Black and White Raspberry Cake

I created this cake for the birthday of a friend. But then I got sick and couldn't make it. I was pretty sorry about it. But since I already planed it out I thought it would be a pity not to bake it anyway. As it happens my dads birthday was the following weekend. So I got my chance.

I think of all the cakes I made in the last few years this is my favorite. At least considering the taste. I mean the combination of dark chocolate and raspberrys is always delicious.
The Frosting is absolutely mouth-watering. The taste of chocolate is quite rich and intense. Even the texture is perfect for coating a cake. YAY!

I wanted the flower to be a certain turquoise shade. It's not that easy to accomplish. To get closer to that shade, I had to use a lot of gel colour. As a result the gum paste became to sticky. To counteract that I had to use more cornstarch while I rolled it out. Thats why the flower has this light white coating. It's a pity.
I planned for the flower to be a little more fluffy. But the fondant was too damp and it softened the gum paste petals. They all just deflated. I was pretty disappointed.

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Black and White Raspberry Cake

Shortcrust

85 g butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 g vanilla sugar
1/8 tsp salt

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/360°F.
2. Beat the butter, the vanilla sugar and the sugar with a hand mixer until it's pale and creamy.
3. Add the flour, the vanilla extract and the salt. Mix it in with a dough hook.
4. Take a baking pan but leave out the bottom.
5. Put baking parchment on a baking sheet. Place the ring of the baking pan on top. Crush the edges of the parchment around the ring.
6. Spread the dough evenly in the prepared baking pan.
7. Bake it for 15 minutes.
8. Put the baking pan on a cooling rack and let it cool down to room temperature.

Biscuit

150 g flour
38 g cornstarch
188 g sugar
315 g eggs (with shell)
1 pinch citric acid powder

1. Weigh the eggs with the shell. Try to come as close to the intended weight as you can. That works best with a mix of medium and large sized eggs.
2. Separate the egg whites from the yolks.
3. Put the egg whites in a tupperware container, close it. Put the container in the freezer. Leave it there until the egg whites are a little bit frozen on the edges. This can take from 15-50 minutes. You should check every 5-10 minutes.
4. Beat the egg yolks with a hand mixer until they turn pale. Put a piece of saran wrap directly on the beaten yolk. Put the bowl in the fridge for later.
5. Mix the flour with the cornstarch. Sieve the mixture at least twice. Leave the flour in the sieve for later.
6. Put the sugar into a small bowl and leave it for later.
7. Take the baking pan with the baked shortcrust and put a cake-strip around it. Put it back on the baking sheet.
8. Pre-heat the oven to 155°C/310°F.
9. Prepare the flour, the sugar, the yolk and a timer for easy access.
12. Put the citric acid powder in a big bowl.
13. Add the egg whites.
14. Whip the egg whites manually. Preferably use a spiral whisk or a normal whisk, if you don't have one. It's important that you don't turn the bowl while you whip the eggs and you always have to beat in the same direction. Basically you have to repeat one hand movement the whole time.
15. After 10 minutes start gradually adding the sugar. Overall the egg whites should be whipped for 25 minutes.
16. Afterwards add the egg yolk.
17. Sieve half of the flour to the whipped egg whites. Fold them in carefully but quickly. Sieve in the remaining flour and fold it in too. Like with the egg whites you should not turn the bowl and fold in the same direction. Try to work quickly but always be careful.
18. Put the batter over the shortcrust. Smooth out the top as good as you can.
19. Bake for 50-60 minutes. When you press the top carefully with a finger and it jumps back, the biscuit is finished.
20. Put the baking pan on a cooling rack and leave it to cool down completely.
21. Remove the parchment. Afterwards use a thin knife to carefully cut the biscuit out of the pan.

Chocolate Batter

85 g butter, room temperature
1/6 cup cacao
1/8 cup water, boiling
1/2 cup sugar
8 g vanilla sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk

1. Sift the cocoa powder and whisk in the boiling water.
2. Beat the egg lightly.
3. Combine the flour, the cornstarch, the baking soda and salt. Sift it all together.
4. Cream the butter with a hand mixer until it's light and fluffy.
5. Gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla sugar. Beat it for about 3-4 minutes, scrap the batter twice from the sides of the bowl.
6. Gradually add the egg and mix it well.
7. Add the milk to the cocoa and mix it.
8. Add the flour and cocoa mixture alternately to the batter. Start and finish with the flour.
9. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/360°F.
10. Grease the baking pan and dust it with cocoa powder. If you want to use a Cake strip, put it on the baking pan.
11. Bake the cake for ca. 30-35 minutes.
12. Put the baking pan on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes. Afterwards take the cake out of the pan and leave it to cool on a cooling rack.

Chocolate Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cacao
190 g cream cheese
180 g butter, room temperature
280 g bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup crème fraîche
2 pinches salt

1. Combine the sugar, the cacao and the salt in a bowl. Sift them together.
2. Use a hand mixer to beat the butter until it's creamy.
3. Add the cream chesse to the butter. Mix them together.
4. Set the mixer on slow and add the sugar-cacao mix.
5. Melt the chocolate. Let it cool down a little.
6. Add the chocolate and mix it in. Still on a slow setting.
7. Add the crème fraîche. Mix it in.

To Assemble

1-2 cups raspberrys
Raspberry jam

1. At the top of the biscuit cut of about one third.
2. Take it of and place it on a cutting board. Cut out a circle. Leave a 2cm rim. The cut out middle is superfluous and can be eaten as a snack.
3. Spread some jam on the cut surface of the bigger biscuit.
4. Place the cut ring back on the biscuit.
5. Wash the raspberrys. Carefully dab them dry.
6. Fill the cut out middle with the raspberrys.
7. Spread some of the chocolate frosting onto the biscuit. At this point it's better if the frosting is rather soft, so don't put it in the fridge beforehand.
8. Place the chocolate base on top.
9. Cover the whole cake with chocolate frosting. If the frosting is too soft. Put it in the fridge, check about every 5 minutes, until it reaches the desired consistency.
10. Covering the cake with fondont is optional.

Bon appétit!!