Things never seem to stay exactly the same. It is as if time is always redecorating. Sometimes the change happens quickly and sometimes they take time. Those shoes you loved in the store just were not the same at home and places you used to visit in the past are now unfamiliar.
In relationship to food, I have been told that your taste buds change with time. The things you once loved turn into a different flavor or your preferences change. However, I am happy to say that I still enjoy a good slice of cake-so time has not changed my taste buds that much. In addition, I still crave a taste of the unique and trendy flavors.
Which brings me to this recipe. I have been thinking about the taste of flowers; cherry blossom, geranium and hibiscus. I believe that the decision was locked in when I saw a jar of hibiscus flowers in syrup. The main use for the flowers were to drop into champagne filled glasses for an extra special occasion. I knew that syrupy flowers were not the right type of component for the cake. Then the idea of freeze dried came to mind, but the product was not easily found. What could be easily found was hibiscus tea leaves.
Then I went searching for methods of using tea in baking and landed on a recipe in which the methods were already tested and steeping the tea with melted butter was the winner.
This is a 3 layer six inch cake with lemon and the familiar berry/tart flavor of hibiscus. It is covered with a strawberry lemon buttercream and the layers are filled with both the buttercream and sweet strawberries. Nifty in size and deliciously unique in flavor- one slice is really worth trying.
Hibiscus Butter Cake
adapted from Oh Honey Bakes
Ingredients/Cake
1 1/3 cup buttermilk
zest of 1 lemon
2 cups sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 sticks of butter
5 tbs hibiscus tea
6 egg whites
3 1/4 cups flour
Ingredients/Jam
1 lb of strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs lemon juice
Ingredients/Buttercream Icing
1/2 cup strawberry jam (from above recipe)
2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp lemon extract
5 egg whites
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 or 3 sticks of butter (cubed)
In order to create the cake, start by infusing the tea with the butter. Place a saucepan over medium heat and fill with the butter. Then add the tea. As the butter melts in the pan, due to the tea leaves, it will turn a deep burgundy color. Let the mixture come to a boil and cover. Remove from the heat and let rest for about an hour for the hibiscus flavor to meld with the butter.
Once the resting interval is complete, place a sieve over a heat proof bowl. Pour the butter/tea mixture into the sieve and let the melted butter drain out while pressing into the tea leaves. Use a spatula to scrape any remaining amount of butter (clinging to the bottom of the sieve) into the bowl. Let the mixture come to room temperature before using.
As this cools, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the interior of three six inch cake pans and place parchment in the bottom of each pan. Grease the surface of the parchment paper as well. Fill each with about 1 tablespoon of flour and shake pan until the whole interior is covered and invert to empty out excess.
Fill the bowl of a stand mixer with the sugar and butter/hibiscus mixture. Cream the mixture together, beating at medium high speed until light and fluffy. Add each egg white (one at a time) and blend with the mixer for about 30 seconds. Continue with this same process until all 6 of the egg whites are blended into the batter. Fold in the lemon zest and set aside.
In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold 1/3 of the sifted ingredients into the batter. Then stir in 1/2 cup of the buttermilk. Repeat the same process, starting with the dry blend and using all the remaining buttermilk. End by folding in the last amount of the sifted ingredients.
Measure out the batter and divide evenly into thirds. Fill each pan with a third, making sure the surface of the batter is even. To remove air bubbles in the batter, tap the bottom of the pan lightly on the counter. Place each in the oven and let bake for 20 minutes. After that interval, rotate and bake for about 5-10 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes. Run a knife around the interior edges of the pans and invert onto cooling racks. Once completely cooled, the layers can be assembled.
As the cake is cooling, start on the topping/icing. Core all the strawberries and set aside 4 whole strawberries for garnish. Chop the rest of the strawberries into 1/4 inch pieces. Separate out 1/2 cup of the chopped strawberries, empty into a bowl, and fold in 2 tbs of sugar. Cover bowl and place in refrigerator.
Fill a saucepan with the lemon juice, the remaining 1/2 of sugar and chopped strawberries. Place over medium heat and let cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat. The end result should should be thick, like jam. Remove from heat and drain into a heatproof bowl with a sieve, using a spoon the press out all the liquids. Cover bowl and let cool to room temperature.
For the buttercream, set up a double boiler using a bottom pot an adding water, filling it 1/4 inch full. Let the water come to a simmer. Take out a metal bowl and fill with the egg whites and sugar. Place the filled metal bowl over the pot of simmering water. Whisk the mixture until it is no longer grainy and the sugar is dissolved or until it reaches 140 degrees. It should have a foamy consistency when ready.
Empty the egg white/sugar mixture into a bowl of a stand mixer. Using a whisk attachment, blend the ingredients on high speed for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, check the temperature of the outside of the bowl to determine if it has reached room temperature. If so, switch the mixer blade to the paddle attachment and low speed. As the icing continues to be mixed, start dropping in the cubes of butter until all is blended into an icing texture.
Take the strawberry jam out of the refrigerator and beat into the sugar/butter mixture. Once blended, stir in the lemon extract and lemon zest.
To assemble the cake, start by trimming the domed layers into a flat surface. Place one of the layers on a plate and cover sides and top surface with buttercream. Then divide the remaining mixture of strawberries and sugar in half. Spoon half of the mixture evenly onto the layer covered in buttercream. Then top with another layer of cake and repeat the process of covering the layer. Place the last layer on top, making sure the cake is level. Frost the sides and top with the remaining butter cream and slice the 4 strawberries vertically, leaving about 3 cm uncut at the bottom. The strawberries can be fanned out and placed on the center of the cake.
Tips and notes:
1. This recipe yields a very tall cake. I kept one layer as a small cake and stacked and frosted only two layers.
2. The buttercream will curdle when blending, which is to be expected. It may take a while of mixing to get to the proper consistency, so be patient.
3. Bear in mind that butter cakes are more dense than regular cake. However, it still retains a moist texture.
4. If you are topping the cake with the berries, do that right before slicing and serving.
5. Even though the tea leaves have a rich berry tint to them, the cake layers have a white interior.
6. The hibiscus flavor becomes more prominent after 1 day.
**LAST YEAR: Vanilla Bean Scones*