Punch Cake – Punschtorte

Instructions

Prepare sponge cakes.

1. In the bowl of the KitchenAid, add the egg yolks and 75 g of sugar. Whisk at medium-high speed until a whitish color and a creamy texture is achieved, you will notice that it increases in volume.
2. Add the butter and whisk again until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.
3. Begin to incorporate the flour, little by little. We will integrate while mixing at speed 1.
4. Add baking powder together with salt and mix.
5. Finally, add cornstarch. We will do it in the same way, little by little and mixing at the same time.
6. Once everything is integrated, set aside.

Whip meringue.

1. In another bowl, add the egg whites and begin to whip. Once it begins to foam, add the sugar (the remaining 75 g).
2. Whip with the whisk at medium-high speed until the meringue is firm, a little more soft peaks, but not dry. In other words, do not over whip the meringue until it is very stiff.

Add the meringue to the egg yolk mixture.

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

Pour the batter in molds and bake.

1. Preheat the oven to 355ºF/180ºC, with heat up and down.
2. We will have two molds prepared and lined with baking paper; a rectangular one of 25 x 18 x 2.8 cm and a round one of 15 cm in diameter.
3. Pour 285 g into the rectangular mold. To achieve a smooth and uniform surface, we will help ourselves with a scraper.
4. The remaining 355 g are poured into the round pan.
5. Bake the rectangular mold for 12 minutes and the round mold for 24 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven, allow to cool and unmold.
7. Place on a wire rack and let cool completely.
8. At this point we can prepare to assemble the cake or, if we have little time, wrap well in film and reserve at room temperature. If it is very hot, it is better to keep it in the refrigerator.
9. NOTE: The final amount of batter may vary a little, this will depend on the size and weight of the eggs.

Prepare syrup.

1. In a saucepan, add the juice together with the rum, sugar, citrus zest and coloring.
   Mix very well.
2. Place over medium heat and let it come to a gentle boil, set aside while preparing the cakes to assemble the cake.

Cut sponge cakes and assemble the cake.

1. With the help of a 15 cm disc/cake base, cut 2 circles in the rectangular sponge cake. It is very likely that you will not be able to cut 2 perfect circles, in the video I show you how to cut the second circle using the sides of the cake.
2. Place the cake base inside the round cake pan and line the sides with acetate. This will help to keep the cake in perfect condition, as well as help to unmold it very well.
3. Cover the other cake disc with cling film.
4. With the help of a serrated knife, cut the round cake into cubes. If they are too large, we can cut them or cut them in half.
5. Incorporate the sponge cake cubes in a bowl, if we wish, we can incorporate the excess of the sponge cake sheet. Or we can eat it.... Because it is very good.
6. If we wish, we can add a few raisins or candied cherries cut into small pieces. We can also omit this step without any problem.
7. Pour the syrup over the sponge cake, do not worry if some pieces are not impregnated. The cut of the cake looks very nice when there are different shades of color.
8. Stir gently with a silicone spatula.
9. Generously brush the base of the sponge cake inside the mold with slightly warm apricot jam. When the jam is heated, it liquefies and helps the brushing process.
10. Fill the mold with the pieces of sponge cake soaked in syrup. At the same time that we are filling, we will press gently to compact the pieces and avoid gaps.
11. When we have placed about half of the filling, brush the surface of the moistened sponge cake pieces with apricot jam.
12. Finish filling the mold with the rest of the sponge cake.
13. Press the surface to equalize and compact the filling.
14. Brush the other disc of sponge cake, on the golden side, with warm apricot jam. By brushing the golden brown side, we make the cut more attractive. Although in this case it is not very noticeable.... Maybe it's just me, hahaha.
15. Place this cake, with the jam face down, and press to even the surface.
16. Line with film, touching the cake to prevent it from drying out, and place a little weight on the surface (the weight must be distributed identically over the entire surface). In this way we favor that when we unmold it, it will be level.
17. Refrigerate until next day or a minimum of 12 hours.

