Hannah Ziskin’s Princess Cake
Princess Cake is a complex undertaking with many components, but the result is well worth it. The version we serve at Quarter Sheets is ethereally light, rich & zippy all the same time—truly more than the sum of its parts. You can make some components, like the chiffon cake and the jam, far in advance (keep in the freezer or fridge, respectively, until the day you plan to build the cake) to alleviate some of the production time. The cake must be built and kept in the fridge overnight the day before you intend to garnish and serve it, so that the components have time to meld. This will yield a beautifully so cake with flavors that shine, and also make covering the cake in whipped cream and marzipan much easier. The finished cake can be stored in the fridge overnight in a cake box or cake keeper, and leftovers can be enjoyed up to 4 days after the cake is finished.
Makes one 6-inch cake
Ingredients
for the olive oil chiffon cake
54 grams egg yolks
55 grams light brown sugar
48 grams olive oil
65 grams water
110 grams all purpose flour
3 grams baking powder
3 grams salt
120 grams egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
55 grams white sugar
for the pastry cream
4 grams powdered gelatin
20 grams water
250 grams milk
0.5 each vanilla bean pod
1.5 grams kosher salt
12 grams cornstarch
64 grams white sugar
38 grams egg yolks
30 grams butter, room temperature
125 grams heavy cream
for the sweet milk soaker
125 grams milk
25 grams sugar
1 gram salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
for the raspberry jam
600 grams raspberries (fresh or frozen)
300 grams sugar
30 grams lemon juice
1 gram salt
For the whipped mascarpone
64 grams mascarpone
191 grams heavy cream
32 grams powdered sugar
0.5 grams salt
for the marzipan
150 grams superfine almond flour
150 grams powdered sugar
2 grams salt
30 grams egg white
¼ teaspoon almond extract
A few drops of food color (like Colour Mill)
method
For the olive oil chiffon cake: Whisk together all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
Whisk together light brown sugar, olive oil, water and egg yolks in a separate bowl.
Sift the dries into wets bowl and whisk to combine, making sure the mixture doesnʼt have any lumps.
Add egg whites and cream of tartar to your standing mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment. On speed six, whisk until the whites have tripled in volume (just before so peaks), then begin adding white sugar in a slow and steady stream.
Once all sugar is in, keep whisky whites until you reach stiff peaks—be sure not to OVERWHIP (the whites will start to break down and look dull), you want to stop when you have shiny and firm peaks.
Add one third of the meringue to the egg yolk mixture and whisk to incorporate (donʼt worry about maintaining air here, we are just lightening our mixture).
Add the remaining two-thirds of meringue and fold in gently with a spatula until the mixture doesnʼt have any obvious steaks of egg whites. Be sure to get all the way down to the bottom of the bowl.
Transfer batter gently to an unlined, unsprayed springform pan and bake in a 325F oven for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, until cake is golden brown and springs back when gently touched.
Take cakes out of the oven, and drop each round onto your counter from about 6-inches up (this sets the structure of the cake so that it wonʼt sink as it cools—feels counterintuitive but it works! My favorite trick for chiffons baked in sheet trays as well). Invert the pans onto a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature.
When the cakes are cool, release them from their pans. Run an offset spatula around the outside of the cake tin, then release the sides. Use your offset to gently peel the bottom of the springform off the cake.
Wrap in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature to use later the same day or the next day. Freeze if you plan on waiting to build the cake for more than two days.
For the pastry cream: Put water in a small bowl and add powdered gelatin. Stir with a little whisk, or finger, to hydrate. Set aside.
Heat milk, vanilla bean (scrape the vanilla seeds, add seeds and pod to pot) and salt. Bring to steam point, stirring occasionally with a spatula.
In a bowl, whisk together cornstarch and sugar—splash some warm milk in to make a slurry.
When milk comes to a simmer, whisk egg yolks into the cornstarch mix, then temper milk in and add back to pot.
Whisking constantly, bring milk + egg mixture up to a boil—continue whisking briskly for about 20 to 30 seconds until mixture thickens and is smooth and shiny.
