Cherry Blossom Cake
Serves 12
3 medium-sized eggs 230g caster sugar 120g white plain flour 40g cornstarch
8.25g baking powder 100ml rapeseed oil 100ml cherry juice or nectar 5 gelatine leaves
250g mascarpone 150g sour cherries 400ml cream
FROSTING
250ml soft butter 100g icing sugar
SWEETENED FLOWERS
1/2 teaspoon gum arabic Approx 300g caster sugar Approx 20 Japanese cherry
blossoms
Mix gum arabic with 20g sugar. Add 2 tablespoons of water and stir until smooth. Thread the cherry blossoms with needle and sewing thread at the base of the stem. Dip the blossoms into the gum/sugar solution and brush them off with a brush. Sprinkle with sugar and hang upside down to dry for 24 hours. Note that they are very fragile and can change colour very fast.
Cover the bottom of a 16cm diameter springform pan with baking paper. Tighten the edge of the springform pan around it. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced).
Pour the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat them with the hand mixer for about 2 minutes until foamy. Add 90g sugar and beat for another 4 minutes. Mix flour, cornstarch and baking powder in a bowl. Add rapeseed oil, cherry juice/nectar and the flour mixture to the egg foam and fold in briefly.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin and push it into the lower rack of the oven. Bake at 180°C (160°C fan forced) for about 50 minutes.
Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool for at least 2 hours. Remove the cake from the tin and cut it horizontally three times. Place the bottom cake layer on a serving plate. Place a flexible cake ring around it.
For the cherry cream, soak the gelatine in cold water. Squeeze the gelatine and dissolve it in a small pot at low heat. Stir mascarpone and 140g sugar into the gelatine. Drain the sour cherries and chop them coarsely. Add to the cream. Refrigerate the cream for at least 10 minutes until it begins to gel.
Whip the cream until stiff and fold in with a rubber scraper. Layer the cherry cream on the bases in the cake ring. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Loosen the cake ring. Put the butter in a mixing bowl. Place the mixing bowl in hot water and let the butter melt slightly. Add icing sugar and beat for about 6 minutes until white and frothy. Spread the cake with it. Before serving, cover the cake with flowers.