chapter 6: Something Sweet
I learned from my dad that all you need to end a meal is just a bite or two of something sweet. Following that philosophy, most of the desserts in this chapter are small. They range from homemade chocolate cookies (good with ice cream or berries) to the Mini Tres Leches Cakes (a rich make-ahead dessert) and mini banana splits. Almost any dessert you fancy can be baked in individual serving-size portions. That’s how we came up with the Mini Tres Leches Cakes, for instance. Not only are these tiny treats more fun, but people can indulge without feeling too guilty. However, if you need to go wacko, as I do every once in a while, make the Double Trouble Chocolate Mousse Torte, then just dive in and swim through the calories, happy as a clam.
You don’t always have to “make” dessert. Sometimes the most satisfying way to end a meal is with fresh fruit—perfectly ripe peaches, or melons, or sweet oranges, whatever happens to be in season. Cheeses also make a great dessert. When I serve cheeses, I try to get a contrast—a soft ripe cheese with a sharp Cheddar, for instance—or an interesting combination, such as a fresh goat cheese, a sheep’s milk cheese, and a cheese made with cow’s milk. Cheese and fruit together is another option. Ripe figs pair beautifully with Camembert or with a nice blue cheese, such as Roquefort or Gorgonzola. Another great combination is sharp Cheddar with apples and walnuts. To add a little interest, embellish the fruit or cheese platters with some dried fruit and nuts.
When all else fails, run to the nearest chocolate shop and splurge on some fancy treats to set out for everyone’s after-dinner enjoyment.
Anne’s Chocolate Biscuits
Makes about 3 dozen
Anne Baker—our pastry chef at Mustards—perfected this recipe for us. These crispy, waferlike cookies are so addictive, don’t count on one batch lasting very long. They are excellent for making ice cream sandwich cookies. They are also the perfect foil for Raspberries Romanoff. When we were testing these recipes, we put some whipped cream on each biscuit, topped it with six to eight berries, and then ate them as open-faced sandwiches.
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cocoa powder, plus additional for dusting
1 teaspoon baking powder
11 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
¾ cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, spray it with a pan spray, or grease it lightly with a little butter or vegetable oil smeared on with a paper towel.
Stir the flour, ⅓ cup of the cocoa powder, and the baking powder together in a bowl, and set this aside. Put the butter, oil, and sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and salt; continue to beat till well blended and smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir it in by hand until evenly incorporated.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Roll the dough out about ½ inch thick between large sheets of parchment or waxed paper. Place the sheet of dough, still encased in the parchment paper, on a baking sheet and put it in the refrigerator. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, about 35 minutes.
Using a 2-inch round or square cookie cutter, cut out the cookies. Bake on the prepared baking sheet 6 to 8 minutes. Let them cool, then dust with cocoa powder.
Raspberries Romanoff
Serves 6
M. F. K. Fisher, the famous food writer, was the inspiration for this dessert. One summer, we did a benefit dinner for the Napa Valley Symphony at Fisher’s St. Helena home. I devised a menu from her Alphabet for Gourmets, and this dish stood for the letter R.
This is the world’s simplest, most wonderful dessert. It’s all about the quality of the liqueur you use, so don’t skimp there. Use a high-quality crème de cassis, such as the GE Massenez Crème de Cassis de Dijon. Or use a good framboise or kirsch. These liqueurs are all made from fruits: crème de cassis from black currants, framboise from raspberries, and kirsch from cherries. You don’t need much—it’s a little over a tablespoon per person. If you really want to spoil your guests, serve the raspberries with Anne’s Chocolate Biscuits.
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup powdered sugar
3 pints ripe raspberries
7 to 8 tablespoons crème de cassis, framboise, or kirsch
In a medium bowl, lightly beat the cream, then add the vanilla and sugar. Whip till firm but not buttery: it should just hold peaks.
Serve in 8-ounce wineglasses, 6-ounce sherry glasses, or some other attractive glass. Do a layer of berries, then liqueur, then cream. Repeat, making 2 to 3 layers of each.
Serves 6
You can bake these either on a parchment-lined baking sheet or tucked snugly into a ceramic casserole dish. Either way, the trick is not to over bake. Garnish with sweetened whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and a tablespoon or so of warm caramel sauce.
