TUTTI FRUTTI CAKE

We are so excited to share this yummy cake with you today! This is a simple cake that uses a basic vanilla cake recipe.  We agree that this method may be a little different to others as you need to separate the egg yolk from egg white. But the result is amazing. You will get a super moist and delicious cake. Love and patience are also the key to getting the perfect results you want.

THIS IS TRULY THE BEST TUTTI FRUTTI CAKE I EVER HAD

INGREDIENTS NEEDED ARE (USE ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS)

• 250g self raising flour

• 265g softened unsalted butter

• 225 icing sugar

• 6 egg whites

• 6 egg yolks

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract.  Both give amazing results.

• 2 tablespoon of Tutti Frutti

• 1 tablespoon of Black raisins or can be substituted with dried cranberries)

• 1 tablespoon of chopped almonds 

Chopped almonds

Colorful Tutti Frutti.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C

2. Grease an 8.5 inch cake pan and line with parchment paper.  Then grease the parchment paper.

First Prepare all ingredients like in the picture below.

3. Sift the self-raising flour in a bowl and add in the chopped almonds.  Mix well and set aside.

4. In a bowl add Tutti Frutti and black raisins and 1 tablespoon of flour. Mix well and set aside.  (The flour will prevent the fruits from sinking to the bottom of the cake)

5. Separate egg yolks and egg whites.  Keep aside.

6. In a bowl of stand mixer, cream softened butter and icing sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Don’t forget to scrap the sides of the bowl as needed in between with a rubber spatula. 

The batter should be pale and creamy like in the picture.

7. Add egg yolks one at a time and continue beating for 5-6 minutes.  Then add almond/vanilla extract and beat until well-combined.

8. Transfer batter into a large bowl and set aside. 

   

9. Wash the stand mixer bowl thoroughly before beating the egg whites.  Make sure your bowl is clean and dry.

10. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. 

TIPS: We would suggest separating egg whites when they are cold.  Then let the whites stand for about 20mins or more depending on room temperature.  At this point egg whites will beat to stiff peaks faster than cold egg whites.  

11. Now it's time to fold in the ingredients.  Lets’s do it by hand so as not to overmix.  This step is very important for amazing results. Take the large bowl containing butter mixture, add in  ⅓ of the self raising/almond mixture and ⅓ of the meringue.  Fold in gently until flour and egg whites are well incorporated.  Use the cut and fold technique. But please do not overmix as this will deflate the batter.  

12. Repeat the same process twice until all the flour and egg whites are added to the batter. Again continue using the cut and fold method.

13. Then add in the tutti frutti and black raisins and give a good mix. It’s done. 

14. Pour batter evenly into the cake pan and tap the pan 2-3 times against the counter to remove any air incorporated into the batter.

15. Bake for 55 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick in the Centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. Please do not overbake your cakes as this will make them dry. The baking times are just a guideline because most ovens are different. 

16. Allow to cool

17. Keep the cake simple.  But of course you can decorate the cake according to your taste.  For now, we will enjoy it with a cup of coffee.

BEST MAURITIAN NAPOLITAINE COOKIE RECIPE EVER

We are not exaggerating!  These cookies are amazingly delicious and they melt in the mouth. They are also super easy to make and perfect for all occasions. Have a sweet tooth? Then try this recipe!  You won’t regret it!  Let’s go now!

HOW TO MAKE MAURITIAN NAPOLITAINE

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THE COOKIE DOUGH

• 500g All purpose flour.

• 325g unsalted butter (kerry gold brand or Anchor brand)

• 1 teaspoon of almond essence (optional)
• 2 tablespoon icing sugar (You can omit it if you prefer less sweeter cookies)

• 5-6 tablespoons of strawberry or guava jam

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To begin with, sift 500g of All purpose flour and 2 tablespoons of icing sugar (optional) into a medium size bowl.

   
   

2. Next, add 325g unsalted room temperature butter. The flavour of the cookies will depend mostly on the butter. We are using the Kerrygold brand.  But you can also use Anchor Brand which gives excellent results.

3. Using your fingertips, combine butter and flour until you obtain a crumbly mixture.

4. Then, knead everything together until the dough holds together well. In case the dough is too dry,  add some butter. But do not add water. Try not to over knead the dough.

5. Wrap dough in a cling film and place in the refrigerator for about 25-30 minutes

6. Take dough out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature for a few minutes. 

7. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough into 1 cm thick on a lightly floured surface or you can do it on a piece of baking paper.

8. Using a cookie cutter of diameter 4cm cut out round or heart shapes ( my round shaped cookie cutter was about 4cm as I love mini napolitaines)

9. Collect remaining excess dough and roll it out again and cut out more shapes.  Repeat until no more dough.

10. Place them on a baking tray lined up with parchment paper.  Leave a little space in between each cookie. Be careful, the dough will be very soft. It’s normal! Don’t panic! 😃

11. Bake in a preheated oven at 180° C for around 18 minutes or until the surface of the cookies is slightly brown. The color should be pale and do not overcook the cookies.

12. Allow to cool down completely.

13. Spread strawberry or guava jam on top of one cookie and cover it with another one.

14. Press gently. 

Now it’s time to make the sugar coating for extra yum! The icing will make the cookies more fun looking and add more flavour.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR GLAZE ICING

• 500g sifted icing sugar

• 4-5 tablespoons of warm milk (You may need a little extra depending on your desired consistency)

• 1 teaspoon of almond essence or you can use a few drops of lemon juice. 

• Few drops of pink food coloring or any other colors you prefer. You can also omit the food coloring if you want white color glaze icing.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Simply sift 500g icing sugar into a bowl and gradually add warm milk until icing becomes thick enough but pourable.  Mix well using a whisk.

2. Next add a few drops of almond essence or lemon juice and stir well (optional).

3. Finally add a few drops of pink food colorings and mix until well combined.

4. The mixture should be smooth and it should run off the whisk in a pretty thin drizzle.

5. Place the sandwich cookies on a wire rack under which you can put a tray.  The tray will collect all the excess icing which you can reuse.

6. Gently spread out the icing on the cookies using a spoon and it’s done!  They look absolutely gorgeous.  Please refer to the video.

7. Allow icing to firm up before enjoying the napolitaines. Store them in an airtight container. Nice accompanied with a cup of tea or coffee.  

   
   

   
   
   
   
   

Note:  if the icing/milk mixture is too runny add more icing sugar and if it is too thick, add a little more milk.  But,  you can also warm the mixture so that the sugar melts by placing the pot on top of boiling water  (Use bain-marie or water bath method). You will obtain a smooth and pourable texture. The icing will also be more silky.

These cookies look super gorgeous!  The best part is that you can hand paint them using gel food coloring. These cute cartoons are drawn by my daughter who loves painting so much.  

PLEASE CHECK MY INSTAGRAM VIDEO FOR MORE FUN.