Our Family’s Traditional Birthday Cake

This is the birthday cake that I prepare for all the birthdays in our family. It grew out of the distant memory of the birthday cakes that my mother used to prepare for my birthdays, so long ago. Since my birthday often takes place during the week of Passover, the original cake was made with a Passover sponge cake base. I use a basic torte recipe for the base – and once the topping is on, the taste and visual result is just about identical to the original cake of my childhood. I solve the Passover issue by celebrating the April birthdays (Yaron’s and mine) either before Passover or after. That way I can always use this easy-to-prepare and always successful cake base.

It is an absolute must to prepare this cake at least one day in advance of serving – this allows the whipped cream and raspberries to moisten the cake – and the result is delicious. After preparation, the cake should be stored, covered, in a big-enough plastic box, or covered carefully with foil so that the foil does not touch the whipped cream topping. Once the whipped cream is on the top and sides of the cake you cannot re-place the sides of the pan used in baking – so make sure in advance that you have a big enough box in which to refrigerate the cake.

I always decorate the cake with fresh strawberries which I place on the cake just before serving.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 

Ingredients:

For cake base:

• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 Tablespoons canola or corn oil
• 1/2 cup milk

For filling and topping:

• a few Tablespoons of milk to sprinkle on cake layers
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• frozen raspberries, slightly defrosted
• strawberries for decoration

Preparation:

Preparing the filling and topping:

1. Partially defrost about half – or more – box of frozen raspberries.
2. Prepare whipped cream using two cups of whipping cream – beat cream, and slowly add 1/2 cup of sugar, beating till cream is  quite stiff.
3. Sprinkle a few spoons of milk on the bottom layer of cake.  On that carefully and evenly place all the raspberries, including most of the syrup (leave some of the syrup for the top layer).
4. On the raspberries evenly spoon and spread about a third of the whipped cream. Make sure it is spread evenly all around.
5. On that, place the second cake layer.
6. Sprinkle remaining raspberry syrup and a few more spoonfuls of milk, evenly around the cake layer.
7. On that, and on sides of the cake, evenly spread the remaining whipped cream. If you want to pipe out the whipped cream in a decorative pattern, spread only a little cream on top of cake, to cover cake. Then put rest of whipped cream in pastry bag with decorative tip, and pipe out cream.

Preparing the cake:

1. In large clean mixer bowl beat the three egg whites. When they begin to get frothy, slowly add half of the sugar (1/2 cup), beating till egg whites are stiff.
2. In another mixer bowl, ,put the three egg yolks, and add the other half of the sugar (1/2 cup). Using the same beater which you used to beat the egg whites, beat the yolks and sugar till light and creamy.
3. Add the oil and vanilla, and beat.
4. Add the milk and then the self-rising flour, beating only till well incorporated.
5. With large spatula or spoon,  carefully fold the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture, mixing till the mixtures are completely incorporated with each other.
6. Grease detachable baking pan (24 or 26 cm / approx. 9 1/2 or 10 1/2 inches), and pour in the batter.
7. Bake in a low-medium oven (about 165 C or 330 F). It is advisable NOT to preheat oven. For this cake, I usually turn on the oven only about 5 minutes before putting in the cake. This method helps cake to rise and bake slowly, so there is less of a chance of it sinking.  Bake about 45 minutes, or till a nice deep golden brown color, and firm in center when you touch the top.
8. After turning off oven, let cake cool slowly in oven, with door partially opened.
9. When completely cooled, cut cake carefully into two even layers with serrated knife.
10. Place cake in big plastic box closed with cover, and put in refrigerator overnight.
11. Before serving, decorate top of cake with strawberries. I usually slice them or halve them, depending on size of the strawberries.

TIP: After so many years of preparing this cake, I only recently discovered that it freezes beautifully. When I freeze it, I first place it in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight, and only THEN place it covered in the same plastic box in the freezer.  Like I do with icecream in the freezer, I wrap the box with a plastic bag.

If you have frozen the cake, remove from freezer  several hours before serving, and allow to defrost slowly and COMPLETELY in the refrigerator.