Hubby's 2009 Birthday!!

I've been baking hubby a cake ever year for his birthday even since we started dating. I even made his a cake when hubby's bro, girlfriend at that time and us went on a vacation out west to Yellow Stone etc. Some years hubby gets two cakes but sometimes just one. Every year I've been able to leisurely make the cake during the day and wait for hubby to come home at night/when we were dating to go over to my apartment and cut the cake. This year since hub's birthday fell on a Saturday I had to make the cake on Friday and thankfully our relatives stays by the side of us hence I was able to hide the cake at their refrigerator.

This year I was a little nervous about the cake I was going to bake because I was going to bake sponge cake. At the beginning of Spring I tried making swiss roll once and it turned out to be a disaster and I knew that sponge cake would be the similar to making sponge cake but I still wanted to make sponge cake because I want a lighter cake for us especially I knew that we were going to be full after dinner anyway. I wanted to use whipped cream as frosting so that it won't be too heavy to eat after dinner compared to using butter cream frosting.

Determine to make it I went and bought the stuff I needed on Monday. I actually had to buy back up stuff in case the sponge cake didn't work out I would quickly whip up a chocolate cake:). Anyway I got up at about 8:30 am on Friday(which is pretty early for me) and started preparing and making hubs cake followed by Milo's cake. I had to start early just in case the sponge cake did not work out I would have time to make a chocolate cake before hubby gets home from work. I finished making and decorating both cakes at about 3:30pm. Most of my time was used on making hubby's cake because Milo's cake was super simple to make and decorate.

Strawberry Sponge Cake adapted from HHB

Ingredients:

4 eggs, bring to room temperature
1oog caster sugar
4g salt
140g cake flour
30g vegetable oil
30g fresh milk

filling & frosting:
300ml whipping cream
250g strawberries

Method:

1. Sift cake flour, set aside. Grease and line a 20cm round pan, set aside. Pre-heat oven to 180degC. Position rack at the lower bottom of the oven.


2. With an electric mixer, whisk eggs and sugar & salt on HIGH speed for about 5 to 7mins, until the batter double in volume and is ribbon-like (the beater should leave a ribbon-like texture when the batter is lifted up). Turn to LOW speed and whisk for another 1 to 2 mins. Whisking at low speed helps to stabilise the air bubbles in the batter.


3. Add sifted cake flour into the batter. With a spatula, gently fold in the flour until well blended.


4. With a spatula, mix about 1/3 of the batter with the salad oil in a separate bowl. Fold in this mixture into the remaining batter. This method will help to ensure the oil will be fully blended and at the same time will not deflate the batter.


5. Add in fresh milk and fold in gently with spatula.


6. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 35 mins, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Unmold and cool completely.

Assemble the cake

1. With an electric mixer, whip the whipping cream with two tsp of sugar and a tsp of vanilla essence until still stiff.
2. Slice the cake horizontally into 2 layers. Place one of the cake layers cut-side down on a cake plate. Spread the whipped cream over the layer.
3. Arrange rings of strawberries to cover the whole layer.
4. Fill with some more whipped cream. Top with the other cake layer, cut-side up.
5. Spread the whipped cream over the top and side of the cake. Decorate as desired.

As usual my decorating skills is not the greatest. I think I over whipped my whipped cream it because watery later or I had it out too long I'm not sure about that. My red colored whipped cream actually bled on the white whipped cream again maybe because it was melting from being out or I over whipped it.

When I took out my Wilton Caddy tool box I realized that I actually have so many tools to make a nice cake. I only take this tool box out about once a year to use some of the stuff in there so I don't remember what I have in there. Anyway I am thinking of enrolling myself for the Wilton Decorating classes that is offered. I don't have any lesson on how to decorate a cake. All the cakes I decorate is not really presentable I think. I want to be able to make a yummy cake that looks nice too.

Overall the cake was a satisfactory. When the cake turned out I was worried that it would not taste good. One worry after another. Anyway hubby loves his cake because is not too sweet and is light and fluffy I even like the cake myself. Uncle Richie didn't care for the cake because he don't care for white cake but hubby said oh well since is not his birthday :P as long as hubby likes it I guess. Maybe I can try and make a swiss roll again ;).