A post? After months and months of absence? Yeah, I know... I've been MIA recently, and I can't really give you a reason because I don't really have one other than the fact that I've mainly been uninspired. Perhaps even lazy? Bad, I know. I've been baking sporadically, but I've literally been baking the same things over and over because when I find something I like I don't get bored of it easily. I'm the kind of person who finds a song they like, then proceeds to listen to it on repeat for an hour.
Anyways, this is a cake that qualifies for the above statement. It's simple, easy and good. And how can it not be? It's light cake that's not too sweet, paired with smooth custard (my favorite easy recipe, like ever), tart berries and finished with whipped cream. Plus, it's quite the stunner.
Triple Berry Chiffon Cake
Yields: 1 double layered 8" cake.
Original cake recipe here.
For the vanilla chiffon cake:
6 egg whites
4 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
For the whipped cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tbsn. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
For the custard:
1 small box French Vanilla instant pudding
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla
For filling/ decoration:
strawberries
blueberries
raspberries
(or any other berry you'd like to include)
To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until soft peaks begin to form. Once this happens, gradually add 1/2 cup sugar while mixing until stiff peaks form, set aside. In another bowl, mix the yolks, oil, water and vanilla, set aside. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and 1 cup sugar. Mix the egg yolk mixture with the dry ingredients until smooth, then gently fold in the egg white/ sugar mixture. Gently pour the mixture evenly into two nonstick sprayed or parchment paper lined cake pans and smooth out the tops. Bake the pans for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top springs back when you press on it. Remove the cakes from the pans and let cool on a wire rack.
To make the custard, whisk everything together until smooth and slightly thickened. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to allow it to thicken more. To make the whip cream, whisk the heavy cream until soft peaks form, add the vanilla and sugar and whip until combined, set aside. To assemble, set one layer of the cake on a cake plate. Use an offset spatula to spread a good amount of custard evenly on the top. I like to spread on as much as the cake can handle, but you can use as little or as much custard as you'd like. Sprinkle some berries on top of the custard and press slightly into the cake. Top with the second layer of cake. Top with another layer of custard. Spread the whipped cream all over the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with more fresh berries.
