The Florida cake is one of those desserts that seems time-consuming at first glance but is actually simple and clever. A lemon sponge cake soaked with an alcoholic syrup made with peach vodka, whipped cream flavored with lemon, and topped with canned peaches, so you can bring summer to your table all year round. Fresh and delicious, the Florida cake is a perfect dessert for the end of the meal!
Don’t miss it
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 5 Hours
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 10 People
- Cooking methods: Oven, Electric Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
Ingredients for a 9-inch pan
- 4 eggs
- 4.2 oz sugar
- 4.2 oz all-purpose flour
- 1 lemon (grated zest)
- 2.1 cups sweetened vegetable whipping cream
- 1 lemon (grated zest)
- 0.8 cup water
- 3.5 oz sugar
- 1.7 oz peach vodka
- 2 canned peach halves (or one fresh peach)
- to taste unsweetened cocoa powder
Tools
- 1 Mixer Kitchen Aid Artisan
- 1 Pan 9-inch
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Knife cake knife
- 1 Small Pot
- 1 Soaking Bottle
- 1 Piping Bag
- 1 Toothpick Cake tester
- 1 Sugar Duster for cocoa
- 1 Cooling Rack
- 1 Knife kitchen knife
- 1 Cutting Board
Steps
Before starting to prepare this dessert, make sure to refrigerate the cream at least one day in advance because it needs to be very cold.
Beat the eggs with the sugar and the grated lemon zest in a stand mixer on medium speed for 10-15 minutes. They should be pale, fluffy, and frothy. Gently incorporate the sifted flour with an upward folding motion using a spatula (or a skimmer as I learned in pastry class), being careful not to deflate the eggs. Pour into a greased and floured pan and bake in a preheated oven at 347°F for twenty minutes, then lower the temperature to 329°F and let it bake for another five minutes. Check for doneness with a cake tester or skewer, and once ready, remove from the oven, take it out of the pan, and let it cool completely on a cooling rack.
Pour the water into a small pot with the sugar, heat until the sugar is dissolved, then let it cool completely and add the peach vodka. Transfer the syrup into the appropriate bottle.
Transfer the cream into the stand mixer’s bowl, add the grated lemon zest, and whip at high speed until it is firm and fluffy. Then transfer it into a pastry bag with a smooth nozzle.
Cut the sponge cake in half and soak the base with the syrup. Starting from the center, create concentric circles with the cream until covering the entire surface. Soak the other sponge cake layer and place it over the cream. Pipe dollops on top of the sponge cake leaving the center free, and decorate with syrup-soaked peach slices. Place the cake in the fridge to cool thoroughly (at least five hours) and sprinkle with unsweetened cocoa powder before serving.
Notes
Recipe source (revised in my way) Easy with Taste January 2025.
