The wedding that eventually led to Gourmandistan happened many years ago, and it has been quite a while since we’ve attended anyone else’s. However, a combination of Michelle’s imagination and Steve’s perspiration recently led to one of the best wedding cakes either of us has ever eaten—and we didn’t have to get dressed up to do it.
This year’s wild blackberry harvest was not that wonderful. February’s ice and snow smashed many canes flat; the oddly cool temperatures and torrential rains that followed didn’t help. Nevertheless, Steve zipped on his bee suit and made his way through the woods on more than a few days, often returning with less than a cup of berries. His persistence paid off, for not only was there enough for a few jars of Steve’s favorite jam, but also for Michelle to experiment with blackberry curd and blackberry buttercream, which eventually led to this rather delicious “wedding cake.”
The blackberry curd came first, as Michelle was inspired when leafing through Chez Panisse Desserts. Then came the question of what to do with the stuff. While biscuits and muffins were discussed, the idea of a layer cake quickly dominated our conversations, even though Michelle rarely makes them. We debated dark versus white, what sort of icing would work best, and other topics best left to the food-obsessed. The final decision was that white cake would allow the blackberry flavor to stand out, but some chocolate was necessary for depth and richness. (Besides, Steve loves blackberries with chocolate.) Patching an idea together from several sources, Michelle set about to do right by the blackberries. The result was really lovely. Blackberry buttercream and blackberry curd brought the berries’ sweet and tart flavor forward in complementary textures, assisted by the light yet firm crumb of the cake. A layer of bittersweet chocolate ganache added just the right note of dark richness, and the cake has kept its freshness and flavor over more than a week in the refrigerator.
Michelle’s mother has asked us to freeze the last chunk of cake for her. We didn’t do that with the cake from our wedding, but we will with this one. We won’t save it for our 50th anniversary, however. We’ll simply save it for the next Turner family visit—and we won’t even expect any wedding gifts.
(Cake adapted from Epicurious.com/curd adapted from Lindsey Shere’s Chez Panisse Desserts/ganache adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets/buttercream adapted from Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torey’s Magnolia Bakery Cookbook) WILD BLACKBERRY CURD Purée the blackberries in a food processor. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve, pushing with a spoon to remove all juice. You should have about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cup juice. Whisk eggs and egg yolks in a bowl. Place berry juice in a saucepan. Add butter and heat, stirring, until butter is melted. Add sugar and lemon juice. Slowly add a half cup or so of the hot berry juice into the egg mixture, whisking. Then add the egg mixture to the saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 160-170° F. Strain curd through a fine-meshed sieve, pushing through with a spoon. It may break a bit, but can be whisked back together. Cover and chill. Will keep for a week or so in the refrigerator. WHITE CAKE This cake recipe, which is duplicated all over the Internet, makes a lovely white cake. We cut one of the two layers in half, to make a not-exactly-equal three-layer cake. GANACHE Place 3 tablespoons of cream in a small bowl and refrigerate. Place chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (or in a double boiler). Warm until it is partially melted. Stir and remove from heat. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons of cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over the chocolate. Wait 30 seconds and then gently whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the butter and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes. Whip the chilled cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold into the chocolate mixture. Chill. Stir every few minutes until it is spreadable. WILD BLACKBERRY BUTTERCREAM Place blackberries in a small saucepan. Warm over low heat, mashing with a potato masher or a wooden spoon to extract as many juices as possible. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve, pushing with a spoon to remove all juice. You should have about 1/3 cup of juice. Chill in refrigerator. Add enough milk to the chilled blackberry juice to make 1/2 cup of liquid. Add vanilla. Place butter, 4 cups of sifted confectioners’ sugar and liquid in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until smooth. Add additional sugar, one cup at a time, until thick, smooth and spreadable. (It usually takes about 6 cups.) ASSEMBLY: The blackberry curd can be made well ahead of time and refrigerated. Bake cake and let totally cool. Cut one of the cake layers in half using a serrated knife. Make ganache and buttercream. Place one of the thinner layers on a cake plate. Cover with curd. Top with the uncut layer of cake. Cover with ganache. Top with the remaining thin cake layer. Ice top and sides with buttercream. Store finished cake in refrigerator, but bring slices to room temperature before serving.WHITE CAKE WITH WILD BLACKBERRY CURD, BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE GANACHE AND WILD BLACKBERRY BUTTERCREAM
Filed under: Blackberries, Cake, Chocolate, Cooking, Desserts & Sweets, Food, Fruit Desserts, Recipes, Vegetarian
