Summer Cake

What is up, guys? Last month, I taught you how to make a cake, strawberry compote, buttercream and also meringue kisses from scratch. If you’re new here, you should definitely check out my previous posts as I have explained and covered the basics on making those. Should you have read and tried them, you are now prepared for the final test. I have been dying to post the recipes and show you how to make this cake and now the time has finally come! I’m really excited because I’ve done lots of work on this cake including five videos which you can watch below! Yes, you heard me: I FILMED FIVE VIDEOS FOR THIS PARTICULAR CAKE!

This cake was inspired by the thought of summer. When I think of summer, I see punnets after punnets of sweet, juicy strawberries and lots of fruits. With that in mind, I tried to incorporate those elements together and designed the Summer Cake. It is made up of moist citrus sponge layers, frosted with strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream and then decorated with citrus meringue kisses and strawberry compote. It is really delicious! I think this cake is perfect for picnics and outdoor gatherings because it’s got a fun look to it and those meringue kisses on top will definitely draw the eyes of many people. They’ll be even amazed when they find out that you made it yourself!

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SUMMER CAKE

by Asyraf Mutalib

For the citrus sponge layers:

• 139g butter, softened
• 145g castor sugar
• 3 eggs
• zest of one large orange
• zest one medium lemon
• 46g yoghurt, at room temperature
• ¼ cup milk, at room temperature
• juice of half an orange
• juice of half a lemon
• 215g all purpose flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and grease two 6 inch round pans.
2. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
3. Gradually add eggs and cream well.
4. Add the zests.
5. Combine yogurt, milk and citrus juices in a jug or cup.
6. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.
7. Fold the dry ingredients in three batches while alternating with the wet ingredients into the creamed mixture (DRY, WET, DRY, WET, DRY).
8. Pour the batter into the pans and bake for 25 minutes or until done.
9. Leave to cool in the pans before removing.

For the strawberry compote:

• 2 cups strawberries, quartered
• 1½ tablespoons sugar
• a pinch of salt
• juice of half a lemon
• ¼ cup water

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.
2. Heat the mixture over medium high heat until it thickens, making sure to stir constantly.
3. Pour in a bowl and let it cool a little bit before placing it in the refrigerator.

For the strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream:

• ½ cup egg whites (from four large eggs)
• 1 cup castor/white sugar
• 1 cup / 227g unsalted butter
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup strawberry compote, cold

1. Heat the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl over simmering water until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot to the touch.
2. Whip the mixture on high speed until it reaches stiff peaks.
3. Stir in salt.
4. Gradually add the butter (a tablespoon at a time) and whip until it becomes smooth.
5. Add the strawberry compote and beat until combined.

For the citrus meringue kisses:

• 2 egg whites, weighed
• castor sugar two times the mass of egg whites
• zest of ½ an orange
• zest of ½ a lemon

1. Preheat oven to 200°C and bake the castor sugar until it starts to melt around the edges, about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whip the egg whites on low speed until it reaches stiff peaks.
3. After taking out the sugar, turn the oven down to 130°C.
4. Gradually add the hot sugar while whipping on high speed.
5. Continue whipping until the meringue reaches stiff peaks and is smooth to the touch.
6. Carefully fold in the zests (do it manually!). Make sure not to overwork the meringue.
7. Fill a piping bag with the meringue and pipe kisses onto a lined tray.
8. Bake for 40 minutes then leave to cool in the oven with the door ajar.

Once you have all the above at hand, it’s time to assemble the cake:

1. Pipe some of the buttercream on the surface of one the citrus sponge layer.
2. Top with the remaining layer and spread some more buttercream onto the top of the layer.
3. Decorate with meringue kisses.

You can pipe some of the compote on top of the cake if you want but the meringues will become soggy if you don’t serve it immediately.

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This cake takes some time to make but you can make the meringues and strawberry compote a day or two earlier. It truly is worth the time but make sure you use quality ingredients (especially pure butter)!

I hope you can share this with your friends and family and do give this a try. Good luck and let me know how it goes! Upload your photos on Instagram and tag me (asyrafmutalib).