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Home ยป TWD ยป Berry Surprise Cake

Berry Surprise Cake

January 20, 2009 · WCC Administr@tr · 18 Comments

tuesdayswithdorie150x118-2220022This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) baking assignment was the Berry Surprise Cake, chosen by fellow blogger, Mary Anne of Meet Me in the Kitchen. Check out her blog for the recipe and fellow TWDers blogs for their versions of the Berry Surprise Cake!

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I loved this cake and got raves from friends who enjoyed it at a recent dinner party I hosted. The cake itself reminded me of ladyfingers – light, spongy and just a subtle sweetness. It offered a great platform for the cream cheese filling and the fresh berries. Despite the time involved to prepare the 4 components of the cake (cake batter, syrup, filling & topping) it was all worth it. I would definitely make this cake again, especially in the spring or summer months. It was nice to make this in the winter for something light!

My notes on this recipe:
  • One thing to note about the recipe is that once the cake is baked, it should be tall enough to carve out the middle of the cake to fill with filling and berries. My cake did not come out tall enough so I ended up just layering the cake.
  • Once layered, I drizzled the syrup I made with sugar, water and a raspberry coulis. The original recipe called for using Chambord liqueur, which I didn’t have on hand. I also didn’t want to risk gathering crumbs by sweeping my pastry brush across the freshly layered cake so drizzling the syrup was just to play it safe.
  • Where vanilla extract was called for in the recipe, I substituted vanilla paste. I loved the vanilla flecked cream cheese filling I got as a result!
  • The original recipe called for raspberries both in the filling and also for the fruit garnish on the top. However I saw some great blueberries and strawberries on sale which I used instead. After spreading a thin layer of my vanilla cream cheese filling, I layered fresh blueberries on the cake. To top it off, I used both blueberries and sliced strawberries which gave a nice colorful presentation.

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TWD

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Comments

  1. Flourchild says

    January 20, 2009 at 3:36 pm

    Welcome to TWD. Your cake is beautiful. I love all the berries on top..so pretty.

    Reply
  2. Danielle says

    January 20, 2009 at 4:20 pm

    Very pretty! Great job!

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says

    January 20, 2009 at 4:20 pm

    looks beautiful. i used blackberries with mine and it was delicious.

    Reply
  4. BMK says

    January 20, 2009 at 7:15 pm

    Beautiful! Can’t wait to make this one during the summer!

    Reply
  5. ErinsFoodFiles says

    January 20, 2009 at 7:15 pm

    Gorgeous! And it looks so refreshing!

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    January 20, 2009 at 7:15 pm

    This is beautiful and looks so tasty. It reminds me of those red, white, and blue trifles and desserts you see around the 4th of July, but this one is actually kind of fitting for today since it’s the inauguration… yes that was cheesy, I’m aware.

    Reply
  7. Unknown says

    January 20, 2009 at 8:30 pm

    Nice pics to show us how you did it. I like the way you added your fruit to the top. sweet.

    Reply
  8. chocolatechic says

    January 20, 2009 at 8:48 pm

    Oh, the berries look so great together.

    Reply
  9. PG says

    January 20, 2009 at 9:10 pm

    This is my favourite type of dessert. Looks delicious!

    Reply
  10. Aggie says

    January 20, 2009 at 9:50 pm

    Oh I love berries! This cake looks awesome!!

    Reply
  11. Ivette says

    January 20, 2009 at 10:51 pm

    Your cake looks really good! Hope you enjoyed it!

    Reply
  12. Anonymous says

    January 21, 2009 at 12:33 am

    It looks wonderful – the blueberries and strawberries sound great!

    Reply
  13. Anonymous says

    January 21, 2009 at 1:34 pm

    Your cake looks beautiful with the strawberries and blueberries on top. Mine didn’t rise much either, but I like your idea to layer it instead!

    Reply
  14. That Girl says

    January 21, 2009 at 7:32 pm

    What a berry beautiful cake!

    Reply
  15. Oggi says

    January 21, 2009 at 11:26 pm

    The cake looks pretty and yummy. I bookmarked the website for the recipe. Thanks.:)

    Reply
  16. Cooking for Comfort by Jennifer says

    January 22, 2009 at 1:54 am

    WOW! I LOVE how you fanned the strawberries!
    How painstakingly beautiful! VERY WELL DONE!

    Reply
  17. Erin says

    January 22, 2009 at 4:51 am

    Wow, what a beautiful cake! I love lighter tasting cakes like this, and with the fruit you could almost call it healthy ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Congrats on 1000 posts, too! Keep it up!

    Reply
  18. Pamela says

    January 22, 2009 at 4:51 am

    It is stunning!

    Reply

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