¼ cup old-fashioned oats
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup dark brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4½ tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
3 peaches
3 tablespoons rum
½ cup sliced almonds
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
, spread the oats out on a baking pan and heat in the oven 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan when the oats smell nice and toasty and are lightly golden in color. Let the oats cool, then put them in a mixing bowl along with the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and butter. Mix gently till crumbly, as if you were making a pie dough. I use my fingers, but you could use a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Do not peel the peaches, as the skin will help them hold their shape after they are baked. Just cut the peaches in half and remove the pits, then slice a tiny bit off the bottom of each half so they will sit nicely and won’t wobble around. Place the peaches on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a casserole dish and drizzle each with a little of the rum. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the topping onto each peach half, then sprinkle on some almonds. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until the top is crisp and golden brown.
Serve as is or with a little sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of Caramel Sauce.
Makes 40 to 45 pieces
This is a great item to have in your fridge to make an instant dessert. It keeps well for up to three months in the refrigerator—if you don’t start snacking on it, that is. I often serve it with of a nice cheese such as a Gorgonzola or a nutty Comté from France to make a cheese or dessert course. Or serve the Date Candy with chocolate truffles or candied orange peel dipped in chocolate for a sweet ending to a meal.
I usually make this with almonds, but I’ve used pistachios or walnuts with good results. Like the almonds, pistachios and walnuts need to be toasted first.
2½ cups sliced almonds
1 scant cup sesame seeds
2 pounds Medjool dates, pitted
2 to 3 tablespoons butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread the almonds out on a baking pan, toast 7 minutes, and allow to cool. Toast the sesame seeds in a skillet over medium-high heat and set aside.
It is best to process the dates and almonds in small batches, as you will have better control and will get a more even texture. Put about a third of the dates, almonds, and butter in a processor and pulse to chop the dates and almonds. Be sure not to overprocess or you will end up with a pureed mass. You want chopped nut and date pieces evenly distributed throughout the mixture, and you should still be able to tell what’s what. As each batch is processed, scoop it out into an ungreased 9 by 9-inch metal or glass pan. If you’re feeling energetic, all the chopping and mixing can be done by hand. Mix with a strong wooden spoon.
Press the whole date-nut mixture down firmly so that it is smooth and even. Pour the sesame seeds over the top and press them into the dates as evenly as possible. Pour off all the loose seeds. If you like, you may turn the whole date-nut sheet over and press sesame seeds into the other side, too. Chill it well, then cut it into finger-width slices about 1½ inches long. It will help to wet the knife first, or spray it with oil. Wrap the slices in parchment paper and store in a sealed plastic bag in your refrigerator.
Mini Tres Leches Cakes with Mexican Chocolate Sauce
Mini Tres Leches Cakes with Mexican Chocolate Sauce
Makes about 30
In Spanish, tres leches means “three milks,” and the three milks in this cake are sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream. These milks don’t go into the cake batter, though. Instead, the cake is first baked and then saturated with the tres leches, the way a rum cake gets soaked with rum. Usually the cake would be baked in a single cake pan, but I like to bake them in tiny muffin tins and serve them topped with Mexican Chocolate Sauce, two or three mini cakes per person. Some people are sure to want seconds. My stepson, for instance, can eat eight of these. You could also bake the cakes in three-inch muffin tins and serve one or two per person.
This is a great dessert to do ahead, as the cakes are best if they are allowed to soak overnight. If the recipe is bigger than you need, instead of trying to cut it in half, you can make the whole recipe, bake all the cakes, then soak only those you want to use immediately. Freeze the others in freezer bags. When you are ready to use the frozen cakes, simply defrost them thoroughly, then carry on with the recipe from the “prick the cakes all over their tops” step. If you’re doing this, make half portions of both the chocolate sauce and the tres leches soaking mix.
Here are a few helpful hints regarding the chocolate sauce. The Mexican chocolate called for in it is made with a coarse sugar and is a lot less processed than most chocolates. It’s a sweet chocolate flavored with almonds, cinnamon, and vanilla. It can be found in most large groceries. As for the espresso, if you don’t have an espresso machine you could use a tablespoon of espresso powder mixed with a tablespoon of water. And finally, a coffee grinder works great for grinding the nuts. The sauce is sinfully good, but you need only a tablespoonful per cake.
1½ cups cake flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
5 large eggs, separated
1 ¼ cups sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
½ cup whole milk
12 ounces evaporated milk
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1¾ cups heavy cream
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 (3⅓-ounce) disk Mexican chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons Kahlúa
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons finely ground almonds
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons corn syrup 1 tablespoon espresso
3 to 4 tablespoons whipping cream (optional)
Whipped cream, slightly sweetened with vanilla if desired
Powdered sugar
Raspberries or strawberries (optional)
Butter or pan-spray the muffin tins, dust with flour, and set them aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Combine the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Put the egg whites in the bowl of a mixer and whip them to the soft-peak stage. With the mixer still running, slowly add the sugar and beat till stiff peaks form. On the lowest speed, add the egg yolks, vanilla, and lime juice. Still on slow speed, mix in half the flour, then half the milk, beating after each addition till the mixture is just combined. Do not overmix, or else the cakes will be tough. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk.
