My Mother's Day cake recipe
With Mother’s Day ahead I want to share with you my childhood memories.
My parents owned a bakery in Leverkusen near Cologne. I literally grew up in the bakery and confectionery. So, I spent lots of time with my father, brother and sister working and experimenting with doughs, creams and cakes. It goes without saying that every year on Mother’s Day I woke up my mother with some freshly picked flowers and my newly innovated cake.
One of my favourite recipes was for a buttercream cake.
MOTHER'S DAY CAKE RECIPE – based on German Buttercreme-Torte
INGREDIENTS
BUTTERCREAM:
- 660ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 60g cornstarch
- 4 egg yolks
- A pinch of salt
- 135g sugar
- 400g unsalted butter (room temperature)
SPONGE CAKE:
- 90g flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- A bitch of salt
- 125g sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
INSTRUCTIONS:
CAKE:
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla for 5 minutes on high speed with a hand mixer.
- Mix baking powder, salt and flour, strain it and add it little by little into the egg mixture while mixing. Do not over-mix or you will deflate the batter.
- Use prepared 9’’ cake pans (with parchment paper – do not grease the sides) and bake for 23-28 minutes (until top is golden brown).
- Remove from pan by sliding a thin spatula around the edges and then transfer to a wire rack and remove parchment backing. Cool cakes.
BUTTERCREAM:
- Place half of the milk, egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar, salt, vanilla in a pan and stir it. Add the rest of the milk and stir all over medium heat until it thickens.
- Pass through a strainer into a bowl and place a plastic wrap directly on top of the custard (to prevent a skin from forming).
- Beat the butter on high until it gets pale and fluffy – at least 5 min.
- Once the custard has chilled down to the same temperature as the butter add 1Tbsp at a time, incorporating well after each addition until smooth and fluffy.
- Slice layers of the cake equally in half with a serrated knife.
- Cool the cake completely before frosting. Place one layer on a serving plate, top it with one cup of buttercream, repeat with remaining layer and crumb coat the cake. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Decorate it with red hearts, pearls, eatable flowers, etc.
Finally: Enjoy it with a gently warmed cup of The Tale of Oolong!
You fancy a stronger focus on tea? Boil the milk previously with some Earl Grey tea leaves to extract their flavours and strain it. In this case enjoy the cake with The Tale of Earl Grey!