Monday, January 03, 2005

Crema de Fruta

I am back to regular programming....Happy New Year to all!

This post is a continuation of my birthday kusina escapades.

Thanks to Celia K for her crema de fruta post, I thought this would be good alternative to the usual chocolate cake that my hubby always prepares for anyone's birthday in our family. I wanted for my in-laws to have something to look forward to during birthday celebrations, and not only to bring their gifts and greetings to the celebrant.

I deviated from CeliaK's method by preparing my own sponge cake. Why? Because when I told hubby about my plan, he grimaced a bit, saying that sponge cake is usually rubbery, chewy, tough and dry...and that he preferred the crumbly type of cakes. BUT he said, "if that's what you want, then go on. It's your birthday anyway."

Good thing I found a sponge cake recipe with this promise: " While most sponge cakes are light and somewhat dry, a sponge cake made with milk, has a softer more tender texture." The recipe is that of Boston Cream Pie which I got from Sarah's baking911 site.

Here's the recipe for the sponge cake:

Milk Sponge Cake

1 cup sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons unflavored vegetable oil
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 egg yolk, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

Adjust rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment or waxed paper; do not grease. Sift flour, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl add the the milk and oil; do not be concerned that they do not blend together.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, yolk and sugar to combine. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, whip the egg mixture until it is light ivory in color and very fluffy, about 6 minutes. Add the vanilla toward the end of whipping. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture in two additions. Pour the milk mixture down the side of the mixing bowl. (It will sink to the bottom of the bowl under the batter.) Gently fold until the milk mixture is thoroughly incorporated. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until the cake is golden on top and it springs back when lightly pressed in the center. Remove pan from oven to a wire rack until cool.poouring the batter into the prepared springform pan Posted by Hello
cooling the cake

While baking the sponge cake I prepared the custard. Comparing CeliaK's custard filling with that of the Boston Cream Pie Recipe, I noticed the only difference in the ingredients were the amounts, and the inclusion of rum in the latter. I thought it would not hurt to follow that in BCP since I used a springform pan, so that the custard would just be enough to cover the top of the cake. I just eliminated the rum. I leave to you to include it or delete it from this custard filling recipe from baking911.

Boston Cream Filling
Only half of this rich, thick pastry cream, lightened with whipped cream is needed for the dessert. Enjoy the remaining filling with fresh fruit.

1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar, divided
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon each dark rum and vanilla
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped
In a small bowl whisk to combine the egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar, then the flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk and 1/4 cup sugar and heat just until it comes to a boil. Remove, and pour half of the hot liquid over the yolk mixture, stirring to combine. Pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan, and bring it to a boil again, stirring constantly. When it is thick and smooth, remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into a large bowl to cool. Cover surface with plastic and refrigerate. When ready to assemble the dessert, stir in the rum and vanilla until smooth, then fold in the whipped cream.

preparing the custard top of the cake sliced off
Then while cooling the custard, I sliced the top off the cake as soon as it was cool enough to do so. I just thought this would create more traction for the pudding and the fruits, plus it gave me an excuse to taste the cake. And guess what I discovered: It tasted like that of Special Mamon Tostado (almost like the Goldilocks' Mamon but without that greasy unpleasant film that it leaves on your palate). I had hubby taste it too, and he said it was not what he expected of sponge cakes as it was not tough.

Next I prepared the gelatin. I used Knox unflavored gelatin and then followed the instructions on the packet using 2 envelopes. Posted by Hello
cooking the gelatin pouring the cool gelatin on top of assembled cake-pudding-fruits
While it was cooling in the fridge, I started assembling the fruits (peaches, Mandarin oranges and Maraschino cherries) over the custard that I poured on top of the sponge cake. Then I placed inside the fridge covered with a plastic wrap to let them chill for about an hour, and then poured a thin film of gelatin. I let that thin film set for about 30 minutes, sort of like laminating the surface, acting like a seal, before I poured more gelatin to cover the fruits completely. Let the gelatin set. (It was a minimum of 3 hours from the approximated time of serving, but feel free to make this several hours earlier). (Note: I made a mistake before of pouring the gelatin while it was still very liquid, and the cake, custard and fruits were room temp. The gelatin seeped through the cake and soaked it, making it tough when the cake cooled completely. Believe me, you don't want to make the same mistake again.)

ready to slice and serve!My visitors were intrigued by it. I served it very informally as such; only separating the sides off from the pan using a small silicone spatula, then gave them each a slice of the cake. No, the number of cherries did not correspond to my age (wish it did!) . They all said it was different and good. None was left (there were 13 of us in all; no leftover on their plates!) at the end of the day (much to my older son's dismay). Any Filipina can hold her head up high when serving this dessert to a foreign crowd.

33 comments:

Unknown said...

hi manang! glad to see hindi mo pa kami nilisan..really ha, i have to try your mala-mamon sponge cake! kids love them. i dont have to ask my utols to send fr LA anymore...
happy 3 kings!