Pour the batter into the muffin tins, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly golden brown. While the cakes are baking, make the tres leches mixture by stirring the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and cream together in a pitcher or bowl. When the cakes are done, turn them out into a glass baking dish or some other nonaluminum casserole dish. Prick the cakes all over their tops using bamboo skewers or toothpicks.
While the cakes are still warm, pour or ladle some of the tres leches over the cakes, getting it all over the tops. Wait for the cake to absorb that milk and add more. Continue in this manner until all the milk has been absorbed. Chill the cakes overnight.
, put the unsweetened chocolate, Mexican chocolate, and butter in the top of a double boiler and heat until melted. Whisk in the Kahlúa, condensed milk, almonds, cinnamon, corn syrup, and espresso, whisking until the sauce is smooth. If it is too thick to pour easily, add up to 4 tablespoons of whipping cream to thin it. Reserve until needed. Reheat over gently simmering water or in a microwave before serving.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, a sprinkling of powdered sugar, and a drizzle of warmed Mexican Chocolate Sauce. Scatter raspberries or strawberries about, if you are using them.
Teeny-Weeny Bikini Banana Splits
Teeny-Weeny Bikini Banana Splits
Serves 6
For this recipe you will need a one-ounce ice cream scoop and a butane torch, both of which are available at well-stocked kitchenware stores. You need the scoop to make mini balls of ice cream for the banana split, and the torch is for making a hard candy shell around the bananas. One of the tricks to a nice, hard sugar shell is to start with an even layer of sugar. I find shaking the sugar from a salt shaker to be extremely helpful in this task. Also, be sure to leave enough time between the caramelizing and the serving because the sugar needs to cool completely in order to develop that nice crispness. (You can skip the sugaring-the-bananas step if you really don’t want to deal with a butane torch, but the dish won’t have quite the same effect.)
Vanilla ice cream is called for here, but a really rich, homemade chocolate ice cream would be spectacular, too. If you want to get crazy, go for three different flavors. Chocolate, vanilla, and pistachio would be fabulous, as would dulce de leche, vanilla, and chocolate. (Dulce de leche, or cajeta, is caramelized sweetened milk. You can get it at Latin American markets.) The Caramel Sauce should be served warm. It can be made ahead and reheated just before you need it.
1½ cups chopped fresh pineapple
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
A few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1½ cups chopped fresh strawberries
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
A few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
⅓ cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup butter
¾ cup heavy cream
Tiny pinch salt
2 tablespoons rum (optional)
3 regular bananas or 6 small red bananas
¾ cup sugar
1 quart vanilla ice cream, or your favorite flavor
Whipped cream
Candied pecans or toasted flaked coconut
Fresh Bing cherries or dried sweet cherries
, combine the pineapple, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and the lemon juice in a food processor and process to a rough puree. Taste, and add more sugar if needed.
For a more rustic sauce, simply chop the pineapple by hand to the desired consistency, then combine it with the sugar and lemon juice.
Prepare the strawberry sauce in the same manner. Reserve both sauces until needed.
, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook till a rich caramel color develops. Do not stir as it cooks, but swirl the pan as the edges brown to achieve an even color. Remove from the heat immediately. Wrap your hand in an oven mitt or a towel (there will be lots of steam) and whisk in the butter, vanilla, and cream. Add the salt and rum, if desired, and stir. Set this aside.
Peel and cut the bananas in half crosswise, then split them in half lengthwise. (Small red bananas just need to be split in half lengthwise.) If you are going to caramelize the bananas, arrange them cut side up on a pizza tray. Sprinkle an even layer of sugar over the flat cut surfaces of the bananas and caramelize the sugar with a butane torch until it is golden brown and melted. Set aside to cool. While the bananas are cooling, get the sauces lined up and set up your dishes with 3 small scoops of ice cream in each. Reheat the caramel sauce. Carefully arrange two slices of banana alongside the scoops of ice cream; top with spoonfuls of caramel, pineapple, and strawberry sauces. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream, a sprinkling of nuts, and a cherry on top.
Using a butane torch is fun, but don’t get too carried away. I’ve had pastry and pantry cooks accidentally burn holes in the kitchen walls when they set a torch down before turning it off. You don’t want to set the kitchen curtains or walls on fire. Keep your hair out of the way as well!
