2023 New Year's Cake

Happy New Year! and welcome to 2023!

I was so not in the mood of baking a cake yesterday but my daughter asked for one and I simply couldn't refuse her. Being tired, I didn't want to go for a super fancy recipe so I picked a combination of my previous cakes that I was sure would work and be quick. Festive cakes usually take a lot of time to prepare and decorate, I love to launch myself into discovering them but when my mood is not there I pick something simple.

This cake although looks fancy is not difficult to make. It is a classic sponge cake (takes max 30 mins of preparation) with white chocolate ganache (takes 10mins to melt and 5mins to whisk) and covered in whipped cream (30 min to assemble and decorate).

I made the sponge cake and the ganache in the morning and late evening I assembled the New Year's cake with my daughter's assistance.

Here it is... 

Ingredients:

Sponge for 1 cake (18cm diameter):

• 6 eggs (whites and yolks separated)
• 200g flour
• 125g sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 4 tablespoons of milk

+ 1 tablespoons rum essence to moist the sponge cake layers

+ 800ml whipped cream for decoration.

Directions:

Prepare first the sponge cake:

1. Prepare the baking pan by buttering it on all the sides or use parchment paper so the cake does not stick to it. I used a silicone one of 18cm, so I skipped this part. Put the pan aside, turn on the oven at 180ºC to preheat, and let's start the composition. 
2. Beat the egg whites until the foam is raised. I use a standing mixer on a high speed but a hand mixer is fine as well.
3. Add the sugar and continue to beat the egg whites. It takes some minutes of beating until the foam is glossy and has stiff peaks.
4. In another bowl, mix the egg yolks with milk until foaming.
5. Go back to your beaten egg whites and pour the yolks over them. 
6. Mix gently with a spatula with up and down rotating movements. 
7. Sift the flour and baking powder.
8. Add these dry ingredients, one spoon at a time over the egg composition, and incorporate them using a spatula. To preserve the bubbles, make minimum movements when combining these ingredients.
9. Pour the composition into the baking pan and level it with the spatula on top. The composition was just a bit too much for my pan so I put 2 full tablespoons in 2 cupcake silicone moulds and baked together with the cake.
10. Bake it at 180ºC for 40 minutes. Every oven is different so do not take this timing by the letter. Test your cake with a wooden stick in the center, and if it gets out dried then it is baked. 
11. Let the sponge cake out to cool for min. 20 minutes in the pan, and just after, remove it from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.

Prepare the ganache: 

1. Break the chocolate into small pieces (unless you are already using chocolate chips) and put the chocolate into a microwave safe bowl. 
2. Add the heavy cream and put everything into the microwave for 1 minutes. Take it out, stir with a spatula and put it back in the microwave for one minute. Stir, and repeat until the chocolate is completely melted.
3. Add the cold butter cut into cubes and mix until fully melted.
4. Put a plastic foil over the composition to avoid making a crust.
5. When cooled, place it in the fridge for at least 5 hours. By then, the composition should harden and not look liquid anymore.
   Note that before using it, remove it from the fridge in advance to arrive at room temperature. If you do not have time for this, put it in the microwave no more than 20 seconds. If you prefer, you can whisk the ganache to aerate it or use it as it is.

Bon Appétit! and Happy New Year 2023!