Custard Strawberry Cake… because it’s my Birthday and I made a cake

Birthday Schmirthday but what better way to avoid all the stuff you’re not doing with your life (and the fury over that freaking school drill… see previous non cooking/rant post) than to bake a cake… and then read People while you treat yourself to a birthday pedicure? If you have a better/productive/world peace solving/inner peace way to spend your birthday I don’t want to hear about it. I had intended to brûlée the top of the cake and if you make it feel free but my torch is out of butane apparently and I’m not going to skip that pedi for a butane trip so onward and upward!

The Sour Cream Sponge cake:

• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbls. sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbls. sour cream
• 5 egg whites
• pinch of cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup cake flour

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Combine egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tbls. sour cream with paddle attachment in the mixer for 8 minutes until fluffy.
3. Add the 1/4 cup sour cream and mix until combined.
4. Beat egg whites and tartar with whisk attachment until peaks form, add the 2 tbls. sugar and whip to stiff peaks.
5. Fold in 1/3 of egg whites to egg mixture. Fold carefully, add the rest of whites in 2 batches, fold.
6. Fold in flour 1/4 cup at a time until smooth.
7. Parchment paper 2 cookie sheets, draw 3 circles on the parchment (2 on one sheet 1 on the other).
8. Spread batter or pipe into circles, bake for 15 minutes turning at the half point.
9. Cool

Make your Custard:

• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and/or vanilla bean deseeded into milk (I used both because I like the pastry cream to have that vanilla bean look but It’s another step and doesn’t really add a ton more vanilla flavor)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup cornstarch

1. In a medium saucepan bring milk to a simmer over medium heat, add vanilla extract and/or vanilla pod deseeded.
2. In a bowl whisk together sugar, eggs and cornstarch until smooth.
3. When milk simmers, pour half of into the egg mixture, whisking until smooth, then add it back into the saucepan with remaining milk mixture.
4. Keeping the pan on medium heat, continue whisking until mixture comes to a boil and thickens.
5. Take off heat, push custard through a sieve with a spatula into a bowl to get a smooth texture and cover with plastic wrap to avoid the mixture forming a skin (although I kinda like the skin and never mind peeling it off and eating when no one is looking). Cool until assembly.

Cut the rounds of your cake back to plate size… like this

then stack:

cake… spread 1/3 custard… layer berries… cake… 1/3 custard… berries… cake… 1/3 custard and either brûlée or top with berries.

Done, now go do something with yourself, you’re 46 for the love of God.