Provence cake

We have a new recipe for you!

It will help you cook a fragrant “Provence” cake with lavender, blueberry and blackberry notes.

For the lavender sponge cake (for three 20 cm | 7.9 inch layers):

• Egg whites 150 g | 5.30 oz
• Powdered sugar 80 g | 2.80 oz
• Sugar 50 g | 1.75 oz
• Flour 60 g | 2.10 oz
• Salt 1g | 0.05 oz
• Lemon acid 1/2 tsp | 1.00 tsp
• A pinch of lavender | 0.00 pinch

Sift the powdered sugar with the flour. Whip the egg whites with salt. Add the lemon acid, and then the sugar. Whisk until soft peaks. Add the flour mix and lavender, and combine gently. Bake the sponge biscuit at 160C (320F) for 20 minutes.

For the lemon crème:

• Sugar 55 g | 1.95 oz
• Eggs 55 g | 1.95 oz
• Butter 60 g | 2.10 oz
• Gelatin 2 g | 0.05 oz
• Cocoa butter 10 g | 0.35 oz
• Lemon juice 30 g | 1.05 oz
• Zest from 1/2 lemon | 1.00 item
• Cream 5 g | 0.20 oz

Mix the eggs with sugar and the cream; heat the mix in a water bath until 85C (185F). Cool the mass, and add the gelatin. Cool the crème base, and add the zest and the lemon juice; add the cocoa butter and the butter.

For the blueberry-blackberry confit (18 cm | 7 inch):

• Blueberries 50 g | 1.75 oz
• Blackberries 100 g | 3.55 oz
• Sugar (#1) 11 g | 0.40 oz
• Pectin NH 2 g | 0.05 oz
• Sugar (#2) 25 g | 0.90 oz

Heat the blueberry and blackberry puree to 60C (140F). Add the sugar (#1) and pectin, and boil. Add the sugar (#2), and boil. Remove the mass from the heat, and cool it; freeze.

For the lavender crème:

• Cream cheese 125 g | 4.40 oz
• Mascarpone 125g | 4.40 oz
• Cream 170 g | 6.00 oz
• Lavender 2 g | 0.05 oz
• Powdered sugar 50 g | 1.75 oz

Infuse the cream with the lavender on the eve. The next day, strain it, and whip. Mix the cream cheese with the mascarpone cheese and the powdered sugar; add the mass to the whipped cream, and whisk until smooth.

For the syrup:

• Sugar 100 g | 3.55 oz
• Water 200 g | 7.05 oz
• Lemon juice 20 g | 0.70 oz

Mix the sugar with water, and whisk it on the heat until the sugar dissolves; add the lemon juice.

Pre-soak each sponge biscuit layer with the syrup!

Assemble the cake, following the next order (from the bottom to the top):

a sponge biscuit layer – lavender crème – confit – lavender crème – a sponge biscuit layer – a little lavender crème – lemon crème – a little lavender crème – a sponge biscuit layer.

Bon Appetit!