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Wrap – {Peach and Raspberry Mousse Cake}

August 19, 2010 by Kaitlin 29 Comments

I never know how it happens. One second I’m asleep, and the next second passes with the fluttering of lashes and the opening of my eyes. Then, quite suddenly, I’m awake.


But not half-awake. I don’t mean the kind of subtle consciousness so fleeting that one may slip from it in an instant, only to become lost, once again, in their dreams and soft sheets. I’m talking about the awake that you can’t ignore. The awake that you can’t let slip away. The awake that passes, “get out of bed, you lazy bum, and take a shower,” into unprepared ears and jars you from your sleep.

This sudden sense of being awake used to be all I knew. I never found myself in that state of wakening and reawakening in the past because the second my eyes opened, I was always ready to go.

But not lately.

On the contrary; lately I flutter my lashes and see the sun ethereally shining through the drapes, blink once, and I am out. Of course, I never realize it’s happening until it’s too late. My soothed soul would not protest, but I, stepping groggily from my room around 9 or 10 on some days, have entirely different thoughts on the matter. I hate getting up so late.

I miss my jarring transition into consciousness.


I think I’m subconsciously trying to prepare myself for the looming fall semester. Early morning classes and late nights last year left me chronically sleepy; bowing my head embarrassingly in class and nearly falling from my chair on more than one occasion. I know that I can’t “catch up” or “stock up” on sleep – and I don’t want to – but my subconscious definitely begs to differ. Which isn’t a huge problem really, it’s just that getting out of bed so late in the morning doesn’t make me feel all that great. I don’t feel refreshed stumbling out of bed, but bogged-down instead. I feel as if I’ve gotten such a late start that I can’t accomplish anything, and that frustrates me.

So I’m working on fixing this little ‘problem’ by giving myself early morning incentives. Incentives like drinking the first cup of coffee, tiptoeing through the morning dew to get to the garden and getting to the grocery store before the crowds.

They’re just a few things on a long list, but you know what?

They’re working.


And I feel better already.

Peach and Raspberry Mousse Cake inspired by and adapted from Sky High
The cake in the book was frosted with an unstabilized raspberry whipped cream, which I didn’t like. So, instead I made two kinds of mousses a little differently than suggested for the fillings and frosted with a more stable Italian Meringue Buttercream. I think my changes made the cake a lot more structurally sound, which, in my opinion, is very important!
Printable Recipe

Cream Cake
This cake tastes good, but I had a lot of trouble with it sinking. The top layer in the cake had almost no center, which is why it didn’t slice very nicely.
1 3/4 c (248 g) cake flour
3 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c (235 ml) heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 c (250 g) sugar
2 eggs
2 yolks
3 Tbls buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350F (175C), then oil and line 2 6-inch round x 3-inch tall cake pans.

Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.

In a very cold bowl, whip the heavy cream and vanilla to soft peaks. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the sugar, but DO NOT whip to stuff peaks. As the eggs and yolks and continue mixing until the batter forms soft peaks.

Sift about 1/3 of the dry mixture over the batter and fold in by hand. Repeat 2 more times until all of the dry ingredients have been added. Finally, fold in the buttermilk.

Divide the batter among the pans and bake 15-20 minutes, or until the cake springs back when touched. Allow the cakes to cool in their pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto the cooling rack. Remove pans and parchment, then let set until completely cool.

Peach Compote
I used fresh peaches for this, but I think frozen ones might be better because they are generally more uniformly “peachy.” Mine didn’t taste all that great on their own, so their flavor in the finished cake was not as pronounced as I would have liked.

1/3 c (65 g) sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1/8 c (30 ml) water
1/2 lb (225 g) peaches, peeled and pitted; fresh or thawed frozen with juices

Combine in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, then cook until the peaches are soft. Transfer to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

Place in a bowl and allow to chill until completely cooled.

Raspberry Sauce
This makes a little extra sauce than you will need, but it tastes great drizzled over a slice of cake.

1/3 c (65 g) sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
6 oz (170 g) raspberries, fresh or thawed frozen with juices

Combine in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, mashing and stirring occasionally until the berries give up their juices, about 15 minutes. Let cool, then puree in a food processor or blender to smooth. Strain through a sieve to remove the seeds, if desired, then cover and place in the fridge to chill completely.

Italian Meringue Buttercream For step-by-step directions for making Italian Meringue Buttercream, please click here!

