ALGAE COOKING CLUB X GHIA STRAWBERRY CAKE

Using Algae Cooking Club’s algae oil instead of butter in the cake batter creates a soft, tender crumb that stays moist for days, and cooking the strawberries in Ghia Berry Apéritif results in a deliciously bright, tart, summery compote!

SUMMER STRAWBERRY CAKE

Ingredients: (makes two layers; for three layers, double the recipe):

For the cake:

• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup milk, room temp
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• ¾ cup neutral oil
• 3 tsp vanilla bean paste

For the compote:

• 1 pound strawberries, halved
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp Ghia Berry Apéritif (or replace with 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp chamomile simple syrup)
• 1 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tsp water

For the whipped cream:

• 1 cup (8 oz) mascarpone cheese, cold
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease two 9-inch cake pans with oil. Line bottoms with parchment paper rounds.
2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
3. Add milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla bean paste. Stir until a batter forms and there are no more lumps; do not overmix.
4. Divide the batter evenly between cake pans and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.
5. While cakes are cooling, make your compote: combine chopped strawberries, sugar, and Ghia apéritif to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until strawberries are starting to fall apart and the mixture is thickening (around 5 to 10 minutes).
6. The mixture will continue to thicken as it cools, but if you want it to be even thicker, mix cornstarch and water until it forms a paste and stir into compote until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool completely before using.
7. To make the whipped cream, in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, whip mascarpone cheese with granulated sugar and vanilla bean paste, then add heavy cream. Continue whipping until soft peaks start to form, then use a whisk and finish whipping by hand until you reach a desired consistency. This is because the whipped cream will continue to stiffen and eventually curdle as you pipe or spread it on the cake, so you want to manipulate it as precisely, slowly, and little as possible once it reaches soft peaks.
8. Assemble the cake by adding whipped cream to the bottom layer, then a helping of compote, and topping with the second cake layer. Add more cream, compote, and fresh fruit as desired. Enjoy!