French Country Cake
A layered cake with a mascarpone cream and honey sponge layers, assembled with jam and finished with grated chocolate, whole fruit from the jam and rosemary sprigs.
Ingredients
| 500 g | mascarpone | |
| 200 g | sour cream | |
| 200 g | strained yogurt | |
| 130 g | powdered sugar | |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | lemon juice |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | finely grated lemon zest |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.5 ml | cinnamon |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | honey |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.5 ml | ground ginger |
| 1 pinch | nutmeg | |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | vanilla |
| 5 tbsp | 75 ml | blackberry, raspberry or blue plum jam |
| 50 g | chocolate for sprinkling | |
| — | fruit from jam, pomegranate seeds or frozen fruit for garnish | |
| 2 | eggs (sponge layers) | |
| 150 g | sugar (sponge layers) | |
| 400 g | flour (sponge layers) | |
| 200 ml | fresh milk (sponge layers) | |
| 50 g | butter (sponge layers) | |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | honey (sponge layers) |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | baking soda (sponge layers) |
Instructions
For the cream: briefly whip the mascarpone. Add the sour cream, yogurt, lemon juice and zest, and the sugar. Stir together with the vanilla seeds and the spices.
Assembly: assemble the cake, spreading each layer with a spoonful of the jam and a layer of mascarpone cream. Spread the top of the cake with cream and sprinkle with the ground trimmings, crushed chocolate and whole fruit from the jam. Add the rosemary sprigs.
Sponge layers (Variant 1): Start by whisking the eggs with the sugar. Add the milk, honey, butter and baking soda. Put on the stove and warm the mixture until it takes on a golden colour. Then remove from the heat and pour in the flour all at once, and start stirring with a wooden spoon until a soft, non-sticky dough forms. Divide the dough into 6-7 balls, which you then roll out into thin layers on a floured surface in the shapes you want (rectangular and round layers). Bake the ready layers on baking paper, pricking them beforehand with a fork so they don't rise unevenly. Bake the layers in a preheated oven at about 180 °C until they turn golden.
Sponge layers — VARIANT 2 (ingredients only): 3 eggs, 1 teacup sugar, 2 tbsp honey, 100 g cow butter, 1 vial vanilla, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda, 4 tbsp cocoa powder, 1/2 teacup finely crushed walnuts, 3 teacups flour.
Sponge layers — VARIANT 3: The butter is melted and beaten with the eggs, sugar, honey and baking soda. The sifted flour is added little by little until a sticky dough forms. On baking paper draw 6 circles 26 cm in diameter. The dough is distributed into them and smoothed. Bake in trays in an oven heated to 180 °C, about 9 min. Cool and cut into neat circles.