Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry (cake)

As we have already assessed, February kinda flew by for me which goes no where to explaining why I'm posting about my Valentine's Day cake now. Better late than never, right? Plus I have to thank Jen from Use Real Butter for posting this cake on her blog and making me drool over it ever since. I wanted to use her recipe, but she is super precise and gives weight measurements and I don't have a scale yet *shame* also- the chiffon cake has been adapted for high altitudes. And because my internet kept cutting out, I really had no choice but to go with different recipes but this is still definitely her cake.

Starting off with some super expensive out of season but delicious strawberries.

Pured in a food processor and getting ready to beat in some butter.

Making some swiss meringue for the swiss meringue buttercream

The finished strawberry buttercream and a frosted cake.

mmmmmh strawberry

Then I had to go run some errands and came back after the sun had set which was tragic in terms of picture taking.


I was an idiot and didn't have the right ingredients for a chocolate glaze, so I went with a chocolate icing recipe from my Larousse Gastronomique and it was spectacular.

delicious dripping

Chocolate-dipped Strawberry Cake
Inspired by this recipe from Use Real Butter

1 strawberry chiffon cake (9-inch or whatever you want)
1-3 cups strawberry swiss meringue buttercream (depending on size of cake)
strawberry jam
chocolate icing


Strawberry Chiffon Cake

Adapted from this recipe from Martha Stewart
I can't actually remember what recipe I ended up using and I don't think it was a chiffon cake. But here is one that would work well and I will probably try next time.
Makes one 7-inch cake

• 3/4 cup cake flour, (not self-rising)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3-4 oz strawberry puree (strawberries run through a blender)

Heat oven to 325 degrees and have ready an ungreased 7-inch tube pan. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and 3/4 cup granulated sugar; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, vegetable oil, 1/3 cup water, strawberry pure and vanilla. Add reserved dry ingredients, and beat until smooth.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar; beat on high speed until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Gradually add remaining tablespoon of granulated sugar; beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.
Gradually fold egg-white mixture into the batter; start by folding in 1/3, then fold in the remaining 2/3. Pour batter into pan. Using an offset spatula, smooth the top.

Bake until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean and the cake is golden, about 45 minutes.

Remove cake from oven; invert the pan over a glass soda bottle for 2 hours to cool. Turn cake right-side up. Run a table knife all the way down between cake and pan; invert again, and remove cake.

Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Adapted from this recipe from Martha Stewart

• 5 large egg whites
• 1 1/4 cups of sugar
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 cup strawberry puree

Combine egg whites, and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar has dissolved and whites are hot to the touch, 5 to 7 minutes.

Transfer bowl to the electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, mix on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed, until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes.

At low speed, add butter to egg whites, and beat until smooth. Add vanilla, strawberry puree and salt, and continue mixing until incorporated.

Chocolate Icing

Sift 100 g (4 oz, 1 cup) icing sugar. Melt 125g (4 1/2 oz) bittersweet chocolate in a bain marie, working it with a wooden spoon. Add the sifted icing sugar, then 65g (2 1/2oz, 5 tblsps) softened butter cut in small pieces. Continue to stir until the mixture is completely melted and remove from the heat. Gradually stir in 100ml (4oz, 7 tblsps) cold water . Use the icing when slightly warm.

Assembly
Set first cake layer down, then spread a thin layer of jam and then spread a layer of buttercream. Repeat again and then top with the last layer of cake. Crumb coat the cake with buttercream. Refrigerate for an hour. Remove cake from refrigerator and set on a rack over a pan or wax paper (to catch the drips). Pour warm glaze over the cake from the center and radiate outward until entire cake is glazed.