Strawberry Watermelon Dacquoise Cake

This fruity and fresh, rose scented cake is a perfect cake for any special occasion. This cake is very light and refreshing. The texture and flavor is to die for. As someone said when you see it and love is: Its love at first sight! Here it was love at first bite.

I tried my first watermelon strawberry cake from The Black Star Pastry (Sydney, Australia) at a food festival in Melbourne (Australia). I had heard so much about this special cake that I had to try it to see all the hype. And, oh boy! Oh boy! It was the best ever cake slice I ever had, totally divine. One bite and there is the flavor and texture dance in your mouth. It’s creamy, chewy, crunchy, fresh and very light on your palette .I was so curious to recreate this beauty and luckily the layering was so precise that I knew what I am eating and what way the layering goes. The best part about this dish is that its gluten free.

The Strawberry watermelon cake consists of 2 layers of almond dacquoise (like a meringue), 3 layers of rose scented cream, watermelon, and strawberries and garnished with pistachios and dried rose petals.

The only thing to cook is to the almond dacquoise and rest all is whipping and macerating.

Let’s start with the step by step recipe:

Serves: 8         Time: 1 hour preparation and cooking plus 1.5-2 hours chilling.

Almond dacquoise

Ingredients

• 150g Pure Icing Sugar (No corn flour) you may grind the granulated sugar in a powder.
• 150g Natural Almond Meal
• 120g Caster Sugar *
• 5 Fresh Egg Whites

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Process almonds in a food processor until finely ground.
3. In a bowl pour icing sugar and almond meal; mix well. This is called “Tant Pour Tant” means so much for so much i.e. equal parts.
4. Whisk egg whites with/in clean electric mixer until soft peaks form, gradually add the castor sugar and whisk on a medium high speed until stiff peaks form.
5. Gently fold through the almond mixture. Pour the mixture in a piping bag.
6. On a greased baking sheet or paper, pipe the mixture in the shape and size you want the cake in. (I made small squares as I wanted individual slices. The thickness must be 1 cm to 1.5 cm.
7. Bake until golden (12-15 minutes). Set aside to cool on tray. You may use your choice of tray or mould and cut as per your choice. We need two layers.

Macerated Watermelon and Strawberries

Ingredients

• 300gm seedless watermelon, 12 mm thick and length as per your choice of mould you are using.
• 1/2 cup rose water
• 4 tbsp. castor sugar *

Method

1. Arrange watermelon slice in a deep tray, sprinkle 1/4 cup rose water, and then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar.
2. Stand to macerate (20 minutes), then pat dry with absorbent kitchen paper.

Rose Scented Cream

Ingredients

• 700 ml Thickened cream ( Chilled)
• 70 gm caster sugar *
• 3 tbsp. rose water
• 2 tsp powdered gelatin
• 2 tbsp. water

Method

1. Mix gelatin with water in a heat proof bowl and stir well. Allow to bloom.
2. Whip cream and sugar in/with as electric and whip until stiff peaks form. (Stop before the cream gets grainy)
3. In a microwave, heat the bloomed gelatin for 10 seconds. Add rose water and stir.
4. Turn the mixer speed onto high and incorporate for 10 seconds.
5. Load into a piping bag. Keep in fridge till use.

Cake Toppers

Ingredients

• 400 gm fresh strawberries, halved
• 2 tbsp. rose water
• 2 tbsp. slivered pistachios
• 2 tbsp. dried rose petals (edible grade)
• 30 gm almond meal

Method

1. Place the cut strawberries in a bowl, add the rosewater and mix well. Let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Have dry rose petals and slivered pistachios ready.

Assembling the Cake

1. Place the Dacquoise layer at the bottom of a tray/cake stand. I used small bottomless steel moulds. You may use the spring form pan.
2. Using a piping bag, create a layer of the rose scented cream.
3. Sprinkle some almond meal.
4. Add the water melon slice. Sprinkle almond meal.
5. Create another layer of the rose cream.
6. Place second layer of almond dacquoise on top of the cream.
7. Create another layer of rose scented cream.
8. Place the cake in fridge for at least 1.5 hours.
9. Add strawberries on the top layer of cream.
10. Sprinkle with dry rose petals and slivered pistachios!

Enjoy this beautiful, refreshing and extremely delicious treat with your loved ones!

NOTES:

• * - Castor Sugar- use granulated sugar and give 1-2 pulses in a food processor, that it resembles fine sand.
• Make sure you cut the dacquoise and watermelon equally otherwise, there will be no symmetry in the cake.
• For the mould you may use the acetate sheet, spring form pan or bottomless mould or rings.

Happy Cooking

Nidz Kitchen :)