1/8 c (35 ml) water
1/2 c (105 g) sugar
3 egg whites
1/8 c (25 g) sugar
1/2 c (120 g) butter, softened, cut into small pieces
1 tsp vanilla, more if desired

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer.

Heat the 1/2 c sugar and water on the stove to 245F stirring occasionally only after the sugar has been dissolved. When it is within the range of 230F to 235F, begin whipping the egg whites. When they get to soft peaks, begin adding the remaining 1/8 c sugar and continue whipping to medium peaks, being careful not to overbeat. When the syrup is the correct temperature, slowly pour it into the eggs with the mixer on high. After fully incorporated, beat the frosting 7-10 minutes until the outside of the bowl is room temp (I usually go a little longer than this; often times the bowl is not room temp when I begin adding butter. If the mix seems to soupy, put it in the fridge for a few moments or try briefly chilling some of the butter in the freezer before adding). Begin adding the butter, tablespoon by tablespoon, beating until fully incorporated. The frosting will deflate a little, but it’s ok. Keep whipping until the frosting comes together and add the vanilla. Begin adding the juice from the jar of maraschino cherries in 2 tsp increments, whipping to combine. Stop when the frosting has achieved a nice pink hue and the flavor is noticeable. Be careful not to add too much or the frosting will break.

Assembly
Cream Cake, chilled if desired
1 1/2 tsp gelatin
2 Tbls water
1 1/4 c (295 ml) heavy cream
Peach Compote
Raspberry Sauce
Italian Meringue Buttercream

Slice each cake in half horizontally and set aside.

Combine the gelatin and water in a small microwave-safe bowl and allow to set for five minutes.

In another larger bowl, beat the heavy cream to soft peaks. Microwave the bloomed gelatin for 5-10 seconds to melt, then pour into the whipping cream, while beating on high speed. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Place 2/3rds of the whipped cream into one bowl and 1/3 into another. Gently fold all of the peach compote to the 2/3rds and a few tablespoons of the raspberry sauce into the remaining 1/3rd.

Spread half of the peach mousse onto the bottom layer of cake, then top with a cake round. Add all of the raspberry mousse to that layer, top with another layer of cake, then add the rest of the peach mousse. Place the final cake layer on top, then crumb coat with a few tablespoons of the Italian Meringue Buttercream. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes, then frost with remaining buttercream.

Decorate as desired and serve at room temperature with remaining raspberry sauce.

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Cakes, Fruit

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Comments

  1. Tommy says

    August 19, 2010 at 11:06 pm

    I just love your blog, and I wish we were friends (in real life) so that I could sample these sweet treats. They look amazingly good but not too perfect. And I mean that in the best way. They&#39;re, like, homemade-perfect, which is preferable to grocery-store- or bakery-perfect.<br /><br />I&#39;ll be quiet now.

    Reply
  2. Julie @ Willow Bird Baking says

    August 20, 2010 at 12:57 am

    Towering and beautiful!! It sounds so tasty, too!

    Reply
  3. smi64 says

    August 20, 2010 at 2:25 am

    This is easily the most beautiful frosted cake I&#39;ve ever seen. It&#39;s so smooth!

    Reply
  4. Kathy says

    August 20, 2010 at 5:04 am

    That is a marvelous feat of baking and decorating! Truly gorgeous! I&#39;m inspired!

    Reply
  5. Brenda Leyland says

    August 20, 2010 at 5:08 am

    My mouth doth drool……………….<br /><br />gorgeous photos, yummy looking recipes!

    Reply
  6. Anh says

    August 20, 2010 at 9:22 am

    omg, what a beautiful cake!!

    Reply
  7. Trissa says

    August 20, 2010 at 11:30 am

    Definitely, something as tall as that does require a more solid italian meringue frosting… great job! It&#39;s such an epic cake – beautiful with the raspberries.

    Reply
  8. Elizabeth says

    August 20, 2010 at 3:01 pm

    What a gorgeous job you did decorating that cake! And good luck with getting up early. It wasn&#39;t until I was working everyday at 7am that I got used to waking up early…and even then it was hard. Once you have kids though…then you get up early just to have time to yourself!

    Reply
  9. Mr. P says

    August 20, 2010 at 3:20 pm

    It&#39;s such a pretty cake!<br /><br />I am useless at smooth sides. It does me good to see that it can, in fact, be done!

    Reply
  10. The Blue-Eyed Bakers says

    August 20, 2010 at 3:24 pm

    We want a slice of this completely gorgeous and mouth-watering cake! It&#39;s perfect!!

