Recipe
Raspberry Number Cake
A wonderful purple and pink number cake that’s fit for a princess! Fluffy vanilla layers, tangy raspberry mousse, and a light and airy vanilla ganache make this cake as delicious as it is festive.
Difficulty: Moderate
Yield: 16 servingsIngredients
Vanilla Cake Layers:
- 350 g butter
- 300 g flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 6 eggs
- 350 g sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
Raspberry Mousse:
- 3 sheets of gelatin
- 250 g raspberries (frozen)
- 1 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp sugar
- ½ liter heavy cream
Whipped Vanilla Ganache:
- 1 ½ batch of my vanilla ganache recipe
Toppings:
- See decoration inspiration further up in this post.
Instructions
Vanilla Cake Layers:
- Preheat your oven to 180 °C (356 °F). Line a 27x33 cm (11x13 inches) adjustable square baking pan with parchment paper (attach the paper to the sides of the pan with paper clips).
- Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. In a bowl, mix the flour and baking powder. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla together with an electric mixer. Add the melted butter and mix.350 g butter, 300 g flour, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, 2 tsp vanilla, 6 eggs, 350 g sugar
- Combine the wet ingredients with the flour mixture using a spatula until you have a smooth batter.
- Spread the batter evenly into the pan (note: do not grease the pan). Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden. Use the toothpick test to check if the cake is done – it should come out clean when inserted into the center. Let the cake cool completely in the pan.
- Cut along the inside of the pan and release the cake. Score around the center of the cake with a bread knife and then cut through it to get two even layers.
Raspberry Mousse:
- Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 10 minutes.3 sheets of gelatin
- Meanwhile, cook the frozen raspberries, water and sugar in a saucepan for 2-3 minutes until the raspberries soften.250 g raspberries, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp water
- Blend the raspberries using an immersion blender. Strain the raspberry sauce back into the pan and heat it over low heat.
- Wring the water out of the gelatin sheets and stir them into the raspberry sauce until dissolved.
- Transfer the raspberry sauce to a bowl or plastic container and chill it in the fridge until it’s cool.
- Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks in a bowl. Gradually add the cooled raspberry sauce to the whipped cream while gently stirring. Continue until you have a light pink mousse.½ liter heavy cream
Assemble the Number Cake:
- Place one layer of the cake with the flattest side facing down on a piece of parchment paper on a large serving plate or cutting board. Tighten the adjustable baking pan around the cake.
- Spread the raspberry mousse evenly on top of the cake layer.
- Place the second cake layer on top of the mousse with the smooth side up and gently press down.
- Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or preferably overnight) until the mousse has set.
Cutting the Number Cake:
- Print or draw a template of the number you want to create and cut it out. My number “5” in the pictures measures 22x32 cm (9x13 inches).
- Cut along the inside of the pan and release it. Check that the mousse has set.
- Place the template on top of the cake. Cut along the template with a sharp knife, removing excess cake as you go, until you have a perfect number shape.
- Freeze the cake uncovered for 2 hours. Then, wrap it in several layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.
- Thaw the cake in the fridge (still wrapped in plastic wrap) overnight before serving.
Whipped Vanilla Ganache:
- Make the whipped vanilla ganache the day before serving and refrigerate.1 ½ batch of my vanilla ganache recipe
- On the day of serving, whip the ganache until light and fluffy with an electric mixer as directed in the recipe. Fill it into a piping bag with a round tip and pipe dollops on the number cake.
Decoration:
- Decorate the cake as desired. Find inspiration and detailed decoration ideas further up in this post.
Notes
Check the timeline earlier in this post to plan when to make the different elements.
See step-by-step pictures below the recipe for further guidance.