Rhubarb, Lemongrass, and Ginger Sauce over Vanilla Ice Cream
Rhubarb, Lemongrass, and Ginger Sauce over Vanilla Ice Cream
Serves 6
This is a really beautiful, light spring dessert. The lovely pink of the cooked rhubarb over creamy white vanilla ice cream looks great, especially if you serve it in black or dark brown bowls. The hidden flavors of ginger and lemongrass in the rhubarb sauce are surprisingly refreshing, especially welcome after a round of intensely flavored small plates.
You don’t need to peel the ginger or the lemongrass for this sauce, as everything will get strained out. You just need to “smash” them, which means to hit and flatten them with the broad side of a chef’s knife or cleaver. This will open up the fibers and begin the release of juice and flavor. If the rhubarb is very wide, split it in half lengthwise before cutting it up further.
2 stalks lemongrass, smashed and chopped
3-inch piece of fresh ginger, smashed and chopped
1½ cups sugar
2 cups water
1 vanilla bean
1½ pounds rhubarb, chopped into ½-inch pieces
1 quart really good vanilla ice cream
, combine the lemongrass, ginger, sugar, and water in a big pot. Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the pot. Toss in the pod, too, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let steep 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove the vanilla bean pod, and strain the syrup to remove the bits of ginger and lemongrass. Don’t worry about the vanilla seeds passing through the strainer. Return the syrup to the pot and add the rhubarb. Bring to a boil and cook 10 to 15 minutes, till the rhubarb is soft, but not so long that it dissolves. The sauce can be held at this point and reheated before serving. To serve, ladle hot sauce over scoops of really good vanilla ice cream.
Serves 4
You have your choice of toppings for the figs. Whichever you choose, scoop it over the figs while they are still hot. It makes for a nice cold-hot yumminess.
When it’s not fig season, try this recipe using halved peaches or quartered pears. For peaches, you would bake five to eight minutes, until lightly caramelized and fork-tender. Firm but ripe pears need ten to fifteen minutes. In rhubarb season, try using chunked rhubarb with port instead of the sherry.
2 tablespoons wildflower honey
½ cup Pedro Ximénez sherry or other cream sherry
8 fresh ripe figs, halved
Vanilla ice cream, mascarpone cheese, soft ricotta, fromage blanc, crème fraîche, or plain yogurt, for topping
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Combine the honey and sherry in a small bowl and mix well. Place the figs, cut side up, in individual gratin dishes or in a casserole dish. Drizzle with some of the sherry-honey mixture, saving some for additional basting while the figs are cooking. Bake, basting occasionally, till the liquid has reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 20 minutes. Be careful not to overbake. Serve hot with a dollop of the topping of your choice. With vanilla ice cream, you can reverse the order, if you like; ice cream on the bottom and hot figs as the topping.
Oranges and Smashed Cherries
Serves 6
At the end of orange season here in Northern California, the cherries start coming in. This very simple and refreshing dessert is one of the ways I take advantage of the abundance. It’s great following a meal of many different flavors. When they’re available, I’ve made this with raspberries, too.
Nanami togarashi
is a spice mix from Japan that has a little bit of a kick to it. It can be found at Asian markets and other specialty foods stores. If you can’t find it, use shichimi togarashi
plus a few gratings of orange zest. You could also substitute two teaspoons of freshly grated ginger mixed with the zest and juice of one lime, or a tiny sprinkle of cayenne pepper and toasted sesame seeds to dress the orange slices.
6 navel oranges
30 or so fresh cherries
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 shakes nanami togarashi
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Grate the zest of 1 of the oranges into a bowl. Now peel the rest of the oranges and cut the pith from all of them, catching any juice you can and adding it to the zest. Cut the oranges into slices about ¼ inch thick, again saving as much of the juice as you can and adding it to the zest. Arrange the slices on plates. Pour the zest and juice evenly over the orange slices.
Smack the cherries with the side of a knife to pop them open, and remove the pits. Arrange 5 or 6 per serving on the orange slices. Lightly sprinkle with cinnamon,
nanami togarashi, and pepper.
Double Trouble Chocolate Mousse Torte
Double Trouble Chocolate Mousse Torte
Serves 12
Make this very special torte for your next family gathering or dinner party, and everyone will be so impressed. It features a layer of white chocolate mousse and layer of dark chocolate mousse on top of a chocolate cookie crust, topped by crunchy coffee-flavored meringue cookies. This torte is rich, yet light in texture, and it just, as they say, melts in your mouth! It can be made in a round spring form pan or a low rectangular pan. It’s a cool recipe for making in interesting molds, too.