    Reply
  11. Anonymous says

    August 20, 2010 at 3:37 pm

    I made the sky high cake for my birthday, and although it was good, it was an absolute mess!

    Reply
  12. Dom at Belleau Kitchen says

    August 20, 2010 at 4:45 pm

    just want you to know that I love you…. I made your Swiss Meringue buttercream today and it is truly superb! I&#39;m prepping for our local Village show and it&#39;s going to be topping for cupcakes and filling for a chocolate sponge… about to blog now to update: http://belleaukitchen.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  13. Anna says

    August 20, 2010 at 6:14 pm

    The cake looks fantastic! I&#39;m super impressed by your icing skills. I use the same buttercream recipe as you, but I can never get it to spread that well.

    Reply
  14. Joy says

    August 20, 2010 at 6:16 pm

    That looks great. Thank you for covering the various butter creams

    Reply
  15. Cakebrain says

    August 20, 2010 at 6:26 pm

    Oh how I love a tall layered frosted cake! It&#39;s a shame it sunk in the middle. I do love a whipped cream frosting, but I agree…for serving to people it sure isn&#39;t pretty or stable. The Italian Meringue buttercream looks gorgeous. Lovely cake decorating skills with your spatula and piping bag!

    Reply
  16. Ally says

    August 20, 2010 at 6:35 pm

    This looks divine! Have you posted the pictures on Fiddme yet?

    Reply
  17. Ryan says

    August 21, 2010 at 12:45 am

    that swirl border is AMAZING, great job πŸ™‚

    Reply
  18. Steph (Desserts for Breakfast) says

    August 21, 2010 at 2:58 am

    omg, YUM! this looks so good–I really want to sink a fork into my computer screen! I am utterly amazed at the smoothness of your buttercream–how did you get rid of the spreader lines?

    Reply
  19. Quest says

    August 21, 2010 at 4:33 am

    &quot;Ass the eggs and yolks and continue mixing until the batter forms soft peaks.&quot;<br /><br />This is a new direction to me. I guess you&#39;ve really got to put your whole body into your baking, &#39;eh?<br /><br />(LOVE this! too scared to try it!)

    Reply
  20. Angela says

    August 21, 2010 at 4:35 pm

    What a beautiful cake! I&#39;ve been waking up wakefully this summer too… but something about the coming cold weather, the gloomy days, makes sleeping in so seductive. Great cake. Great post =)

    Reply
  21. Megan says

    August 23, 2010 at 2:17 pm

    That cake looks like perfection! And summery and delicious too.

    Reply
  22. Chloe says

    August 23, 2010 at 5:44 pm

    Kaitlin,<br /><br />Where did you get that cake stand? I am on the hunt for a cute one :)<br /><br />Thank you for your beautiful blog- it cheers up my day

    Reply
  23. Rose says

    August 28, 2010 at 12:35 pm

    Oh wow, what a beautiful cake. The outside icing looks so perfect.<br /><br />Rose

    Reply
  24. onionchoco says

    December 5, 2011 at 12:48 pm

    Cake is just perfect. I love simple decorations. So elegant and natural. Hats off to You!

    Reply
  25. Kaitlin says

    December 7, 2011 at 10:05 pm

    So glad you guys like the recipe! Thank you!!

    Reply
  26. Anonymous says

    October 9, 2012 at 11:32 pm

    I think I found a cake to make for a 30th birthday -this is it πŸ™‚ Thank you for this great blogg πŸ™‚

    Reply
  27. Anonymous says

    October 9, 2012 at 11:33 pm

    in the rainbow cake do you add any flavoring in the colors ??

    Reply
  28. Eleanor says

    September 2, 2015 at 3:11 am

    So I’m waaay back in the archive lol but I just wanted to say how much I love your blog, Kaitlin! I’ve been reading it for years and I honestly think it’s the best out there.
    Made this cake for some guests tonight and it went over very well. I didn’t have any problems with the centres sinking, though I did forget to add the sour cream at the end… I agree that the peach could be a little peachier but the Italian meringue buttercream– my first attempt at it– turned out brilliantly if I do say so myself πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Kaitlin says

      September 17, 2015 at 3:25 am

      You’re so kind! Thank you, Eleanor, I really appreciate that!

      I’m so thrilled that you and your guests liked the cake – and that it turned out just fine without the sour cream! I know how scary that can be to realize πŸ˜‰ Thanks for reporting back!!

      Reply

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Kaitlin Flannery

Butter-obsessed 24-year-old.

Kaitlin(at)Whisk-Kid(dot)com

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