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Easy Birthday Cake

A community recipe by MonaFinn

Not tested or verified by Nigella.com

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Introduction

The Finnish take on a birthday cake, using a tender sponge bottom. Very easy to make and decorate.

Ingredients

Serves: 10-12

6 medium eggs
superfine sugar
all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
butter
breadcrumbs
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla custard (powder)
1 cup preserves (or thick puree)
milk (juice or cream for drizzling the cake bottom)

Method

Easy Birthday Cake is a community recipe submitted by MonaFinn and has not been tested by Nigella.com so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 200C/390F

Grease a cake tin ab. 8-10 inches in diameter and 4 inches high) thinly with butter and throw in the bread crumbs

Then roll the tin around to cover all of the butter with the crumbs

Pour out the excess

Set 3 identical glasses side by side

Break the eggs into one glass, then pour a similar amount of sugar into the other one

Finally, measure an equal amount of flour into the 3rd glass, tapping the bottom of the glass onto the table. This will pack the flour a little tighter

Add the baking powder to the flour and mix well with a spoon

Beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, this will take anywhere from 5 to 15 mins

When you can write your name with the foam across the bowl and can see it for 3 secs before it sinks back in, you're done

Sift in the flour and mix well by hand. A rubber spatula or a large wooden fork will work well for this

Pour the batter in the cake tin and put it in the oven. BE EXTRA CAREFUL when handling the tin, do not hit anything with it or slam the oven door shut (you'll lose some of the air in the batter)

Bake the cake in the oven for about 25-30 mins, then test with a toothpick for doneness

If nothing sticks, it's done. If the top of the cake becomes very dark before it's done, just put a piece of aluminium foil on the cake

Take the cake bottom out of the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool, don't attempt do de-pan just yet

After 20-30 mins, de-pan the cake bottom and leave for another hour or two until completely cooled

Whip the cream until it just starts to form soft peaks

Add the vanilla custard powder and whip some more

If it goes a bit too thick, as in lumpy, add a small dash of cream or milk to smooth it out

Cut the cake in 3 layers using a serrated knife

Lift off the 2 top layers and drizzle about 6-8 tbsp of cream, milk or juice over the bottom layer, giving the edges some extra attention

Spread a 4-5mm layer of the berry/fruit filling, followed by a 1 inch layer of whipped vanilla cream

Repeat the same with the other layers

Drizzle the top with liquid so that it stays firm but is a bit moist. You can pipe or spread the rest of the cream on the cake with a spatula. There's no need for a crumb coat since the tender sponge won't make crumbs and the cream coating is a bit thicker

You can decorate the cake using candy, toasted almond flakes, fruit, berries...

Additional Information

This recipe is very easy to convert in size; Â½ tsp baking powder per 2 eggs, otherwise just use equal amounts of eggs, flour and sugar. ~Cocoa or other spices can be added to bring more flavor to the cake bottom. ~You can decorate just the sides with cream and leave the top of the cake bare; then arrange a good amount of fruit or berries on top and drizzle with warm apricot jam for shine. Instant festive feel! ~A swiss roll can be made using the same recipe; just spread the dough in a 12 x 12 inch oven tin lined with baking sheet, bake in 225C/435F for 5-8 mins and let cool. Turn around on a sheet or parchment with sugar sprinkled on it. Fill the roll with jam and vanilla cream, leaving 1 inch from the side furthest from you, without filling. Roll away from yourself, using the parchment as an aid. ~Make a larger cake by making 3-4 cake sheets using 3 eggs each, cut off the dry edges and fill as you would a sheet cake

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What 1 Other has said

I love this recipe. A dear friend of mine was from Finland and when speaking about her childhood and what she missed about her birthday - a finnish birthday cake. The search for a recipe was started and came upon this one. It's now a staple. Keep in mind that the ingredients list says vanilla but it isn't listed in the recipe. It gets added to the batter. I add it before the flour if I remember or after the flour if I forget. Either way, the cake turns out great.

Posted by alcamoran on 26th March 2022

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