"Best ever." It's the most abused phrase in food writing. I usually roll my eyes clean out of my head when I see the words. Best pizza ever. Best chocolate chip cookie in the recorded history of chocolate chip cookies. Best whatever. Ugh. Which is exactly why it pains me a little to write what I am about to write... This cake IS -- hands down -- the best thing I have ever baked.
There we go. I said it. (Aren’t we all little hypocrites.) Now let's move on quickly because I am a tad bit embarrassed.
I have been plotting this cake for three years. 3.
Because sponge cakes have been haunting me and something had to be done.
See, I do not understand sponge cakes. I cannot fathom the consistency -- think dry, thirsty, remotely sad -- with a few token fruits stranded in between. I don't like the buttercream. I don't like the fondant. I don't like the jam.
Just don’t serve me a sponge cake.
So I thought about it and did the only logical thing. I inverted the whole situation. Buried the fruits inside the batter, where they belong -- hiding, peeking, playing hide-and-seek. Flooded the layers with crème pat. Crowned the whole thing in edible flowers.
TADA!
This cake eats like the lovechild of a trifle and a cloud -- if the cloud had something to hide. Think grapefruit-scented crumb -- loaded with berry surprises and moist -- oh so moist. It’s everything a sponge cake refused to be. Then think crème pat -- vanilla-flecked, elderflower-laced, floral and barely sweet, pooling into every tiny fruit pocket. Made with whole eggs rather than yolks alone, it stays impossibly light -- more whisper than custard.
So, yes. Best cake ever. I heard myself the first time.
p.s. A couple of baker’s notes:
* You can use any other citrus zest in the sponge. I just find that grapefruit adds a new level of charm.
* You can also use other fruit combos. They all work beautifully. Strawberries and blueberries. Strawberries only. Strawberries and raspberries. Rhubarb. (Oh, that one was good.) If you go the rhubarb route, up the elderflower syrup -- it'll make the crème pat positively whimsical.
* No three pans? No problem. Ideally, mix three separate batters, one per sponge, so each goes into the oven fresh. Non-ideally -- and perfectly fine here -- mix one batter, bake the sponges in batches, and keep the waiting batter in the fridge between rounds. (It keeps the leavening lively and the fruit from sinking.) The later layers may rise a hair lower, but tucked between cream and fruit, who's going to know? Just don't bake it all in one pan and slice it into three -- a single tall bake risks a gummy center and berries sunk to the bottom.
Hide-and-Seek Berry Cake
for the whole egg crème patisserie:
950 ml whole milk
1 vanilla bean
¼ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
200 grams granulated sugar
60 grams cornstarch
70 grams butter
2 tablespoons St. Germain or elderflower syrup
2 mg Knox (powder) gelatine
for the sponge:
170 grams (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
300 grams plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated grapefruit zest
120 ml whole-milk yogurt
3 large eggs
335 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
350 grams strawberries, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
150 grams blueberries
hardware:
three 8-inch springform pans
Make the crème patisserie: Pour the milk into a medium sized saucepan. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the inside. Add the seeds and the pod to the milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Set aside for 15 minutes to infuse flavor. Pour through a sieve to remove the bean.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and salt together until creamy, pale, and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk until fully combined and no lumps remain. Add the St. Germain.
Add the milk slowly to the egg mixture. Add carefully in batches to avoid cooking the eggs. Mix constantly. Once fully combined, pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Return the saucepan to the stove on medium heat. Whisk continuously. Cook until the cream thickens and big bubbles pop on the surface and then cook for one to two full minutes. Remove the cream from the heat and add butter. Mix until fully combined.
Remove the cream from the stovetop, add the butter and mix well. Sprinkle in gelatin and mix well to dissolve.
Push the cream through a sieve into a clean bowl. Refrigerate the cream for at least four hours, or overnight.
Make the sponges: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour the springform pans. Melt the butter.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, yogurt, and grapefruit zest until creamy. Add the eggs and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
Sieve the flour mixture into the bowls with wet ingredients. Mix gently then add the fruits and fold until combined. Divide the mixture into three and transfer into the baking pans. Smooth out the top.
Place in the center rack in the oven. Bake until the sponges are golden brown, and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, for about 40 minutes.
Let the sponges cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan. Let the sponges cool completely before assembling the cake. (You can prepare the sponges a day ahead, lay on wax paper, wrap in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator.)
Assemble the cake: Remove the cream and sponges from the fridge. Divide the cream into three equal parts.
Place the first sponge on a cake platter. Spread one third of the pastry cream evenly on top. Top with the second sponge. Spread the second third of the pastry cream on it and top with the third sponge. Then finish the cake evenly on top and the sides with the remaining cream.
Decorate with edible flowers, or other decorations of your choosing
Keep in the fridge and remove about an hour before serving.
