Conceived by Bismarck chefs with far too much time on their hands, the Starlight cake is composed of layer after layer after layer… after layer of sweet, decadent heaven.
The Starlight Cake is actually based on a Japanese Christmas Cake, which is fluffy sponge cake filled with whipped cream and strawberries. I felt it was too simple of a treat, so I decided to opt for a buttercream filling.
For the cake you will need
1 cup (100 g) ground almonds
1/4th cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
2 ½ tablespoons (20 g) cornstarch
3 large eggs
½ cup (100 g) sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
For the filling you will need
6 tablespoons (84 g) butter
1.5 cups (167 g) Confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons powdered strawberry or red gel food coloring
1 teaspoon rose water
2 finely chopped strawberries
2 tablespoons smooth strawberry jam
For the icing and decoration you will need
2 cups (400 g) heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons sugar
A handful of small strawberries
7 oz. (200 g) white chocolate, chopped
2.5 oz (50 g) dark chocolate, chopped
Red gel food coloring; alternatively food coloring pens
Special equipment
Small plastic piping bags
Waxed baking paper
Preheat the oven to 350 °F (170°C). Grease and line a 6-inch round baking tin with baking paper and set aside. Now it’s time to separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites, slowly adding the sugar, until very stiff. Beat the egg yolks in a separate bowl and fold into the egg whites. Sift the remaining dry ingredients together and fold into the egg mixture.
Transfer into the baking tin and bake for about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out dry. Let the cake cool down completely before proceeding.
Mix confectioner’s sugar with butter. Color with food coloring or powdered strawberry. Stir in rose water and chopped strawberries. Slice the cake horizontally in half. Brush strawberry jam on one layer and spread buttercream filling. Brush strawberry jam on the other half of the cake and put on top of filling. Chill in refrigerator.
Whip the heavy cream with the salt and sugar until stiff peaks form. Frost cake, leaving some cream in a piping bag for later. Melt white and dark chocolate separately. Mix some of the white chocolate with red food coloring. Pipe on wax paper about nine patterns according to the template.
Let the chocolate set for a few minutes before wrapping wax paper around frosted cake, the chocolate side facing the cake. Let set completely in the refrigerator. Peel of wax paper, pipe decorations on the cake, alternating with strawberries. It can be made one day ahead.
