Fruit Cake with Nougat Cream

Instructions

FIRST DAY

Prepare sponge cake.

1. In the bowl of the KitchenAid, add the egg yolks, water and 70 g of sugar. Beat with the whisk at medium-high speed until a whitish color and a creamy texture is achieved, you will notice that it gains some volume.
2. Begin to incorporate the flour, little by little. Integrate while mixing on speed 1.
3. Add the baking powder along with the salt, mix.
4. Incorporate the cornstarch. Do it in the same way, little by little and mixing at the same time.
5. Finally, add the lemon zest and mix until homogenized.
6. Once everything is combined, set aside.

Whip the meringue.

1. In another bowl, add the egg whites and begin to whip. Once it begins to froth, add the sugar (the remaining 70 g).
2. Whip with the whisk at medium-high speed until you have a firm meringue, a little more soft peaks, but not dry. That is, you do not have to over whip the meringue until it is very stiff.

Fold the meringue into the egg yolk mixture.

1. Start incorporating the meringue, little by little, into the egg yolk mixture.
2. Add a small amount, mix with a spatula until fully integrated and continue adding more. The first part of meringue will help smooth the mixture. As you add more, the mixture will become smoother and lighter.

Pour in the mold and bake.

1. Preheat the oven to 356ºF/180ºC, heat up and down.
2. Grease and line a 23 cm diameter baking pan with baking paper.
3. Pour the mixture into the mold and tap gently to settle the mixture.
4. Bake for 25 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes in the pan and remove from the mold.
   Place on a cooling rack, upside down to make the dome as smooth as possible, and let cool almost completely.
6. Wrap the sponge cake in plastic wrap when warm and let it cool completely. Refrigerate until the next day.
7. NOTE: Wrapping the sponge cake in film, warm to cold, helps the cake to remain very moist and tender. Refrigerating the cake makes the cutting process much easier.

SECOND DAY

Prepare nougat pastry cream.

1. In a food processor, chop the Jijona nougat. If you do not have a food processor, chop very finely with a knife.
2. In a saucepan pour the milk together with the cream and the chopped nougat. Place over medium heat and let it reach a soft boil.
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar and the cornstarch, previously sifted, until completely homogenized.
4. Once the milk has come to the boil, pour a little of it over the yolk mixture.
5. Whisk quickly to temper the yolks and prevent them from curdling into lumps.
6. Add the rest of the milk little by little and mixing very well each time.
7. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place over medium-low heat, stirring constantly.
8. You will notice that the texture will become thicker, but it will take a while. Patience.
9. Once the cream has a creamy texture, it is ready.
10. Pour into a bowl (the larger the better because it will cool faster).
11. Cover with cling film to prevent it from setting and let it cool completely.
12. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before using. If desired, it can be made the day before and refrigerated until the next day.

Prepare yolk pastry.

1. In a bowl mix the sugar with the cornstarch. This process helps the cornstarch to integrate better and prevents lumps from forming. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs together with the water until homogenized.
3. Pour into a saucepan through a strainer to remove the filaments that join the yolk to the egg white from the eggs.
4. Stir in the sugar and cornstarch mixture, place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, until the mixture thickens. It will take about 8-12 minutes.
5. Once the mixture begins to thicken, it will do so very quickly. As a guide, the mixture will be ready in density when it has a temperature between 199º-204ºF/93º-96ºC.
6. Remove from the heat and pour the cream into a bowl. The larger it is, the less time it will take to cool.
7. Cover with cling film and let it cool completely at room temperature. Once cooled, refrigerate for 2-3 hours before using. If you wish, you can make it the day before and refrigerate it until the next day.

Prepare syrup.

1. Add the water and sugar to a saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. The sugar should be completely dissolved.
2. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to medium heat, cook for 5 minutes and turn off the heat.
3. Add the whiskey or rum, mix to homogenize and let it cool completely.

Cut the sponge cake.

1. With the help of a cak cutter, cut the cake into three equal parts.
2. In my case, I also removed a small part of the dome to make the top as straight as possible.
3. Set aside wrapped in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.

Assemble the cake.

1. Whip the pastry cream with a whisk to soften it and put it in a piping bag. put the pastry yolk in a piping bag and set aside.
2. Place a non-slip surface on a rotating cake and a cake base on top. Pipe a small amount of pastry cream and place the first sponge cake on it.
3. Brush the surface of the cake with the syrup.
4. Pipe the nougat custard over the surface of the cake. You will have a little left over, this excess will be used to cover the sides of the cake later.
5. Smooth with the help of a pastry spatula.
6. Place the second disc of sponge cake and brush with the syrup.
   Spread the custard yolk on the surface of the second sponge cake. Smooth with a pastry spatula.
7. Finally, place the last cake and brush with the syrup.
8. Cover the sides with the excess pastry cream, smooth with a pastry spatula.
9. Decorate the side of the cake with chopped and toasted sliced almonds, in the video I leave you a trick to stick it in a simple way using half a lime, lemon or orange. Place half of the chosen fruit on the almond, which will stick to the citrus, and then place it on the side of the cake. This method is easy and accessible, in addition to making the process of covering the cake with nuts and dried fruit easier without scattering too much on the work surface (and it doesn't add flavor, don't worry).
10. If there is a hole without nuts, fill it manually.
11. With the help of a spatula, press gently to fix the almonds to the cream.
12. Refrigerate the tart while you cut the fruit.

Make pectin syrup.

1. Add  water to a saucepan and place over medium heat.
2. While it is heating, mix the sugar with the pectin.
3. When the water begins to be hot, but not boiling, add the sugar and pectin mixture, little by little, while stirring constantly with a whisk.
4. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil.
5. At this point, remove from heat.
6. Add the lemon juice, mix and pour into a glass container.
7. Allow to cool completely before using.

Cut the fruit.

1. In the video I show you several ways to cut the fruit that can serve as a guide or inspiration. Of course, you can make simpler cuts if you prefer.
2. Remember that when you cut the apple, you should drizzle it with lemon juice to prevent it from oxidizing and turning brown.

Place the fruits on the cake.

1. Decorate the top of the cake with the chopped fruit. I leave you a suggestion, but once again, you can do it the way you prefer and like the most.
2. Brush the surface of the fruit with pectin syrup, this leaves a beautiful finish, besides helping to preserve the fruit in perfect condition for longer.
3. Serve or refrigerate until ready to eat.
   

Notes

• To line the baking pan, you can grease the base and sides with butter to help the baking paper stick to it. The butter can be replaced with release spray.
• You can use a 22 cm or 24 cm baking pan, take into account this small modification for the final baking time.
• The cake is extremely tender, but the syrup gives it a moist touch. You can omit this step if you wish.
• I recommend mixing the cornstarch with the sugar before integrating it into the egg mixture. This process avoids the risk of lumps forming.
  
• Yolk pastry has a very simple process of elaboration, but it requires care and patience when we are cooking it. Do not stop stirring the cream constantly to prevent lumps from forming or to prevent part of the cream from sticking to the base, which would spoil the final texture and flavor. Maintain a medium low temperature during the whole process.
• I recommend using toasted almonds, you can toast them at home, to add more flavor and aroma to the final result. There is a big difference in this step.
• You can decorate the cake with the fruits you like the most, this step is totally optional and can be adjusted to your personal taste.
• If the pectin syrup gels too much, you can give it a light heat in the microwave to lighten it.
• Once the cake is finished and assembled, it can be kept for 2-3 days refrigerated.
  

Archivado en

• Almonds
• Nougat
• Pastry cream
• Yolk pastry cream