A Cake for my Mom

When you think about making a cake for your beloved mom, you desire to make the most beautiful one, a cake that expresses your feeling and gratitude for all her unconditional love. Recently it was my mom’s birthday, and despite the distance between us, I made a special cake for her. She has a passion for flowers (such as me, it's in our DNA) and one of her favorites are orchids, which she has been collecting over the years. 

Initially I was planning to make a cake decorated with several sugar orchids, inspired by a visit that I did to the Cleveland Botanical Garden. But I decided for just only one. The one that she first bought. I still remember when that happens. I was a little girl and that beautiful exotic flower with white and pink petals impressed me. And making this particular sugar orchid was really, really special for me. And I know that means a lot to my mom too. With love, my memories and some photos that I have, I tried to reproduce it and I think that the result was great.

The cake is a recipe that she already used for my birthday cake in the past.  I love it! It consists of layers of sponge cake, dried plum jam, coconut cream and condensed milk cream. She covers the cake with the condensed milk cream and fresh grated coconut. The result is beautiful, but in my version I didn’t use the coconut, I preferred decorate the cake with fondant.

My Mom's Cake

Sponge cake

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

4 egg yolks

8 tablespoon water

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 egg whites

pinch of salt 

2 cups cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter ad flour the cake pan.

Gradually beat the sugar into the egg yolks and water, add the vanilla, and continue beating for several minutes until mixture is thick and pale yellow.

Beat the egg whites and salt together in a separated bowl until soft peaks are formed. Scoop one fourth of the egg whites over the top of the egg yolks and sugar mixture. Sift on one fourth of the flour, and delicately fold in until partially blended. Then add one third of the remaining egg whites, sift on one third of the remaining flour and baking powder. Fold until partially blended, and repeat with half of each, then the last of each. The egg whites must retain as much volume as possible.

Turn into prepared cake pan, tiling pan to run batter to the rim all around. Set in middle level of preheated oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cake is done when it has puffed, is lightly brown, and has just begun to show a faint line of shrinkage from the edges of the pan.

Condensed milk cream

395g/14oz sweetened condensed milk

395g/14oz heavy cream

790g/ 28oz milk

4 egg yolks

2 tablespoon corn starch

Place all the ingredients into a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir the mixture until it starts to show the bottom of the pan while you scrape it with a spoon. The mixture should be thick enough to show the bottom of the pan for a few seconds before the mixture back again.

Coconut cream

395g/14oz sweetened condensed milk

200g/7oz unsweetened coconut flakes

2 egg yolks

Place all the ingredients into a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir the mixture until it starts to show the bottom of the pan while you scrape it with a spoon. The mixture should be thick enough to show the bottom of the pan for a few seconds before the mixture back again.

Dried Plum Jam

10 oz. dried plums, chopped

1/2 cup sugar

water

In a sauce pan over medium heat boil the plums in water and sugar. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon about 20 minutes or until jam consistency.