If it seems like too much trouble, you can skip the fancy meringue cookie garnish, and the torte will still be delicious. It’s just nice to have something crisp with all the rich mousse. The torte can be made ahead and frozen overnight. And, if stored in a well-sealed jar, the meringue cookies should keep for a day. Check out the recipe before you separate the eggs, and get enough bowls out so you can organize the egg yolks and egg whites. You need eight yolks and two whites for the dark mousse, three yolks and two whites for the light mousse, and three whites for the meringue cookies. That’s eleven eggs in all, with egg whites to spare.
2 tablespoons butter, melted
12 ounces semisweet chocolate bits
½ cup (1 stick) butter
8 large egg yolks
4 tablespoons sugar
¾ cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 large egg whites
9 ounces white chocolate
2½ cups whipping cream
3 large egg yolks
2½ tablespoons sugar
2 large egg whites
3 large egg whites
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon coffee extract
Finely crumble enough of the chocolate biscuits to measure 2 cups. You can crush them on a cutting board using a rolling pin, or in a food processor. (You may have cookies to spare. Good for a later snack.) Line a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Scoop out ½ cup of the cookie crumbs and set it aside. Combine the remaining 1½ cups of crumbs with the butter and pour this mixture into the pan, pressing it in to form a crust.
, melt the chocolate bits and the butter in the top of a double boiler. In a large mixin bowl, whip the egg yolks and 3 tablespoons of the sugar
together until light and thick. Whisk the chocolate into the yolk mixture and cool to room temperature. In a separate bowl, whip the cream with the sour cream until stiff peaks form, then fold this into the chocolate mixture. In a clean bowl and using a clean whisk or egg beater, whip the egg whites to soft peaks and whip in the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Beat until firm but not dry. Fold the whites into the mousse. Pour the mousse over the biscuit crust, spreading it out as evenly as you can, and sprinkle evenly with the reserved cookie crumbs. Put in the freezer to chill 10 to 15 minutes.
In the meantime, make the White Chocolate Mousse. Melt the white chocolate in the top of a double boiler with a few drops of the cream. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 1½ tablespoons of the sugar until light, then whisk in the chocolate until thick. Whip the remaining cream to stiff peaks in a stand mixer or mixing bowl and fold it into the chocolate in 3 batches. In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks and whip in the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Continue beating until firm but not dry. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, and pour this over the layer of dark chocolate mousse. Freeze solid.
, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 200°F. Put the egg whites in the bowl of a mixer and whip them to the soft-peak stage. With the mixer still running, very slowly sprinkle in ½ cup of the sugar. Beat 2 to 3 minutes, then gradually sprinkle in the rest of the sugar, beating until it is well incorporated. Pipe half of the meringue in long strips onto the baking sheet. Fold coffee extract into the remaining meringue and pipe this in long strips alongside the other strips. Bake for 1½ to 2 hours, until crispy. Allow the meringues to cool, then break them into erratic pieces. Reserve in an airtight container.
About 30 minutes before serving, move the torte to the refrigerator to temper. Cut into 12 portions. Sprinkle randomly with meringue cookies.
Lemon-Buttermilk Pudding Cake with Chantilly Cream and Berries
Lemon-Buttermilk Pudding Cake with Chantilly Cream and Berries
Serves 6 to 8
I got the recipe for this cake from my cousin Joan years ago. You can bake it in an eight-inch-square glass baking dish or, for individual servings, in eight 4-ounce ramekins.
⅔ cup plus ¼ cup sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
1½ cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted
3 large eggs, separated
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting
2 pints fresh raspberries or blueberries, mashed
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons Cointreau or other liqueur
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, whisk together ⅔ cup of the sugar and the flour. Add the lemon juice, zest, and buttermilk and whisk until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter and the egg yolks. Stir the egg yolk mixture into the buttermilk mixture. Using the whisk attachment of a mixer, whip the egg whites until frothy. Sprinkle in the remaining cup sugar and whip until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk and buttermilk mixture. The batter should be smooth and thick.
Pour the batter into a baking dish and place the dish in a water bath with the water halfway up the sides of the dish. Bake 23 to 30 minutes, until slightly brown and beginning to crack but still jiggly. The smaller the baking dish, the less time will be needed to reach this stage. Cool to room temperature.
While the cake is in the oven, make a chantilly cream by whipping together the cream, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of the powdered sugar in a bowl until fluffy. Keep chilled until needed.
To serve, turn the cake out onto a serving platter. (Individual ramekins do better in low, rimmed soup dishes). Spoon on mashed berries, sprinkle with sugar, and drizzle with Cointreau. Finish with a dollop of cream and a dusting of powdered sugar.
