Cake Of Paradise

 by Marjan

What makes this dessert worthy of the title Cake of Paradise? 

 Exotic, beautiful, moist, decadent, rich, layers of flavor and Bavarian cream, this fluffy cake deserves its name!

Cake of Paradise is not for the weak at heart! Get ready for some technique and effort which will be worth the prize for the most delicate, flavorful, moist, delicious cake you have ever had. Since we have our passion fruit grove on the ranch, I use this exotic fruit to make this cake spectacular. However if not in season, try either canned passion fruit juice or even apricot juice as a delicious substitute! This cake is unlike anything you have ever baked and worthy of it's name!

Serves 6-8
Ingredients

Cake:

5 eggs; room temperature 

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
** Baking spray oil or butter and flour to grease baking pan

Bavarian Cream:

1 egg yolk
1 cup milk
1 tablespoons Knox Gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup sugar
small pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Fruit Juice Syrup/Gelatin:

4+ cups passion fruit juice; seeds removed  (if passion fruit is not available, organic apricot juice or passion fruit juice in can is a great substitution)

1 cup sugar (if purchased juice is already sweet, addition of sugar is not necessary)

2 packets Knox Gelatin

2 8.5 inch cake pans

1 9" spring form cake pans

In a small bowl, dissolve 2 packets of Knox Gelatin in 1 cup of fruit juice (either passion fruit or apricot); set aside to soften. In a sauce pan over medium heat bring to boil remaining fruit juice. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until 3 cups have reduced to approximately 2 cups. Taste juice for sweetness. Sugar might not be needed; therefore add 1/4 cup of sugar at a time until desired sweetness is achieved. Passion fruit is tart and will require 1+ cup of sugar. Again, taste for sweetness and add additional 1/4 of sugar at a time until desired sweetness is achieved.
Add dissolved Knox Gelatin in juice to reduced juice and whisk until sugar and gelatin are dissolved. Remove from heat and cool completely to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350° F at center rack.

Grease cake pan generously with cooking spray oil or butter with flour.
Using a electric mixer, mix eggs and sugar at medium high for 3 minutes until light in color. Add vanilla and increase speed to high and continue to beat for additional 2-3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add flour gradually; mix only until blended (15-20 seconds). DO NOT OVER MIX! Immediately pour 1/2 of cake batter in one pan and the other 1/2 in remaining pan.  Bake for 15 minutes or until center is baked.
Remove and cool completely.

In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon of Knox gelatin and cold water. Set aside to soften.
In a medium size bowl, using a French whisk, whip together egg yolk and sugar until smooth. In a saucepan, bring milk to a quick boil. Pour hot milk in a steady stream into the yolk mixture while quickly and constantly whipping egg and sugar mixture with French whisk. Return the mixture to the sauce pan and stir over medium heat until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat; pour custard through a strainer into a large bowl.  Stir in softened gelatin and vanilla; stir to melt the gelatin. Allow to cool.  When the mixture has cooled almost to room temperature, using an electric mixer, whip heavy cream to medium stiffness and fold it into the custard.

Make certain springform pan is tightly sealed. Place 2-3 tablespoons of Bavarian cream on the inside edge of the wall and bottom of the pan to seal the edges of the springform. Use your fingers to ensure there are not holes or gaps, using the cream as a barrier to prevent the fruit juice from slowly seeping out. Unfortunately springform pans leak! Therefore, placing the cream at the junction of the ring and bottom of the pan will help prevent leakage. Make certain walls do not have cream on them.

Make room in freezer to cool gelatin exterior of cake.

Using a heavy duty aluminum foil, place foil on the outside bottom of the pan and roll sides up towards the wall. Firmly seal foil to the bottom and walls. Place one of two cakes in the center of springform pan (5 mm of space will remain surrounding cake to pan wall).

Starting from the center, spoon Bavarian cream to cover cake; making certain to leave approximately 2-3 mm of edge of cake without cream.

Top with second layer of cake. Lightly push on top of cake to even out cream in between and level cake. Using a large spoon, pour cooled fruit syrup to fill space between the walls of cake and pan 1/3 to 1/2 way up. Pour 4-5 large heaping spoons of syrup over the top of the cake and spread to cover entire area. The juice will be absorbed into the cake (this step will prevent the juice from becoming absorbed into the cake when remaining syrup is poured over entire cake). Immediately, place cake in freezer for 30 minutes.
Remove cake from freezer and gently spoon/pour remaining fruit juice over the cake to cover remaining walls and top. Place back in the freezer for additional 15 minutes and transfer to fridge for 6 hrs or overnight.

To serve, carefully and gently use a thin flat knife to separate gelatin layer from walls of springform cake ring by running sharp edge of knife along the wall and gelatin. Remove ring as to not damage walls of cake. Transfer cake to serving platter. Decorate with desired fresh flowers and place back in the fridge until ready to serve.