Fluffy Vanilla Sponge Cake

• When preheating the oven for my cakes, always use the 'top and bottom heat' setting. Please avoid using the fan-forced option, unless otherwise specified.
   
• Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 170C°/ 338F°. Using an oven thermometer will ensure even baking results each time, as every oven is different. Always go with the reading on your oven thermometer rather than the temperature you set on your oven.
   
• Grease your wire racks lightly with butter and set them aside; this step will prevent the cake from sticking to the wire rack.
   
• Use a small piece of cold butter, and gently rub the cold butter over the bottom and the sides of three 20 cm ( 8-inches) round baking pans. This technique of using a small piece of cold butter ensures an even, ultra-thin coating. Place a circle of parchment in the bottom of the pan. Add a tablespoon of all-purpose flour and tap it around the inside of the pan until all the buttered surface is covered 100%, then turn the pan upside down over a sink and tap out the excess flour. If you don’t have three pans, it’s okay to bake the cakes in stages; The cake batter will be kept at room temperature until needed.
   
• Bakers note: The egg white to yolk ratio in an egg can vary to such a degree. Therefore, weighing the egg yolks and egg whites as mentioned in the recipe and adding or reducing them if needed is advisable. Place 7 large eggs in lukewarm water for a few minutes.
   
• Bakers Note: All-purpose flour with 8-9% gluten is ideal for tender sponge cake layers; I use 9%. While 10% works, less gluten is preferable. Enhance tenderness by mixing in potato starch which is labeled as potato flour in Scandinavia.
   
• In a medium bowl, sift together 90 grams of all-purpose flour or pastry flour, 90 grams of potato starch, and one teaspoon of baking powder. To get the cake you truly deserve, sift the flour mixture twice to make the flour as aerated and light as possible.
   
• For the yolk mixture, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip 50 grams of superfine sugar, 140 grams of egg yolks, and two teaspoons of vanilla bean paste on medium speed until pale yellow, tripling its volume, and all of the sugar is dissolved—about 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside for now.
   
• Wipe a stainless steel bowl and the whisk of an electric mixer with a paper towel dampened with a little lemon juice to eliminate any trace of grease.
   
• Put 210 gram egg whites and a pinch of cream of tartar into the bowl. Using the whisk attachment, whip on medium high speed for about 3 minutes until the whites are glossy white. Add the sugar ( 200 grams) one tablespoon at a time over 3 minutes to make a very shiny and stiff meringue. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
   
• As soon as the meringue is done, place the whipped meringue into a large bowl, add the whipped egg yolk mixture on top, and carefully fold them together using a balloon whisk rather than a spatula. You don't want to deflate the mixture, so try to do as little folding as possible.
   
• Sift the flour/starch mixture onto the egg mixture in two increments. For maximum volume, use a balloon whisk or a large silicone spatula, and gently yet confidently fold the flour into the batter with strength! It’s better to make a few powerful folds than 15 half-hearted ones. If you don’t get it mixed in just right, you might end up with a sponge cake that’s all heavy at the bottom and too fluffy at the top. You’ll know you’ve done it right when the batter gets a bit less puffy and looks more uniform.
   
•  Use a large silicone spatula at the end of the folding to reach the bottom of the bowl and scrape the batter into the pan(s).
   
• Evenly distribute the batter among the three prepared pans, about 250 grams in each baking pan. Use your offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.
   
• Bakers Note: Give your pans just a really good spin on the table, what that does is it takes the batter up the side of the pan a little bit, just so that as it's baking, it already has an attachment to kind of move up the side of the pan. Don’t tap your baking pans on the kitchen counter to try to get things to level out, especially with this style of cake batter, because banging your pans or dropping it on the table to level the batter actually gets rid of all the air bubbles that you just incorporated into the batter. 
   
• Bake both cakes until golden brown and the top of the cake feels firm and has a pale golden colour. about 15 to 17 minutes, depending on your oven and baking pan. Mine was done at 16 minutes. To check if the sponge cake is ready after 15 minutes of baking, you should first look through the oven window rather than open the oven door. If the center appears slightly sunken, give it a minute or two longer while keeping an eye on it. Then carefully open the oven and gently press the top of the cake. It should feel firm to the touch and may have a slight bounce to it. This method allows you to monitor the cake's progress without disrupting the baking process. Because this sponge cake is going to be filled  with a cream based filling, it doesn't matter if you overbake it for a minute longer, It's better to do that than end up with a sponge cake that is wet in the bottom.
   
