horizontally, to form two separate layers. Spread half of the mascarpone cream on the bottom layer and add the salted caramel and some of the berries. Place the second cake layer on top and spread with the rest of the mascarpone cream. Top with remaining berries and dust with icing sugar, if you like.