Manang said...

stel,

Oo nga. gamit ka na lang nung individual muffin tin cans na parang flower. Ano ba tawag dun? On the lookout ako dito sa wal-mart ala akong makitang exactly ganon. I am planning nga to get some of my father's baking equipment when I go visit the PI in the future or ask my sis there to mail them na lang pag me pera na ako pang-S&H. (medyo mabigat ata...several baking sheets, accordion type of baking pans, those flower-shaped muffin tins, loaf pans (with cover) both small and big...ako na lang ang bibili sa Tatay ko! Haha!

Anonymous said...

How come my crema de fruta wasn't clear at all after I poured the gelatine. I got mixed up with the cream and turned cloudy.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous,
Maybe the gelatin was not cooled down enough? or maybe you poured it too fast? I poured the cooled gelatin slowly and carefully over several spots (esp over the fruits), at first leaving a thin layer, then chilling it some just so it will form a thin sheet, then I poured the rest of the gelatin. It will also help to prevent soaking the cake if your poured cold gelatin, not when everything is warm (maybe chilling the cake, custard and fruits will also help).
-Manang

Sassy Lawyer said...

Hi Manang,
Happy Holidays...
I tried ur crema de fruta recipe...ok na sana kaso ung sponge cake ko matigas..then ung bottom nya sobrang tigas to point na para syang naging crust na...so ang ginawa ko, i sliced off the bottom of the cake everytime i had to serve a piece of it...Please advise...Thank you in advance :)

Lory said...

hi aileen,

is it the sponge cake itself? Or did it turn out hard after you added the gelatin???

If it is the latter, I suggest you let the gelatin kinda set for a while (like really really cool and soft gel) so that when you pour it onto the cake, it won't seep into the cake itself but will stay on top.

Now if the problem is really the sponge cake that turned hard, I can only think of it having been exposed to dry air for a long time that it hardened. Other than that, I cannot really think of any other problem that you might have had.

Sassy Lawyer said...

Hi Manang,

Thanks for the prompt reply...

The gelatin was cool when i placed it on top of the cake...I think i might have over-baked the cake so it became very dry...Yung bottom part ng cake ko was almost like a thin crust...But, the rest of the cake was ok naman, kaso nga lang medyo matigas sya...

I am planning to bake another batch of this cake using ur recipe. My husband said that the cake tasted really good kaso nga lang medyo matigas ang cake...So that means ur recipe is really yummy but i might have done something wrong in the process...

My husband said that since i am using an electric oven, i should try lowering down the temperature when baking. He suggested that i should try baking the cake at 300-325 degrees instead of 350 degrees since electric ovens give more heat than the ovens with gas.

If i baked the cake at 300-325 degrees, would it become "under-baked" or hilaw?

:)

Anonymous said...

Hello,

What brand is your milk and the cake flour?

Thank you.

Isabel1217

Lory said...

sabel,
The milk was a grocery brand fresh whole milk and the flour was a Pillsbury cake flour.

Anonymous said...

im a first time baker and i will like to try to bake using your recipe kaya lang di ko po alam kung panu gagawin sa eggs kung ihihiwalay ba yung whites o hindi o pagsasamahin ba??pls reply po agad hahabol ko po kac sa xmas gusto ko kc maghanda ng kakaiba sa family ko..thanks po..

Lory said...

Hi anonymous,

Pagsasamahin mo...you just have to take note na may extra egg yolk

Anonymous said...

maraming thank u, manang..i will try my very best to bake your featured recipe....GOdbless po...

Anonymous said...

hello again manang, ako yun isang nagtanung sau about the eggs..anyway na-bake ko po xa nun xmas kaya lang po medyo tumigas yung cake tapos buti nalang edible pa rin nagawan ko ng paraan at sobrang nagustuhan nila talaga pagkalagay ko sa mesa mga 15mins. lang ang tinagal hahaha..then nag-isip po ako kung bakit nagkamali ako sa pagbake nung cake nalaman ko po na masyado mataas yun temperature nung oven na gamit ko at mali din po ang pagka beat nung eggs kaya xa tumigas...un po..tnx po ulet..

Lory said...

Hi Anonymous,
I have a feeling it is not the beating of the eggs but probably the "folding" technique? It is hard to explain here how to "fold" but if you look at videos on the internet about baking that requires this step, then you should be able to follow easily.
Glad your family still enjoyed it!

Joy Leaming said...

Hi Manang,

Yesterday, easter sunday, I tried the recipe of your crema de fruta only i topped it with just fresh strawberries(very cheap this time of the year)and crossed my finger that the crowd i am gonna serve it to will like it.. they were raving for it! it was so good and i can't even believe i've made something that good from scratch.. the sponge cake recipe was perfect, almost tasted like mamon from goldilocks. and the boston cream filling was just right and not too sweet.. my husband is requesting me to make some again today.. Thanks so much again..

Joy Leaming
USA

Lory said...

