[Sca-cooks] [OOP] Durable Cakes

[Cat Dancer]

On Fri, 11 Aug 2006, Volker Bach wrote:
>
> So, does anyone know how long I can store cake 'bases' (sponge, pound,
> angelfood, I'm not picky) and how to do that best? any recipes for
> particularly long-lasting ones? Or could I just fridge a completed cak, say
> chocolate with apricot jelly filling and cocoa frosting, from Thursday till
> Monday without major ill effects?
>
> Thanks
> Giano

If it's kept air-tight, either frosted or wrapped securely in plastic 
wrap, it will keep for three or four days in the fridge easy. If you frost 
it first, you'll want to wrap it loosely in plastic or put it in a cake 
carrier to keep the frosting from absorbing off flavors and to keep 
moisture from condensing on it when you take it out. If the frosting is 
such that plastic wrap will stick to and damage it, hold the wrap off the 
cake proper with toothpicks.

I like a pound cake brushed with syrup rather than a sponge cake as the 
pound cake has a denser, finer crumb and is easier to torte, frost, and 
decorate than a traditional butter or sponge cake. The pound cake actually 
has structural integrity even when sliced fairly thin, which is vital 
when doing multiple thin layers. The syrup helps the cake retain moisture, 
adds an additional flavor note, and increases the cake's shelf life. I can 
look up the proportions when I get home, if you like.

My discovery this past winter was that melted white chocolate incorporated 
into the cake batter makes the cake amazingly rich but doesn't make it 
any sweeter--you could use either regular chocolate or perhaps cocoa 
butter for a chocolate cake and have a similar effect.

A chocolate pound cake with an orange syrup, with or without a touch of 
liqueur, filled with a chocolate mousse* with a touch of orange and 
frosted or glazed with dark chocolate ganache would be simple yet elegant 
(and your co-workers would be thoroughly awed).

I have an amazingly stable and durable recipe for mousse filling if you 
want it--I used it in February for a wedding cake and it held up 
beautifully.

[Said wedding cake was a white chocolate pound cake (with the 
aforementioned white chocolate in the cake) flavored with Grand Marnier, 
torted to four layers with a raspberry filling in the middle and white 
chocolate and Grand Marnier mousse between the other layers, with a white 
chocolate glaze decorated with snowflakes. This might be a bit elaborate 
for a birthday cake one is planning on taking to work, though.]

Margaret FitzWilliam