Remove from heat and whisk in the bloomed gelatin.
Add butter, allow to melt for a second, then whisk well to incorporate.
Transfer to a bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the custard, then chill until firm—at least 3 hours or, ideally, overnight. Pastry cream can be kept in the fridge up to 3 days before using.
When you are getting ready to construct your cake, prepare the diplomat cream: whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Stir the pastry cream in the bowl with a spatula or whisk so that it loosens up and is lump-free, then fold in the heavy cream. This will make more diplomat than you need for the recipe. Enjoy the remaining custard with some fresh fruit!
For the sweet milk soaker: Whisk all ingredients together to dissolve sugar, keep in the fridge until ready to use.
For the raspberry jam: Combine all ingredients in a medium pot, toss to coat the fruit in sugar and then allow to macerate for 30 minutes.
Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook until jam point (220F–225F). Stir frequently, especially near the end of cooking, as the jam loves to stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.
Pour finished jam into a pint container, and allow to chill to room temperature before covering and transferring to the fridge to cool completely and set up.
Build the cake: Use your fingers to gently peel the skin off the top of the cake, then torte it into three even layers.
Line a clean springform pan with plastic wrap so that some plastic hangs over the sides.
Place one layer of cake into the springform pan. Brush 20 grams (35 grams for an 8-inch) of milk soak evenly over the cake. Top with 42 grams (75 grams for an 8-inch) of raspberry jam, spread evenly with your offset spatula.
Add 150 grams (265 grams for an 8-inch) of vanilla bean diplomat cream.
Repeat steps 3 & 4, then top with the last layer of the cake. Fold overhanging plastic on top of the cake to completely cover, then refrigerate overnight (or up to 3 days).
For the whipped mascarpone: Combine all ingredients in a bowl of a stand mixer, then whip with the whisk attachment to very stiff peaks.
For the marzipan: Buzz almond flour, powdered sugar & salt in a food processor (or you can do by hand in a metal bowl).
Turn off the food processor, add your egg white, almond extract and food coloring. Process until marzipan comes together in a cohesive mass.
Turn the Marzipan out onto a countertop dusted with powdered sugar and knead a few more times to bring it together.
If not using immediately, cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave on the counter for up to 3 hours until ready to use.
Finish the cake: Whip mascarpone cream to stiff peaks.
While cream is whipping, remove cake from the refrigerator and unfold plastic on the bottom. Invert the cake directly onto your serving platter/cake board. Unlatch the springform and remove the cake pan, then remove the plastic wrap.
To get the final dome shape, you can lightly press down on the edges of the top layer of cake so that it has more of a half-moon appearance (versus a flat top). This will make frosting the cake easier later on.
When cream is finished whipping, dollop it onto the top of the cake then use your offset spatula to craft your dome. Youʼll want to push some cream down onto the sides of the cake, but keep most on top to create the dome shape.
Once done frosting, place the cake in the fridge while you prepare the marzipan.
Prepare the marzipan, then dust your work surface and the marzipan itself with powdered sugar. Roll the marzipan into a 10-inch circle about 1⁄8-inch thick (17-inch circle for an 8-inch cake), frequently dusting with powdered sugar and picking up the marzipan to shift it between every roll so it doesnʼt stick to your work surface.
Use the rolling pin, lift the marzipan, then unroll it directly onto your frosted cake, being sure to have the marzipan circle centered so there is even overhang on all sides.
Working quickly, use your hands to flatten the marzipan around the cake, lifting the pleats outward (not down - this will cause the marzipan to tear) and flattening as you go, making sure there are no bubbles. Work your way around the cake and down to the bottom.
Use a sharp knife to cut the excess marzipan as close to the cake as possible. Garnish with fresh flowers, piped buttercream flowers, or simply a dusting of powdered sugar. Keep the cake chilled until ready to serve.
Recipe published with permission from Hannah Ziskin of Quarter Sheets
Don’t miss hannah on she’s my cherry pie
Photo by Maggie Shannon