PASCALE'S KITCHEN: Summer cream cakes

One of the nicest moments during a hot summer day is when you finally have time to sit at the end of your day on the porch with a cup of iced coffee and a slice of fresh cream cake.

AUGUST 21, 2019 18:13

WHITE CHOCOLATE AND YOGURT CAKE (photo credit: PASCALE PERETZ RUBIN AND ANATOLY MICHAELLO) — WHITE CHOCOLATE AND YOGURT CAKE

(photo credit: PASCALE PERETZ RUBIN AND ANATOLY MICHAELLO)

One of the nicest moments during a hot summer day is when you finally have time to sit at the end of your day on the porch with a cup of iced coffee and a slice of fresh cream cake. This is not the time of year to be turning your oven on, so below I am bringing you three recipes for cold and refreshing cream cakes, two of which don’t require any baking.

In a little over a week, the summer school vacation will come to an end, and we will all go back to our regular schedules. The preparation of the cake recipes below does require a little bit of effort, but they are so worth it to have such a creamy, cool slice of cake to eat on these hot summer days. There is a wonderful light and creamy biscuit cake, a white chocolate mousse and yogurt cake, and an apricot jello cake that makes you feel like you’re eating ice cream. All three look gorgeous and are perfect to serve when having guests over or to eat with your family.

SUMMER CREAM CAKES (Credit: PASCALE PERETZ RUBIN AND ANATOLY MICHAELLO)

BISCUIT CREAM CAKE

Use a 20 cm x 32 cm pan.

24 to 26 of any type of petit beurre biscuits

1 cup of instant coffee (non-dairy) mixed with 1 tablespoon of sugar and a package of vanilla sugar

2 containers (500 g.) sweet whipping cream

3 to 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar

1 heaping tablespoon of gelatin, diluted with ¼ cup of cold water

2 containers (500 g.) 5% white spread cheese

1 container sour cream

Zest from 1 lemon

½ package instant vanilla pudding

100 g. white chocolate

Toppings:

½ cup biscuit crumbs

¼ cup brown and white chocolate swirls

Pour the prepared instant coffee into a bowl and then one by one, dip the biscuits into the coffee and then place them in the pan side by side so that they completely cover the bottom of the pan. Lay down a second layer of biscuits dipped in coffee.

Using an electric mixer, whip the sweet cream on high speed, slowly adding the powdered sugar, until light and fluffy. Remove one cup of cream and set aside.

In a separate bowl, add the white cheese and mix with a whisk. Add the gelatin and mix well. Add the sour cream, lemon zest and instant pudding and mix well. Slowly add the whipped cream and then pour over the biscuits and flatten. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave a few seconds at a time and then drizzle on top of cream cake. Top with biscuit crumbs and then chocolate swirls. Refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving.

BISCUIT CREAM CAKE ( Credit: PASCALE PERETZ RUBIN AND ANATOLY MICHAELLO)

WHITE CHOCOLATE AND YOGURT CAKE

Use a 24-cm. diameter springform pan, or a rectangular or oval pan. Grease pan well.

White chocolate mousse:

1 large egg

1 large yolk

¼ cup milk

½ package (7 g.) gelatin

1 container (250 g.) sweet whipping cream

3 Tbsp. sugar

Bottom layer:

1 package ladyfinger cookies or a thin prepared store-bought cake base

½ cup milk

Yogurt filling:

¼ cup milk

½ package (7 g.) gelatin

1 container (250 g.) sweet whipping cream

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 container (150 g.) yogurt

Top layer:

2 Tbsp. silan

2 Tbsp. raw tahini

Toppings:

¼ cup white chocolate swirls

¼ cup bittersweet chocolate swirls

½ container sweet whipping cream, whipped together with 1 Tbsp. sugar

Whisk together the egg and yolk and then keep whisking quickly as you pour in the melted chocolate.

Melt the gelatin in a pot with the milk over a bain marie. Stir constantly until gelatin dissolves and then add to the white chocolate.

Whip the cream with an electric mixer and then add the sugar and keep mixing until firm. Slowly fold into the chocolate mixture.

Dip the ladyfinger cookies into the milk and then line the pan with them. Pour the chocolate mousse on top and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for two to three hours.

To prepare the yogurt filling, melt the gelatin in the milk in a bain marie. Whip the cream with the sugar until firm. Gradually fold the melted gelatin and yogurt into the whipped cream and mix.

Pour the cream over the chocolate mousse layer and flatten. Cover with plastic again and refrigerate for two to three hours.

Mix the silan and tahini together and drizzle on top of the cake. Sprinkle chocolate swirls on top. Transfer the extra whipping cream to an icing bag fitted with a serrated tip and add around the edge of the cake. Keep in fridge until serving.

WHITE CHOCOLATE AND YOGURT CAKE (Credit: PASCALE PERETZ RUBIN AND ANATOLY MICHAELLO)

Tipascale

You can use a prepared cake base in place of

the ladyfinger cookies.

This cake freezes well.

APRICOT OR PEACH CHEESECAKE

Use a 24-cm. or 26-cm. diameter pan that is well greased and floured.

Begin baking with the oven at 200° and then lower it to 170°.

3 containers (750 g.) ½% white cheese

1 container sour cream

5 eggs, separated

3 packets vanilla sugar

1 Tbsp. lemon zest

3 Tbsp. flour, sifted

1 cup sugar

10 to12 canned apricot or peach halves, drained

1 container of apricot jello

Topping:

1½ cups whipped sweet cream

Add the cheese, sour cream, egg yolks, vanilla sugar, lemon zest, flour and half of the sugar in a bowl and mix well.

Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed. The moment stiff peaks form, begin slowly adding the rest of the sugar. Mix well. Slowly add the egg whites to the mixture, mixing all the time gently.

Pour the mixture into the pan and bake in an oven that has been preheated to 200° for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 170° and bake for another 40 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the center of the cake comes out dry and clean. Let the cake cool.

Arrange the peach or apricot halves on top of the cake. Prepare the jello according to directions. When the jello begins to solidify, pour it on top of the cake. Refrigerate until serving. Use a knife to help remove side of springform pan before serving.

Add the cream to an icing bag with a serrated tip and decorate top of cake.