In this recipe, I will teach you how to make a sponge cake and pastry cream, the key ingredients for this family-sized punch bowl cake. You will want to make and refrigerate the cake the night before eating, to allow for full flavor absorption of the ingredients. I like to make it during the summer and eat some for breakfast with Creamy Caramel oolong tea. I brew the tea for 3 minutes – not the usual 2 minutes – so that the flavor is stronger, otherwise the fruits tend to overpower the tea.
Tools
7-inch diameter, 2.6-inch high baking pan
1 pre-cut parchment round paper with lift tabs
Trifle bowl
Sponge cake ingredients
4 egg yolks
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup cake flour
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons milk
Pastry cream
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
1 slice lemon zest
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Filling
8 oz cold heavy whipping cream
11 oz mascarpone
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 cup toasted pecans
1 pint fresh strawberries
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
To make the sponge cake batter: Into two medium bowls, separate 4 eggs into yolks and whites. Add salt and vanilla extract to egg yolks and whisk just to incorporate. Set aside. Using a hand mixer, start whisking egg whites on a low-medium setting. When whites start to foam, gradually add sugar in 3 batches, with one minute of whisking after each addition. By the second sugar portion, you will see the mixture start to thicken. After all sugar is added, continue whisking until the mixture is thick. Next, add the egg yolk mixture to the thick egg white mixture and whisk on a low setting just to incorporate. Sift the cake flour into the mixture and fold in with a spatula to incorporate from bottom to top. Preheat the oven to 340F. To a small bowl add vegetable oil. Take a large scoop of batter, add it to the oil, and mix with a spatula. Using the spatula, gently add this mixture to the rest of the batter, just to combine. Place a pre-cut parchment round paper with lift tabs into the baking pan and pour in the batter. Gently hit the pan from top to bottom to let the batter fill all the space in the baking pan and remove any bubbles of air. Bake for 30 minutes.
To make the pastry cream: Add milk and lemon zest to a saucepan, and heat until hot but not boiling. Combine egg yolks with sugar in a separate medium-sized bowl and whisk well until pale. Add flour and cornstarch to the egg yolk mixture and gently whisk to incorporate. You will end up with a very thick paste. Remove the hot milk from the stove and discard the lemon zest. Pour just a splash of hot milk into the paste to loosen it up and whisk until there are no lumps. Gradually add the rest of the milk, constantly whisking. Pour the mixture back into the pan where you heated the milk and set it on medium heat. Start whisking the mixture in the pan and don’t stop until you have a thick consistency. Wait for the bubbles to appear, and then cook for another minute on low heat, constantly whisking. Set aside. Cover with bioplastic wrap so that the wrap is completely touching the top part of the mixture, and place into the fridge.
To make a whipped mascarpone: Add cold heavy whipping cream to a bowl. Using a hand mixer on a low to medium setting, whisk the cream for 10 to 15 minutes to get it to thicken. Add mascarpone, powdered sugar, and vanilla to whipped cream. Whisk on a low setting just to incorporate. The mascarpone cream cheese is done.
When the sponge cake is cooked and cooled, slice it from the side into three even wheels. While waiting for the pastry cream to cool, prepare the fruits and pecans. Wash the fruits and slice the strawberries into small cubes. Chop pecans into small pieces. Combine the fruits and nuts. Take the cooled pastry cream and add it to the mascarpone cream cheese, incorporating the two to make the cake cream.
Layering the cake: Spread just enough of the cream on the bottom of a trifle bowl to cover the bottom. Cover the cream with one wheel of the sponge cake and half the fruits and pecans. Add another layer of cake cream, followed by another wheel of sponge cake and the rest of the fruits and nuts. Add the remaining cake cream on top of the fruit mixture and place the punch bowl cake in the fridge overnight or for 6 hours. After refrigeration, garnish the cake with whole strawberries. It’s finally done, but I’m sure you’ll agree, well worth the effort. The aroma and taste of caramel in Creamy Caramel oolong tea raises the cake to another level.
