Cake #29 - "Smiley"

Friends First Friday Cake - "Smiley", Almond Cake with Vanilla Creme and Fresh Berries

A computer scientist called Scott Fahlman invented the :-) emoticon 19 September, 1982. In social media emoticons seem to be equally loved <3 and hated >:(. They can be used in a funny :D way, or, you know, in a funny ;) way... An emoticon in a wrong place at a wrong time can lead into a disaster :(. And at this point I am not even talking about emails -  business ;) or pleasure :p. 

I would love ;) to see people showing their feelings more openly - which is not easy because one has to be tactful, too, how to express their feelings.

I would love to see people showing their feelings more openly - which is not easy because one has to be tactful, too, how to express their feelings.

Feelings can never be accurate and exact but there is one thing for sure. If you are hungry, eat first and then reconsider. How much they try to convince us that wifi is nowadays the most important human need, you would not even be able to type a smiley on Facebook without a good piece of cake! :D

Almond Cake with Vanilla Creme and Fresh Berries

Base

2 eggs

100 ml caster sugar

80 g ground almonds

50 ml cornflour

1 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 175C / 350F and grease and flour a Ø 23 cm springform cake pan.

2. Beat eggs and sugar until white and fluffy.

3. Fold in dry ingredients.

4. Pour into pan and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

5. Let cool completely before decorating.

Topping

Vanilla Creme

400 ml milk

3 tbsp sugar

2 egg yolks

2 tbsp corn flour

3 tsp vanilla sugar or 2 tsp vanilla extract

2 egg whites, whipped until stiff

400 g fresh berries

1 gelatine leaf

100 ml raspberry juice

1. Mix all ingredients together except vanilla in a saucepan.

2. Heat over medium heat until the mixture thickens but does not boil.

3. Let cool down and add vanilla sugar/extract.

4. When the creme is cool, fold in the whipped egg whites.

5. Soak the gelatine leaf and melt in hot raspberry juice. Put in fridge to set a little - not too much as you need to be able to brush it on top of the berries.

To compile the cake

1. Place the base inside the springform frame straight on your serving plate.

2. Pour the vanilla creme on the base.

3. Place the berries on top  - you don't have to ;) make a smiley of them.

4. Brush the berries with the juice and gelatine leaf mixture and let set in the fridge for an hour.

5. Send all your friends a message with lots of  :)'s  and <3's, We all deserve some true emoti(c)ons every now and then.