A very simple birthday cake. Made with a fluffy sponge cake and only three ingredients: eggs, sugar, and flour, softened with a lemon syrup, which you can substitute with other flavors, fruit juices, milk, coffee, or make it alcoholic, filled with custard and covered with cream, a classic Italian cake. I’ve made several cakes, usually having to reproduce characters using buttercream and fondant, obviously the best choice, but for me, buttercream and decorated with whipped cream remain the best. For the decoration, you can use your entire imagination, color the cream, add chocolate shavings, fruit, etc. Now I leave you to the recipe!!
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Day
- Preparation time: 3 Hours
- Portions: 25
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 8 eggs
- 280 g sugar
- 280 g all-purpose flour (w 160)
- vanilla extract or vanillin
- 1 l sweetened vegetable whipping cream
- custard (double dose)
- 300 ml water
- 150 g sugar
- zest of one lemon
Tools
Round Cake Pan 10 x 4 inches
- Cake Pan
- Stand Mixer
- Electric Whisks
- Spatula cake decoration tool kit
- Brush
- Piping Bag
Steps
First, prepare the custard and syrup so they can cool down well before filling the cake.
After preparing the custard and syrup, proceed with the sponge cake. In the stand mixer, place the eggs and sugar, and beat at medium/high speed for 15/20 minutes. The batter should be very fluffy and light.
Then sift the flour and gradually add it with a spatula, mixing from bottom to top. Once all the flour is incorporated, add the vanilla, or a packet of vanillin mixed with the flour.
Grease and flour the pan (I used spray release agent). Pour the batter gently into the pan, then gently shake the pan to level the batter.
Bake at 350°F in a convection oven for 30/35 minutes. Always do the toothpick test, but do not open the oven during the first 20 minutes of baking.
When the sponge cake is ready, let it cool slightly and then remove it from the pan. Let it cool completely, and then cut it into three discs of about 1 inch each, always measuring the final height of the sponge cake and trying to cut the discs of equal thickness.
Take the first disc, place it on the serving platter, and soak it well without overdoing it with the syrup, then insert the custard in the piping bag and cover the first disc. Continue with the second disc, soak it and place it on the custard that filled the first disc.
Cover with the remaining custard and finish with the third disc, always soaking it first and then covering it with custard, also soak the surface of the last disc on the outer part. (I removed the slightly darker part of the sponge cake to have a lighter base, but if you want, you can avoid it).
Whip the cream (attention both the cream and the whisks and container should be cold).
Now to facilitate the coating, place the cake on a rotating plate.
At this point, use the spatula to cover the top part of the cake with some whipped cream and while gently rotating the plate, spread it evenly without pressing the spatula. Then cover the lateral part, and while maintaining light pressure with the spatula, rotate the plate, remember to clean the spatula each time you need to level during the final phase.
The cake with whipped cream coating is ready! let it rest in the fridge and then decorate it as you prefer.
I decorated it very simply, coloring part of the cream for a lateral side and the top, then I created drips with a glaze made of powdered sugar, water, and blue color alternating with melted dark chocolate with a part of butter.
You can use a teaspoon, the consistency for the drips should not be very liquid, so I recommend trying on the back part of the cake so if it goes wrong, it won’t be visible…
When it’s all decorated, let it rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
Storage
You can store the cake in the refrigerator covered for up to three days.
Notes
For convenience, you can prepare the sponge cake 2/3 days before filling it, wrapping it well in plastic wrap and storing it in the fridge, or freeze it to keep it longer and let it come to room temperature.
Tip
I recommend preparing the cake with filling and decoration a day before, so it can moisten and flavor well.