Hi Joy,
Glad you were able to follow my instructions okay! (That reassures me that I am giving clear instructions!). I am sooooo glad to hear about your experience with this recipe! Thanks for letting me know (and other future readers of this post) about it. I added your comment to my crema de fruta post in my newer kusina blog. If you have a photo of your cake, feel free to email to me and I will edit my post to include your photo to encourage others to try making this.

Anonymous said...

i've baked sponge cakes before, ang alam ko kase naka-separate ung eggs, may batch for the egg yolks with the flour, etc. and one for the egg whites. Usually ung egg whites you have to beat it til stiff tapos u fold the egg white mixture sa egg yolk batter...maybe kaya matigas..

Lory said...

Hi Anonymous,
I can assure you it was not because of that. I recently made mamon using this recipe but saved the eggwhites to whip and fold with the batter. It was still good and soft. Maybe kaya tumigas ay dahil maaga mo naidagadag yung jell-o? or baka over baked....see above comments...baka makatulong sa troubleshooting.

Ms Jill said...

Manang may i please ask yung recipe ng custard, it is exactly the recipe minus the rum, for the Boston cream pie tama po ba? As in including the cream in the end? Medyo confused lang po ako kung may kasamang cream.

Lory said...

Hi Jill, tama yun. It is up to you kung gusto mo isama yung rum. Yung whipped heavy cream, kasama talaga.

Anonymous said...

Hello,

Nag try ako i-bake using your recipe, however just like what others experience matigas ung ilalim ng cake. yung ibabaw malambot..bakit ganon? i followed the instructions namn..kaya d ko na ginamit yung sponge cake.. i just bought an-easy-bake out of the box cake and it was great

Lory said...

Hi Anonymous,
I am sorry you had bad turn out. You probably did not fold good enough to ensure uniform mixing, or you probably waited too long before placing in the oven that there was settling of the denser part. I have always made this and has had no problem with the sponge cake itself. Others have even blogged about it, using the link to my newer kusina. Its the same recipe I used for my special mamon (mala-Goldilocks) post in my new kusina (you can try to google for that). Some of my FB friends also have tried the recipe and posted photos in fb and is of the opinion that it is even better than goldilocks.
So, take heart and better luck next time! I hope you don't give up. Practice makes perfect. Because the sponge cakes that are usually sold in stores are so dry they do not even compare.

Anonymous said...

how do i whipped the heavy cream, am i supposed to use a mixer

Lory said...

Hi Anonymous,
Sorry for the late reply; I was busy at work.
You whip the heavy cream with a mixer, even just the hand mixer will do.

Jill said...

hello manang..

jill here from sg..thank you for posting sa mga recipes mo..malaking tulong to sa konting sideline ko dito...mahilig din po akong magbake and magluto...

hoping here you will keep on adding new recipes and new tips on how to do it well...

Lory said...

Hi Anonymous,
Thanks for your comment!
If you go to my new kusina (kusinanimanang.blogspot.com), you will see more recipes and how-to's there.

angeline said...

Hi...is it okay to use digestive crackers instead of sponge cake...i mean by breaking the digestive and mixing it with the custard...

Lory said...

Hi Angeline,
Sorry I have no idea what digestive crackers are and have had no experience with them so I cannot even give you an opinion if it will be okay. It will be up to you to experiment if you dare.

Sheila Q. said...

Hi! Manang,
Pinag kalat ko na ang website mo sa mga friends and relative ko. They all love it. Marami na akong na try sa mga recipes mo. They all wonderful. May version ako ng Crema de Fruta. I've tried different kinds of gelatin, pero mas gusto ko ang LADY'S CHOICE ALSA GULAMAN CRYSTAL CLEAR. Sa filipino store mo to mabili. Mayron din dito sa online. Try it, you'll never use any other band. The texture is excellent. Good Luck!

Lory said...

Hi Sheila Q.
Thank you sa promo ng website ko, at thank you sa tip on alsa gulaman crystal clear! Makapag-hunt nga for that on my next trip to the Asian store.

Anonymous said...

Hi manang
thanks for the recipe. I used it for mothers day. Everyone said the filling was really good but unfortunately the Cake part got hard as well like the others comments. Anyway I think it was from the jello. So just a reminder to eveyone else to make sure that the jello is very thick before u pour it in.

Anonymous said...

Hi manang,
I'm new here. I've been trying different pinoy recipes. I've tried to make crema de frura w/ different recipe it was good but feels like something is missing. Parang kulang sa wow factor :). Im planning to try your recipe this week. I just want to ask if I can use whipping cream instead of heavy cream? I've been searching for weeks and I can't find heavy cream. Thanks and god bless..

Anonymous said...

Hi manang,
I'm new here. I've been trying different pinoy reci
pes. I've tried to make crema de frura w/ different recipe it was good but feels like something is missing. Parang kulang sa wow factor :). Im planning to try your recipe this week. I just want to ask if I can use whipping cream instead of heavy cream? I've been searching for weeks and I can't find heavy cream. Thanks and god bless..

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