SOME SUNDAY BAKING pt.3: DREAM CREAM CANDY CAKE

Haha, at some point I actually thought I was going to have a monthly Sunday-baking thing instead of once every second year... (part1. from 2009 to be found here -click!...We actually baked a banana pie that same day but that baking will most likely remain unpublished then, sigh...)


But here you have it: Dream cream candy rhubarb cake - the recipe from the cake in the cherry picking sessions - this time with cherries and apples though, obviously. Rather easy to do and should turn out great no matter what!


The thing with the cake is to use condensed milk on top of the cake; you know, the heavy sweetened one you can cook in to a thick toffee like custard; dulce de leche, which will make the cake very yumyy and candy like.

Otherwise it is a basic sponge cake, "socker kaka" batter with fruit. However, I always change half of the wheat flour to spelt flour for a richer taste and healthier cake. For this latest version I also used finely grounded almonds.


So you will need fruit and berries of your choose, preferably sour.*
I like it sweet but not too sweet, and with contrasts - I used three apples and a bowl of cherries.


I use four or more ecological eggs for my cake, depending on the size of the mold, and adjust the rest thereafter. I don't measure that a much, I just go on about. For this one I used four eggs. Then about a cup (around 2-2,5 dl) of sugar, approx. 4 dl. of flour; including 1dl of almond flour, 150g butter, vanilla sugar, baking powder and 1,5 dl of liquid. I most often use milk, but water, fruit juice something sour like youghurt or creme fraiche will also do.**


First, boil the jar of milk for about three hours, depending on how thick you want it to be.***
Set aside to cool whenever you feel you are ready to start with the rest, put the oven to 175. Celcius.


Mix the sugar end eggs sluffy. Use a electrical mixer if you so prefer. I'm old school and go without. I use raw ecological sugar, better than regular, rather expensive. I use it because I somehow believe it is more healthy than regular sugar or regular raw sugar. Well - of course ecological products are in general better in many aspects but the difference is most likely not that big when it comes to healthiness in this case. But the thing is I like to go to the grocery store in my heels and red lips and buy all these expensive ecological items and just feel like a better person in every way
Oh well, back to the cake: add a couple of table spoons of vanilla sugar.


Blend the flours together with the baking powder, mix into the egg-and-sugar-fluff.


Add the liquid.


During all of this you also remembered to melt the butter; pour it in and stir smooth. The batter can be kind of loose and runny, sort of medium. Firmer than pancake batter but looser than the one for cupcakes.


Prepare a mold.
I prefer silicone molds as those are so easy, ust pour it ine and flop it out afterwards, but mine was in town so I used a teflon one with a detachable bottom (recommendable). I bread it with butter and some almond flour and cut out a circle of baking paper for the bottom; the cake will be sticky, it will be easier to get out this way.
And now of course it is time for you to pour the batter in the mold.


Add the fruit. Cut the apples thin enough so they will soften neough in the oven. Sprinkle the cherries on top.


Add the dulce de leche. The thicker you have cooked it, the harder it will be to spread it evenly. Use a spatula as help and try to get it out evenly.


Put in the over for about an hour 45 min or so. Clean up the kitchen during that time or whatever you feel like. I actually had a beer.

You might have to cover the cake with a piece of folio after about one hour for the edges not to burn, depends on you oven I guess. Try it with a cake stick every now and then. It can be a bit sticky in the middle but the edges have to leave the stick clean.


Take out and let cool. You can keep it in the refrigerator over night, it will be nice and moist the next day(s) too. We however had our cake within an hour. (my cake got a little crack when taking it out from the mold but I'm cool with that). Thanks to my sister for hand modeling btw.


Decorate it with some pieces of fruit or whatever you prefer. Or leave it as it is.


Serve with ice cream. Or vanilla sauce or whipped cream. Or nothing else, it will work fine alone.
And oh it is just so damn good!


Note:
*) As already mentioned, the cake was originally intended for rhubarb as I came up with it during that season and thought the sour rhubarb would go greet with the planned toffee like batter. I made another version with rhubarb and raspberries too, which was greet. Now the rhubarbs are gone from the garden but we had cherries instead which I thought also would do good with apples and the sweet milk. It will soon be wine berry season which I think will work excellent.

**) if a sour milk product is used as liquid then mix baking powder with baking soda.


***) The first time I did this I did not cook the milk, only poured it over the batter and rhubarbs, about half the can, which made a very juicy cake. About 45 min to one hour in the over was enough. The second time I cooked the milk for about an hour or two, but the jar was not completely covered in water which resulted in a somewhat thick yellow custard that was easily pourable over the rhubarbs and raspberries still. I used up all the milk that time and it required about half an hour longer in the oven then - the cake gets a bit more soggy in this version. All versions however highly recommendable!

Enjoy!