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Sponge Cake with Sour Cream and Dried Fruits "Dried fruits"
Instructions
Preparing the sponge batter. Preheat the oven. Set the temperature to 180 degrees. Take the eggs and granulated sugar, and beat with a mixer (or food processor) for no more than 5-10 minutes until fluffy consistency is achieved (the eggs should be taken out of the refrigerator beforehand to reach room temperature). The mixture should increase in volume by about 2 times.
Gradually add the flour (it is better to sift it) while mixing the batter with the mixer on the lowest speed. It is also possible to mix evenly with a spatula, depending on your preference. Carefully fold in the flour to avoid losing all the fluffiness of the batter.
Add the prepared lemon zest, mix, and pour into a mold lined with parchment paper. A springform pan with a diameter of 26 cm is used in this case.
Place in the preheated oven for 30-45 minutes. Check the readiness of the sponge with a kitchen spatula (after 35 minutes). It is very undesirable to open the oven before this, as the sponge may "fall." Once the sponge cools, remove it from the mold and let it sit overnight, then cut it into 3 equal parts. If time is tight, this long "resting" stage can be skipped.
Preparing the cream mousse. In a bowl, combine the following ingredients: sour cream + powdered sugar + vanilla sugar (sugar) + sour cream thickener. Whip until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Next, the cream mousse should be placed in a cool place for 15-20 minutes.
Preparing the filling for the cake. Rinse the dried fruits and pour hot water over them.
Cut them into small pieces. Dry the walnuts in the microwave for a few minutes. After that, crush them in a mortar to a crumb state.
Prepare the syrup. Take lemon juice, a glass of water (200 ml), and about 80-100 g of sugar (the amount of sugar depends on how sweet or sour you want the syrup). Put it on the fire and boil for about 5 minutes. Let it cool down.
Assembling the cake. Take one layer and soak it with the syrup, then generously spread the creamy mousse on it and sprinkle with prunes and nuts on top.
The second layer is also generously moistened with the syrup, spread with cream, and sprinkled with dried apricots.
The third layer is thoroughly soaked with the syrup and spread with cream.
Decorating the cake. In this case, nuts, slices of prunes, dried apricots, as well as a sprinkle of crushed chocolate were used for decoration. However, the 'combinations' of decoration can be changed as desired by adding other fruits. But remember that the essence of the cake lies in the dried fruits.There is no need to let this type of dried fruit cake steep for long. But don't forget about the importance of soaking.
Tips
- 1
Take the eggs out of the refrigerator in advance so they are at room temperature before you whisk them with the sugar. Room-temperature eggs whip up much better, helping the mixture grow to about twice its volume for a light, airy sponge.
- 2
Use sour cream with at least 21% fat for the cream (you can take it even richer). Higher-fat sour cream, combined with the thickener, whips into a firmer, more stable cream than a low-fat one.
- 3
If you have the time, let the cooled sponge rest overnight before cutting it into three layers. A rested sponge slices more cleanly than a freshly baked one. If time is tight, this resting stage can be skipped.
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