“THERE IS AN ENDURING TENDERNESS IN THE LOVE OF A MOTHER TO A SON THAT TRANSCENDS ALL OTHER AFFECTIONS OF THE HEART.” Washington Irving.
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Happy Mother’s Day!!!
I’m sitting here with my lower lip out because this day just isn’t the same without Jeff and Matt here. I think Mother’s Day should be moved to the summer, when my guys will be back from school. I’m not sure if I am really missing them, or if I am just missing the opportunity to have yard work done or my car cleaned inside and out! (I am usually good for milking whatever work I can from them on this day!) So to make myself feel better, I made some little cakes! These are sweet and simple. But let me tell you what I learned about working with the fondant icing…..
The recipe called for originally working with 2 cups of powdered sugar. And when you add your liquid….it seems almost like you won’t have enough icing. And I started off by drizzling the icing onto the cake thinking it was going to coat the entire cake. And when I couldn’t get it to cover the sides…I made more! But actually, the icing only clings to the marzipan on top of the cake. And I actually made the cakes stickier and a little less pretty by trying to coat the entire thing. Next time I will really only drizzle the tops. But this moist vanilla cake is brushed with jam, covered with marzipan and then drizzled with icing. Mother’s day, without my boys, was made much sweeter with these!
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CAKE:
4 eggs
1/2 c plus 2 TBSP sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 c flour
pinch of salt
1 package of marzipan
3 TBSP seedless red raspberry jam
splash of chambord
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
With your mixer and a whisk attachment, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into the egg mixture. Fold gently until flour is incorporated. Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.
Melt the 3 TBSP jam with a splash of water in a small saucepan over medium heat. When jam has dissolved, remove from heat and add about a TBSP of chambord liqueur. Remove the parchment paper from the cake and set on a piece of plastic wrap. Brush the top of the cake with the entire melted jam mix. Cut a piece of parchment about the same size as the square of the cake (you can use your cake pan to trace). Place the marzipan on the parchment and roll it out until it is about a 9-10 inch square. Then turn it over to cover the top of the cake and remove the parchment. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least a half hour. When you are ready to cover with icing, remove the plastic wrap and with a bread knife, cut the edges off of the cake. (I munch on them while I continue….baker’s fees!) Cut the cake into even size squares….about 16-20 depending on how large you want them. Set the cakes, space a little apart, on a wire rack. I put some newspaper underneath to catch the excess drippings.
ICING:
4 c confectioners sugar
2 TBSP corn syrup
4 TBSP water (if you decide to add liqueur in your icing substitute 1 or 2 TBSP for the water)
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Mix all of the above ingredients together. I mixed it right in a large glass mixing cup to make it easier to pour. Divide the icing if you wish to color some of it. Pour over the sliced cake, drizzling so that the tops are covered. Let set for a couple of minutes and garnish as desired.
Enjoy!!!
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Recipe adapted from French Food at Home