BIRTHDAY CAKE AND ICE CREAM
Serves 6
What if you could make a birthday cake out of birthday cake? That was the idea behind this dish. We start by dehydrating a standard yellow birthday cake into flour, then use that flour to make a new birthday cake. We take this second cake, puree it with whole milk, fold the cake puree into whipped cream, and then put it into a vacuum chamber and inflate it to look like the original cake. We freeze the “cake” overnight, and voilà—a whole new take on birthday cake and ice cream. Is it better? Is it worse? I don’t know. But it is a lot of fun.
SPONGE CAKE FLOUR:
188 grams (about 4 medium) eggs
220 grams sugar
120 grams unsalted butter
135 grams all-purpose flour
3 grams baking powder
2.5 grams salt
SPONGE CAKE:
220 grams sugar
188 grams (about 4 medium) eggs
120 grams unsalted butter
135 grams Sponge Cake Flour
3 grams baking powder
2.5 grams salt
SPONGE CAKE PUREE:
350 grams whole milk
250 grams Sponge Cake Flour
30 grams sugar
0.5 gram xanthan gum (see Sources, here)
BIRTHDAY CAKE ICE CREAM:
150 grams heavy cream
250 grams Sponge Cake Puree
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Cryovac or other vacuum chamber and vacuum machine (optional) or whipped cream canister and NO2 charges (see Sources, here)
SPONGE CAKE FLOUR:
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Line an 18-by-13-inch sheet pan with parchment paper and grease the paper.
Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Melt the butter in a small saucepot set over low heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Put the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the cooled melted butter into the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture forms a paste. Gently fold the whipped eggs and sugar into the butter-flour paste in three additions, making sure not to overmix the batter, which will deflate the eggs.
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes, until the cake is cooked through and just beginning to pull back from the sides of the pan.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Lower the oven temperature to 250°F.
Break the sponge cake up into 1-inch chunks and lay them out on a clean sheet pan. Put the pan in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the sponge cake is completely dried out.
Remove from the oven and cool completely. Put the dried sponge cake in a food processor and process to a fine powder. Sift the Sponge Cake Flour to remove any big pieces. Set aside the cake flour to make the second cake and to coat the final cake.
SPONGE CAKE:
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Line an 18-by-13-inch sheet pan with parchment paper and grease the paper.
Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Melt the butter in a small saucepot set over low heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Measure out 135 grams of the Sponge Cake Flour, and put it, the baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the cooled melted butter into the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until it forms a paste. Gently fold the whipped eggs and sugar into the butter-flour paste in three additions, making sure not to overmix the batter and deflate the eggs. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes, until the cake is cooked through and just beginning to pull back from the sides of the pan.
SPONGE CAKE PUREE:
Put the milk, 250 grams of the Sponge Cake Flour, the sugar, and xanthan gum in a blender and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour the puree into a lidded container, using a rubber spatula to scrape all the batter out, cover, and reserve.
BIRTHDAY CAKE ICE CREAM:
Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it reaches medium-soft peaks. Use a scale to weigh out 250 grams of Sponge Cake Puree in a medium bowl. Fold the whipped cream into the cake puree in three additions.
Once fully incorporated, weigh out 200 grams of cake mousse, put it in a bowl, set the uncovered bowl into the vacuum chamber, and cover it with the container lid. Place the vacuum chamber into the vacuum machine and start to inflate. Once the cake starts to inflate, let it triple in size and then stop the vacuum machine. Place the vacuumed cake in the freezer for 24 hours to set up.
Alternatively, put 200 grams of cake mousse in a whipped cream canister and charge it with 2 cartridges of NO2. Shake the can thoroughly to disperse the gas before discharging the cake mixture into a bowl. Put the bowl in the freezer for at least 24 hours to allow the cake to set.
Remove the cake from the freezer and, if you used a vacuum chamber, push the release valve to let all the air out. Remove the lid. Run an offset spatula along the edge of the bowl to release the cake. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and store in the freezer until ready to serve.
TO FINISH:
Remove the cake from the freezer and unwrap. Roll the cake in the remaining dehydrated cake flour crumbs. Use a serrated knife to cut slices of cake. Enjoy!