• Immediately without delay run a knife or metal spatula between the sides of the pan and the cake, and invert the cakes onto a prepared wire rack, remove the parchment paper, and leave them to cool completely on a wire rack.
   
• Repeat with the final layer.
   
• If not used immediately, wrap them well in plastic to keep them from drying out.
   
• Each cake layer is about 4 cm high.

Peach Marshmallows Cream

• You can use canned peaches or very ripe peaches if using ripe peaches You need to peel the peaches.
   
• Here is how you do it, cut across at the base of the peach, bring a pot of water to a boil and gently lower the peaches into it, flip after 30 seconds.
   
• After they boil for a minute, remove and submerge in ice water, Now the skin will slip right off, peel, cut, and pit the paches and set aside for now.
   
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl using an electric beater.
   
• Whip the cold heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla bean paste on low speed for a minute.
   
• Then turn the mixer up to medium speed and whip until stiff peaks form, about 3 to 4 minutes.
   
• Scrape the side and the bottom of the bowl with your spatula.
   
• Add the sliced peaches and mini marshmallows and with a spatula combine.
   

To assemble the cake layers
 

• Be sure that the cake layers are completely cool before filling the cake, Heat from a warm cake will melt the filling.
   
• Place the first cake layer on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a silicon matt, make sure that the baking sheet fits in your refrigerator.
   
• Drizzle the cake layer with 1 or 2 tablespoons freshly pressed orange juice, this is optional but it keeps the cake moist.
   
•  Spread half of the peach marshmallows cream on top of the first cake layer, carefully smooth it out with the back of a spoon making sure to get close to the edges.
   
• Place the next cake layer on top and repeat.
   
• I use a sheet of acetate around the cake (You can buy acetate sheets at craft stores or online but not necessary to use if you don't have it) and I use an adjustable cake ring. (An adjustable cake ring is similar to a cake pan but without a bottom.) 
   
• Place the final cake layer, on top, pressing down gently to help the layers stick together.
   
•  Cover the cake with plastic wrap and chill the cake in the refrigerator to set overnight or at least 4 hours.
   
• If you don’t have an adjustable cake ring. carefully pack the entire cake with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator overnight or at least 4 hours. 

raspberry whip cream

 

• Use a blender or a food processor, process the freeze-dried raspberries into a powdery crumb. Then use a fine sieve and sift to remove the seeds so you end up with 15 gram superfine raspberry powder, set aside in an airtight container if not using right away.
   
• Place the box with heavy cream in the freezer for 15 minutes before you make the raspberry whip cream if you don't have a freezer make sure your heavy cream is very cold. 
   
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment ( or in a large bowl using an electric beater) sift in the powdered sugar, superfine raspberry powder, citric acid ( if using) and pour over the cold heavy cream.
   
• Whip the mixture at  → the lowest low speed for 20 seconds, stop the mixer then use a spatula and scrape the side and the bottom of the bowl you want to make sure nothing gets stuck in the corners.
   
• Continue mixing at medium speed until medium soft peaks about 1 to 2 minutes, Don't over-mix your whipped raspberry cream, the pulverized raspberry powder, absorbs the moisture of the cream quickly and helps to create a very thick cream fast. It took me one minute to whip up this raspberry frosting.
   
• The texture of the raspberry frosting should resemble Greek Yogurt.
   
• If you do over-whipped the cream slightly, so it begins to turn a bit bumpy, just add 1 to 2  tablespoon of fresh cream gently stir and it will magically turn the hard peaks into beautiful, soft, billowy peaks.
   
• Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 hours.
   
• Remove the cake from the fridge, remove the cake ring and acetate sheet ( if using), and discard the plastic wrap.
   
• Place the cake carefully on your cakestand,  I flip the cake with bottom-up, on a cake stand.
   
• Add big dollops of the delicious raspberry cream on top.
   
• With a large offset spatula, frost the entire cake with the raspberry cream working from the top of the cake down, I decorated this cake with a rustic finish, it looks very effortless

  Apply an even layer of raspberry frosting to all sides, then make swooping motions with an offset spatula 

• Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.