Preparation of the Vanilla Cream and Raspberry Crown Recipe

• For this dessert, which my son called OREO CAKE with raspberries, the first thing I do is the filling, which must rest for several hours for both the first and second recipes.

  Honestly, they are the same; the only addition in the first is the gelatin that keeps it more “upright” but still fluffy—a real delight!

• VANILLA CREAMS

  FIRST RECIPE

  1) In a small bowl, I put 20 grams of water where I place the gelatin to soften.

  2) I finely chop the white chocolate and melt it in the microwave or in a double boiler, ensuring that the pan with the chocolate does NOT touch the boiling water.

  3)I add the vanilla extract, mixing the mixture well.

  4)I heat the fresh cream, add the squeezed gelatin, and mix it very well to ensure it blends with the hot cream.

  5)Off the heat, I incorporate this liquid at least 3 times into the melted white chocolate.

  6)I place everything in an airtight, cold container and refrigerate for 4/5 hours or overnight.

  7) Blend everything with electric beaters into a soft and fluffy mousse.

• For the second recipe of the filling, I skip step 1, perform step 2 and step 3.

  At step 4, I do not add the gelatin (which is not among the ingredients), and I continue by mixing the melted chocolate with the hot cream, always in multiple rounds to avoid creating a single, non-fluffy clump, which would then have to be thrown away!

  This white chocolate and vanilla ganache must also rest for many hours before blending it with electric beaters, whisking it into a very light mousse!

• I’ve written a lot, but in the end, you only need to melt and combine…

  For the chocolate cake, I cream the butter with the sugar into a mousse, then add one egg at a time, only when the previous one is incorporated into the rest of the mixture.

• Sift the baking powder with the flour and cocoa, incorporating these dry ingredients into the butter mix.

  The batter is soft but denser, and I place it in a 9-10 inch pan, then bake at 340°F for about 45 minutes.

• Once baked—the toothpick test will be reliable—I let the chocolate cake cool on a wire rack.

• I then cut the cake in half to make 2 layers and then, with a 9-10 cm pastry cutter, create a hole as if it were a donut.

• I whip the vanilla cream with electric beaters and use a piping bag to generously fill the first layer and then the second.

  I add chocolates, raspberries, various decorations even in a Christmas theme given the period, then keep it in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve the vanilla cream and raspberry crown!

• It’s a really good dessert, resembling a raspberry Oreo cake, and if, like me, you don’t like a dessert that’s too sweet, I recommend adding raspberries in the first layer of filling with vanilla cream to balance the sweetness!

  This is a very personal suggestion, so…

  Enjoy your meal!

  Annalisa

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