Unmold and brush a new layer of jam.

1. The next day, unmold the cake and remove the acetate.
2. Generously brush the top of the cake with warm apricot jam.
3. Replace the acetate and refrigerate for 1 hour. This will help the jam to harden a little and prevent it from mixing with the liquid fondant when it is spread on the surface.

Prepare liquid fondant.

1. Leave a medium pot with boiling water ready so that, in case the temperature of the fondant is reduced, we can raise it while we work. In my case I did not need to use it, but it never hurts to leave everything prepared in case it is necessary.
2. Sift the powdered sugar in a heat resistant bowl. In case it is necessary to reheat the liquid fondant in a bain-marie later. Set aside.
3. In a saucepan add the water together with the Corn Syrup and the glycerin. Place over medium heat and let it reach 131ºF/55ºC, the mixture should not boil in any case.
4. Remove from the heat and add the coloring in paste or liquid and dissolve.
5. Pour the mixture over the powdered sugar and mix until a homogeneous and uniform mixture is obtained.

Cover the cake with liquid fondant.

1. Pour a little fondant over the surface of the cake, just enough to cover the top.
2. Let dry at room temperature for 2 hours.
3. Cover the excess liquid fondant with cling film. It will liquefy after two hours, but we can beat again to achieve a homogeneous mixture.

Finish decorating the cake.

1. Once the fondant has dried, carefully remove the acetate.
2. If the edges are uneven, with the help of a pastry spatula (or a round-tipped knife, if not), even them out.
3. Beat the liquid fondant to homogenize it and put it in a piping bag with a nozzle.
4. Decorate the surface as you like. Traditionally a lattice is usually made, but in my case I was inspired by the wonderful creations of
5. Maja Chocolat.
6. If desired, decorate with sprinkles, metallic powder coloring and edible flowers. This step is completely optional, you can decorate the cake as you like.
7. Let dry for 30 minutes and serve. At this point, we can refrigerate and keep it there until serving time. In the notes section I detail how to store it to prevent it from drying out.
   

Notes

• To line the molds, we can grease the base and sides with butter to help the baking paper adhere. The butter can be replaced with release spray.
• To weigh the amount of batter to be poured into each mold, place the digital scale under the mold.
• The acetate helps the cake to keep the perfect shape and, in case of using liquid or moist ingredients, to stay in place. It also favors a perfect unmolding.
• Sultanas or candied cherries can be omitted.
• Some recipes contain cocoa powder or chocolate in the syrupy sponge pieces of the filling, in my case I decided to make the format that does not contain it. I find it much more attractive and visually beautiful.
• If we do not want to use rum to make the syrup, we can omit it and use more orange juice instead.
  
• If we do not have pink coloring, we can use syrup from candied cherries.
• Traditionally, orange and rum syrup has more sugar. I decided to reduce it because it seemed too much. Besides, they incorporate the marmalade in it. I also decided to omit this step and, instead, brush half of the filling with marmalade. I find the result, made in the traditional way, to be extremely sweet.
• We must let the apricot jam dry/harden before spreading the fondant on the surface. The reason is that, if we do it right away, both elements will mix and the result will not be as expected.
• We cannot touch up the fondant, the surface, once it has been spread. As it begins to dry, the surface dries quickly, cracks or ripples will be created.
• Top decoration, in some cases (such as versions containing chocolate) is usually decorated with chocolate lines instead of liquid fondant.
• To preserve this cake and prevent it from drying out, line the entire outside with baking paper. The fondant will keep the surface very fresh, but the sides are exposed and must be covered. When cutting portions, in case the whole cake is not consumed, remember to cover all the sides with baking paper.
• If we decide to cover the entire cake with liquid fondant, in this case, we will only cover the cut area with baking paper. If you decide to cover the entire cake with fondant, remember that you must also cover the entire outside with apricot jam beforehand.
• It keeps moist, tender and in perfect condition for 5-6 days, always refrigerated.
  

Archivado en

• Apricot
• Breakfast
• Orange
• Rum