What's even better than cake? Cutting into a cake and having a surprise in the centre! This cake made with fresh berries and a whipped cream topping is sure to please every time. The idea for this healthy spin on the traditional piñata cake comes from Healthfully ever after the cake recipe is adapted from Ricardo Cuisine and the frosting from allrecipes.
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup oil
1 1/4 cup cream (heavy or 10%)
For the Frosting:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
For the Filling:
Mixed berries (I used raspberries, blueberries and blackberries). Make sure you throughly dry the berries after washing otherwise they will turn into mush inside your cake.
Directions:
For the Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking soda and salt.
In a different bowl, using an electric mixer beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract on medium speed for approximately 10 minutes, slowly drizzling in the oil as you beat the egg mixture.
Turn the speed to low and add 1/3rd of the dry mixture and then 1/3rd of the cream (beat just until combined, especially if using heavy cream because you do not want to end up with whipped cream). Continue this step until both the dry mixture and cream are finished.
I wanted a round cake, so I used a 5 inch oven-safe glass bowl, you could also use a standard 8 inch cake pan. Grease the bowl and divide your batter in half. If you have two bowls place half the batter in each bowl. If you're tight on space, like me, divide the batter and bake 1 half at a time (takes longer but gets the job done).
Place the bowl in the oven and cook for approximately 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven. Once it has cooled enough to be able to handle it, remove cakes from the bowl and allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack.
The middle has likely risen into a dome like shape, cut the tops off so that you have a flat even surface (consume discarded portions immediately to avoid any confusion :P). Using a melon baller or spoon careful hollow out the centre of the cakes, leaving approximately 1 inch at the bottom and sides of the cakes.
Spread a light layer of strawberry jam around the permitter of your cake to "glue" the two cake halves together. You can also use frosting if you prefer.
Fill one of the halves with the berries, creating a small mound (because remember there's room in the other half of the cake as well).
Carefully place the empty cake half on top of the other one to complete your cake.
For the Frosting:
***Note: because this is a whipped cream frosting, it is not as easy to work with as buttercream but the cream cheese and the powdered sugar give it some stability that will let you do some basic piping and will allow it to sit out of the fridge for a few hours without disintegrating like the standard whipped cream topping while maintaining the fresh light taste of whipped cream topping***
n a large bowl add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract and beat on medium-high speed while slowly adding the whipped cream to the mixture as you beat. If you have a stand mixer this is much easier, if not (I don't) just hold the mixer in one hand while pouring the cream from a measuring cup in the other. Continue beating for approximately 7-8 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Do not over beat otherwise the mixture will begin to curdle.
Place the frosting in the fridge for 15 minutes to stiffen up a bit before working with it. I was able to pipe rosettes with it but you can also just slather it on your cake using a spatula in a nice thick layer.
Leave it as is or finish of with some berry garnish and watch your guests' awe as they cut into this cake to find a surprise centre.
