Today I want to share a recipe for a simple yet impressive dessert that looks like a popular fruit. We'll prepare a 'Watermelon Cake', made out of layers of green sponge cake, smooth vanilla filling and jelly with blueberry 'seeds'.
The beautiful, green cake base is moist, pleasantly sweet, with distinct vanilla notes. You can't taste spinach at all - the only thing it provides is the hue of the cake. The vanilla filling is smooth and creamy, while fruit and jelly layer brings a bit of charm and makes the cake look like a watermelon. A simple, although a bit time-consuming dessert that will be the pride of your spring table.
You'll find the list of ingredients, method and approximate nutritional value below.
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List of ingredients (circular baking tin, 23 cm in diameter)
Sponge cake
- 200 g wheat flour
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 120 g baby spinach
- 80 g vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 120 g sugar
- 1.5 tsp vanilla paste
Filling
- 200 g whipping cream
- 200 g mascarpone
- 40 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
Decoration
- 2 strawberry jelly packets (+ 700 ml hot water)
- 100 g blueberries
Method
- Add two packets of strawberry jelly to 700 ml of hot, freshly boiled water. Stir through the contents of the jug until jelly crystals dissolve completely and uniform liquid forms. Set the jelly solution aside until it starts thickening.
- Meanwhile, work on the dry ingredients required to make the sponge cake. Sift 200 g wheat flour, 1.5 tsp baking powder and a small pinch of salt into a medium bowl. Once you've got rid of all lumps stir through the contents of the bowl shortly with a whisk to distribute everything evenly. Set the dry ingredients aside for a moment.
- Put 120 g well rinsed and dried baby spinach into a separate large bowl. Pour around 40 g vegetable oil onto the leaves and blend them with a handheld blender until completely smooth. Don't rush this step and do it as well as you can. Otherwise you may get an unwanted surprise of spinach stems in your sponge cake.
- Pour 3 large eggs into a separate, large bowl and add 120 g fine white sugar. Beat the contents of the bowl with an electric mixer until the batter thickens up and becomes light and fluffy. I recommend starting at low mixer speed and increasing it gradually as eggs increase in volume.
- Once the mixer beaters start leaving visible marks in the foam, turn mixer speed back down to medium-low and add remaining 40 g of vegetable oil. Pour oil slowly, in a thin trickle, while continuing to mix the contents of the bowl. This will ensure everything will combine as it should.
- Add blended spinach and 1.5 tsp vanilla paste to the batter next. If you don't have vanilla paste at hand, you can use vanilla extract or vanilla sugar. In the latter case add it to eggs together with regular sugar. Stir through the contents of the bowl shortly, only until uniform, green batter forms, and set mixer aside. We won't need it at this stage anymore.
- Add dry ingredients to the batter. Do it slowly, in three batches, a few tablespoons at a time, and combine the contents of the bowl each time gently with a silicone spatula, only until you can no longer see raw powder. Adding flour this way you won't overmix the cake or remove too much air that you've incorporated while beating eggs.
- Transfer ready batter into a circular baking tin, 23 cm in diameter. Line the bottom of the baking tin first with baking paper, but leave sides clean and dry This will make the sponge cake stick to the sides during baking, preventing it from deflating afterwards. Spread the batter as evenly as you can and smooth out the top.
- Bake the cake in an oven preheated to 170 deg C, no fan, for 25-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Once the cake is ready, take it out of the oven and set it aside in the baking tin for about one hour, to cool. Take it carefully out of the baking tin next, put it onto a wire rack and let it cool completely - another hour should be enough.
- Cut off the rounded top with a long serrated knife. It is an optional step, but it will make the cake look much better. Remove burnt skin from the sides of the cake too, for example with the help of a long grater. Set the cake aside.
- Put 200 g cold mascarpone cheese into a large bowl and add 200 g cold whipping cream (36%), 40 g icing sugar and 1 tsp vanilla paste. Beat the contents of the bowl with an electric mixer until thick and stiff. I recommend starting at low mixer speed and increasing it gradually as cream increases in volume.
- Once you've prepared the vanilla filling, assemble the cake. Put the sponge cake back into a clean baking tin. Line the bottom of the baking tin with baking paper, and its sides - with paper or acetate foil. Transfer all of vanilla filling on top of the cake and spread it in an even layer across the whole surface. Arrange around 100 g of blueberries on top of cream layer. Put the cake into a fridge as you wait for jelly to start thickening.
- Once it happens, carefully pour jelly on top of cream. It's best to do it through a spoon or using a ladle. Put the cake into a fridge for a few hours, or best overnight, until cream and jelly set completely.
- Enjoy!
Approximate nutritional value
100 g
- 225 kcal
- Carbs: 22 g
- Fat: 13 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Fibre: 0 g
1 slice (recipe makes 16 slices)
- 232 kcal
- Carbs: 23 g
- Fat: 14 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Fibre: 0 g
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