Vanilla Cake with Cherry and Pistachio

DAY 1

Cherry layer. Soak the gelatin in ice-cold water. Line a 14 cm ø cake ring (or a matching mould) on one side with foil and set it on cake foil (this makes later unmoulding easier). Puree the sour cherries, Amarena cherries and sugar together. Put the puree in a pot and let it simmer for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool briefly, then stir in the bitter almond flavor and gelatin. Pour the cherry puree into the mould and freeze for at least 1-2 hours. (Position the mould so the layer doesn't get uneven!)

Pistachio layer. Soak the gelatin. Stir the pistachio paste and yogurt until creamy (if you like, use green food coloring). Whip the cream with the sugar until creamy. Dissolve the gelatin in a small pot over low heat and gradually mix it into the pistachio cream. Fold in the whipped cream. Take the cake with the frozen cherry layer out of the freezer and smooth the pistachio cream over it. Then freeze the mould again with both layers (preferably overnight).

Mirror glaze. Soak the gelatin in ice-cold water. Bring the glucose syrup, water and sugar to a boil in a pot (to 100°C). Then take the pot off the plate and add, while stirring, the sweetened condensed milk; let the gelatin dissolve in it and immediately add the white couverture. Wait one minute, then stir again until no couverture lumps remain. Now stir in the food coloring (I used only a small amount of black!). Then pour the glaze through a sieve to safely remove any last lumps. Blend the mass in a tall container with an immersion blender, avoiding any air bubbles! Cover the surface of the mirror glaze with film and place in the fridge until use.

DAY 2

Pistachio biscuit with crunchy layer. Heat the oven to 180°C top/bottom heat. Line a baking tray with a silicone mat or baking paper. Separate the egg. Beat the egg whites with the sugar to stiff peaks. Carefully stir in the egg yolk. Sift in the flour as well as the ground pistachios. Fold everything in gently and spread the batter 1 cm thick evenly on the prepared sheet. Bake at 180°C for about 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the crunchy layer.

Melt the couverture in the microwave or over a water bath. Lightly crumble the flakes and mix with the pistachios. Stir in the white chocolate. Cut a 14-15 cm circle from the still-warm biscuit, spread the crunchy mix over it and press lightly with the flat side of a spoon. Trim off the overhanging biscuit batter. While the vanilla is being prepared, this sheet should be frozen with the crunchy layer. Then it can be handled better later.

Vanilla mousse. First make a crème anglaise. Soak the gelatin leaves. Bring milk, cream and vanilla to a boil in a pot. Beat the yolks with the sugar until creamy. Slowly pour the creamy mixture into the egg mass while stirring constantly (remove the vanilla pod beforehand). Put the whole thing back in the pot and bring to 85°C, stirring constantly over gentle heat and watching the temperature. No higher! The cream thickens and can be strained through a sieve into a clean bowl. Dissolve the soaked gelatin in the cream and place the bowl in the fridge until it starts to gel. Meanwhile always stir once and check when the gelatin starts to set. Then remove the crème and gradually fold it into the vanilla cream. Put the vanilla mousse into a large disposable piping bag.

Structure. The cake is made "upside down": Fill the eclipse (dome) mould about halfway with vanilla mousse. Remove the frozen cherry-pistachio layer from the ring and place it exactly in the centre of the mould. Press down lightly (cherry layer facing down!). Now pipe another layer of vanilla mousse. Make sure there are no air bubbles anywhere. Carefully press the frozen biscuit sheet, crunchy side down, into the vanilla mousse. Any gaps or unfilled edges can be sprayed with vanilla mousse. With a light, careful shake the last "air pockets" can be closed. Cover the mould with cling film and freeze overnight. By the way, the structure in a "normal" springform is done the same way.

DAY 3

Finishing. Warm the mirror glaze in the microwave or a water bath until it melts again. Shake the velvet spray well (follow the instructions). Remove the cake from the freezer and unmould it. Cover one third with some film and spray the rest of the cake evenly with velvet spray. I always do it outdoors - cover the area well otherwise!

Then place the cake on a plate or similar that can catch the glaze running down. When the mirror glaze reaches 32-35°C, pour it over the rest of the cake. Immediately and carefully wipe off the excess glaze with a palette and/or draining tool. The glaze sets immediately on the frozen cake. Decorate the transition between the white velvet layer and the mirror glaze with cherries, flakes and chopped pistachios. Now the cake should thaw for at least 3 hours, longer in the fridge. I will serve the cake the same day. This doesn't mean it won't be beautiful the next day, but I think the mirror glaze often starts to wobble.

Of course you need a little patience for such a nice pastry, but you know it has its advantages too. Mid-week you can start preparing it piece by piece and then at the weekend serve a cake that looks like vanilla ice cream with Amarena cherries and pistachio crumble.

Of course you can make the recipe in a completely normal way. Don't forget to line the edges of the mould with cake border in advance; this simply looks nicer and cleaner, both with the velvet spray and the mirror glaze. But regardless of the shape, this cake became my special favourite. The aroma of fine vanilla, the aroma of the Amarena cherries and the taste of pistachio over the crunchy biscuit harmonize, in my opinion, quite fabulously.