No. 27: Birthday Trifle
CC#2’s birthday cake choice is never a simple matter. This year, my assignment was “Eaton Mess” from the Great British Cooking Show. What? I had to look it up. Then again, why settle for plain old Eaton Mess? After looking into various possible combinations that first pointed to Pavlova and then classic trifles, I settled on an decked up extravaganza that had my entire family, including Grandma, fighting for last bite.
Meringue:
Heat oven to 215F
Separate 3 large egg whites (at room temperature) into clean, dry KitchenAid bowl
Whisk until very foamy but no peaks yet
Add 1/4 tsp cream of tartar, a pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp each of peppermint and vanilla extract
Continue to beat at medium speed until soft peak forms, and start adding 150g of powdered sugar or same amount of granulated sugar, 2 tbsp at a time
Beat at medium speed for at least 10 minutes until stiff peaks form (you may increase the speed if foaming seems weak)
Line baking sheet with parchment paper, and scoop out stiff foam onto parchment paper, smooth out into large sheet
Bake for one hour, turn oven off, and let sit until oven cools (test to see if meringue is brittle like candy but melting in your mouth)
Seal in ziplock bag and store in freezer
Lemon Curd: with reduced sugar
Bring a pot of water to a boil and reduce heat so water no longer boils
Whisk 3/4 cup lemon juice, 2/3 cup sugar, and 1 whole egg + 3 egg yolks, in a heatproof bowl larger than the water pot so the bottom does not touch boiling water
Place over pot of simmering water, whisking constantly, until mixture has thickened and reaches 150F, about 5–6 minutes
Remove mixture from heat and transfer to a blender
With blender running, slowly add 1 1/2 stick of butter (cut into pieces), 1 piece at a time
Blend until butter is completely incorporated
Can be stored in refrigerator for several days
Spanish Sponge Cake (adapted from Splendid Table Cookbook)
Heat oven to 425F
Butter and flour 9-10 inch springform pan
Sift 7 tbsp (1 3/4 ounces) all purpose flour, 7 tbsp (1 3/4 ounces) cake flour, and
1/2 tsp baking soda into bowl twice and blend thoroughly
Beat 1 large egg, 3 large egg yolks, 2.75 ounces sugar, and 1 tsp each lemon zest, lemon extract, and vanilla extract for about 8 minutes until mixture is pale and fluffed to about five times is original volume and very creamy
Beat 4 egg whites until soft peaks form, add a pinch cream of tartar, and beat until stiff peaks form
Gently fold 1/4 egg whites into egg mixture, and then the fold in the rest
Sift 1/4 flour mixture at a time into egg mixture and quickly fold in to incorporate
Immediately turn batter into springform pan, turn down heat to 325F, and bake for about 40 minutes
Note: Next time I would try either the hot sponge milk cake (more eggs) from Chocolat or the Almond Cake (100% almond flour and egg whites) from Epicurious
Macerated Strawberries and Fresh Mixed Berries:
Mash 1.5 lbs of strawberries with 1/4 cup sugar and let sit for at least 30 minutes
Pick out 10-15 prettiest strawberries and cut in half
Whipped Cream:
Whipped 2 cups of heavy cream in KitchenAid mixer on high speed until soft peaks form
Add 1 tbsp sugar and beat until near stiff peak form
Store refrigerated
Orange Liquor Syrup:
1/2 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed preferable) mixed with 2-3 tbsp Grand Marnier or other orange liquor
Assembly of Trifle:
Add a thin layer of whipped cream at the bottom
Layer cake slices to fully cover bottom of trifle dish
Pour over 1/2 of orange liquor syrup over cake pieces
Layer pieces of meringue on top of cake
Set strawberry halves against perimeter of trifle dish
Add layer of lemon curd
Add macerated strawberries
Add whipped cream
Repeat from cake and end with whipped cream
Chill trifle for at least 8 hours
Pile fresh mixed berries on top of whipped cream, with jagged pieces of meringue lining the perimeters of the trifle dish