Raspberry & Quark Cheese Summer Cake with Me Mate Sacha…

My friend Sacha came over the other day, to show me how to make this cake. It’s one of her family favourites and was developed by her au pair, Maria.

I’ve made it twice since Thursday and plan on making it again for my visitors this week-end! Revised 08/09: ” keep making this, everyone is swearing the best summer cake they have ever had!”

In other words, It’s rocking my world.

It’s a fun, zesty, light and fluffy summer cake that uses no butter. It has a slight tang to it, because of the lemon juice added, which make it so very refreshing. It also has the right amount of sugar; I have an aversion to sickly-sweet cakes. The use of quark cheese keeps the fat content to a minimum (about the same as yoghurt). For my U.S readers, if you’re unable to find quark, then try Greek-yogurt or thickly strained yogurt.

In any case, regardless of fat content, at the end of the day it’s the taste that’s important. And this cake tastes marvelous!

Prep time: 30 minutes

Baking time: 45 minutes

For the sponge cake

a tsp of cold butter

2 eggs, separated

1 whole egg

100g/3 ½ oz caster sugar

1 tbsp water

1/2 a lemon zest

100g/3 ½ oz self-raising flour

 

For the filling

2 eggs, separated

100ml/3 ½ fl oz/ scant ½ cup double cream

2 sachet of powdered gelatin or 8 leaves of gelatin- Follow instructions on packet

100g/3 ½ oz caster sugar

500g/1lb 2 oz quark cheese or labneh

1 lemon, juiced

175g/6 oz raspberries (or berry of choice)

 

Equipment

20cm/8in loose bottom round cake tin, full height

Grease proof paper

Kitchen scale

Metal spoon- with thin edge so it cuts through, and thus allowing less air to be released.

5 bowls (2 large, 3 medium)

hand mixer/whisks

 

Note: Because we are going to use the same whisks throughout the recipe, it’s best to always begin by beating the egg whites. Doing otherwise, can get some of the other ingredients in with the egg whites, affecting the end result; light and fluffy. Please follow the steps exactly, otherwise you will get completely different results. It’s important that the egg whites are always folded into the mixtures at the end.

 

The cake tin

To begin with, prepare the cake tin. Use a round cake tin with a removable center or base. Add about a teaspoon of cold butter to the center of the parchment paper and lay it over the base of the cake tin. The butter in the center is to help stick the parchment paper to the base.

Preheat oven to 160C/325F/3G

Bowl 1 (Medium size)

Add egg whites (Save the yolks for use in next step in the recipe) into the bowl and beat till you reach soft peaks, about 2 minutes. Keep the mixer moving around the bowl so all is mixed thoroughly. A soft peak will fall over itself while a stiff peak will stand erect.

For this step note: Always be sure to use a clean, glass bowl, that has been chilled in the fridge, as this helps in obtaining the correct texture. So, basically no water or oils in sight and especially no plastic bowls because plastic attracts oils. Use the freshest of eggs and bring the eggs to room temperature before using. Do not tap the bowl with a spoon in an attempt to get all ingredients saved, as you’ll loose the air and the beaten egg whites will deflate. The egg whites should be beaten and used as soon as possible.

 

Always be sure to use a clean, glass bowl, that has been chilled in the fridge, as this helps in obtaining the correct texture. So, basically no water or oils in sight and especially no plastic bowls because plastic attracts oils. Use the freshest of eggs and bring the eggs to room temperature before using. Do not tap the bowl with a spoon in an attempt to get all ingredients saved, as you’ll loose the air and the beaten egg whites will deflate. The egg whites should be beaten and used as soon as possible.

Sasha shows us how it’s done!

Bowl 2- Use a large bowl because we will add other ingredients to it later.

Add the whole egg, along with the two reserved egg yolks, sugar and water into a bowl and beat for about a minute until you reach a creamy consistency.

Now add the lemon zest.

Add the sifted flour and beat for about one minute.

Add the beaten egg whites (from bowl 1)

And using a metal spoon begin folding, not stirring or mixing, making sure to remove all lumps, if any present.

Add the batter to the prepared cake tin and level out mixture using a spoon.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes at on the highest shelf, because heat rises.

Once finished remove and leave to cool for about 20 minutes.

 

Once cooled, remove cake tin bottom and gently peel away the parchment paper.

 

Using a serrated bread knife, gently and very carefully, slice the cake in half horizontally, trying to keep each layer even, and then leave the cake layers to sit on cooling rack while you prepare the filling.

 

Now as the sponge cake cools, prepare the filling

Bowl 3 (medium size)

Add the egg whites into the bowl (Reserve egg yolks for later)

Using very clean whisks, beat the egg whites till you reach soft peaks. Please refer to the directions I’ve mentioned earlier in the post to reach optimum results. Set the beaten egg whites aside.

Bowl 4 (Medium Size)

Add cream and whip for about 2 minutes.

Prep gelatin according to instructions on packet

Bowl 5 (Large)

Add sugar and the reserved egg yolks and beat quickly, then add gelatin and beat quickly and now add quark cheese, whipped cream, and lemon juice and beat well, before folding in the beaten egg whites. Remember to gently fold using a metal spoon!

 

Add raspberries and gently fold once

 

Place cake tin, base off, on a decorative plate. Add a layer of sponge cake to the bottom

Add the filling, level it with a spoon, cover with other half of sponge cake. Let it sit in the fridge for about 1 hour, till the filling sets.