Let them eat cake

I find it a bit ironic that since my previous "manifesto of healthy eating" post, I find myself writing about a recipe for cake. All diets are a balancing act of the nutritious and the not; however, cake is certainly warranted on one's birthday. Nevertheless, there are many types of cakes out there such as the Paula Deen-esque butter-sugar-white flour bombs....you know the types: mounds of frosting, heaps of butter...is all of that necessary for a good cake? I mean, come on, a cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 4 eggs?? And I'm not even mentioning the entire box of confectioner's sugar and 1/2 stick of butter that is called for in the frosting...

So here is my alternative. Obviously, this still cake and not the pinnacle of nutritious eating, but some basic substitutions and reasonable serving sizes allow for this cake to be favorable, moist, and not completely gut-busting.

Firstly, this cake is in the style of "quick bread" as it is leavened with baking powder and baking soda instead of the Genoise style, which uses copious amounts of eggs and egg yolks. Secondly, I use white whole wheat flour for added fiber and a reduced amount of sugar. Thirdly, all of the fat is removed and replaced with unsweetened almond milk, which I find has more body and creaminess than regular skim milk. To amplify the flavor and complement the fillings, I add zest of one lemon and plenty of vanilla extract, thus yielding an aromatic and flavorful cake.

For the cake:

• 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder 
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
•  2 eggs
• 11/4 cup Almond Milk or regular milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
•  zest of one lemon 

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round springform pan (I use aerosol olive oil spray). To ensure that the springform pan wont leak, line it with foil. 

To make the cake, in a bowl, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, zest, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the eggs, vanilla, and almond milk. Beat until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

Bake until the topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 38 to 42 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Remove the sides of the spring form pan.

Once the cake is cooled, slice it into three layers using a sharp, serrated knife. To facilitate this process, consider baking the cake the night before or at least 8 hours before the intended time you wish to serve it. Place the cake unsliced in the freezer. When you are ready to assemble the care and prepare the filling, remove the cake from the freezer and allow it to semi-defrost on the counter for 20 minutes.

The cake is much easier to slice into thirds when it is in a semi frozen state and freezing does not compromise the flavor at all, just make sure to wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap.

In regards to the filling, instead of copious amounts of butter and sugar for the typical butter cream frosting, I opt for lemon curd gently folded into whipped cream to create an airy yet flavorful lemon mousse. The second layer is spread with the remaining unsweetened whipped cream and topped with defrosted-previously frozen raspberries. I prefer the soft texture and the concentrated flavor of the defrosted berries to the fresh berries. Although, fresh berries are used to adorn the top of the cake, secured by a very thin layer of reduced-sugar raspberry jam.

For the Filling:

• 1 1/2 cups of frozen raspberries, defrosted and drained
• 1/2 cup lemon curd (mine is from trader joe's)
• 1 pint of heavy whipping cream

To ensure that your cream will whip, the bowl and the beaters must be very clean and very cold. In fact, I place my bowl and beaters in the freezer for about 30 minutes before I intend to whip the cream. For the filling, pour the pint of cream into a large bowl. Beat with electric beaters for about 4 minutes or until the cream has reached soft peaks. In a separate, smaller bowl,  combine1/2 cup of lemon curd and 2 cups of whipped cream by gently folding the cream and curd together. This will produce the lemon-mousse layer.

Place the bottom cake layer on the intended platter and spread the lemon cream in an even layer. Place the middle cake layer on top and press gently to secure.

On top the middle layer, spread the remaining unsweetened whipped cream and top with the drained and defrosted raspberries. As you can see, draining the juice is an important step to ensure that your cake wont be soggy and the whipped cream will remain whipped.

For the Topping:

• 2 pints of fresh berries such as hulled strawberries, raspberries, blue berries, or black berries.
• 3 tablespoons of jam 

Top the cake with the final layer and spread it with a thin layer of jam. As I used fresh raspberries for the top, I found that the jam not only added a layer of sweetness, but acted as a special "glue" to help secure the fresh berries to the cake. This is your time to be creative: work in concentric circles and top the cake with the berries of choice. As you can see, I chose raspberries and strawberries.