Sunday 6 February 2011

Strawberry Bon Bon Pink Cake

Too 'girly' for the guys ?
A strawberry flavoured, tangy meringue shell, hiding soft pink cake with a pink marshmallow centre. This is probably on the trend towards Barbie Pink not Strawberry Red and dare I say it, would make a good cup cake, there I've said it ! However, as far as taste and texture go; it's a keeper.



Strawberry Bon Bon Pink Cake which is pink and not red ? Well, in my current sweet/candy experimental recipe phase, this is a flavour known to many people as 'pink'. It may say strawberry on the packet but if you shut your eyes, it's never strawberry but it's sort of like it and you've had it on ice cream and other candy.......


Strawberry Bon Bons courtesy of Tudor Sweets of Ross (Online)

But where is the  Sherbert Lemon Candy Cake ? It's still in design mode due to complications with the icing so I've stepped ahead to this sweetie. In the UK, we have a sweet called Strawberry Bon Bons; slightly tangy on the outside with a chewy middle. Inspiration but  a cake with a chewy middle? Too many of those have been made in the past, so I've settled for a soft marshmallow centre. My favourite ingredient for this cake is the outside tangy flavour. This is produced by Kali, the name of a coloured candy sherbert or sherbet (not the pudding or any other variation on water ice).  It's similar to sour candies but often has a flavouring too. In our old fashioned sweet shops it's sold in jars of many colours or you can buy online. It's great on ice-cream too and cookies and biscuits, I digress, on with the recipe;



A large, very delicious, strawberry Bon Bon Cake



Ingredients:

Cake:

8oz (225g) Butter
8oz (225g) Caster sugar
4 Large eggs
2 Egg yolks

8oz (225g) Self raising four
Few drops of red food colouring


Marshmallow Centre:

 1tbsp Icing sugar
 2 tsp  Butter
6oz (170g) Marshmallows or recipe ( James Martin UK )
Few drops of red and strawberry flavouring if desired

Strawberry Meringue Frosting:

2 Egg whites
15oz (425g) caster or granulated sugar
3 ½ fl oz (100ml) water
2 tbsp Strawberry Syrup mixed with a few drops of red food colouring

Method:

Preheat oven 140c/120c Fan/300F/Gas Mark 2

Grease 2 sandwich cake and/or muffin tins; add greaseproof paper at the bottom as well. This mixture makes 1 cake plus three 'tasting' muffins.

Cream the sugar and butter together. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well. Sift and then fold in half the flour. Add the eggs yolks  and the food colouring. Fold in the rest of the sifted flour . Put equal quantities into cake tins and/or muffin tins place in oven.

Check after 20 minutes. I didn’t want the top to brown too much to detract from the pink colour so I baked this at a lower temperature. Remember; cook until risen and a skewer comes cleanly out. Allow to cool.

Remove very top edge if you want a really pink effect.

Melt marshmallows gently in the microwave or double boiler. Mix butter and icing sugar together and add a few drops of strawberry flavouring. Mix thoroughly into the melted marshmallows and add more colour if desired. Spread on one cake half, just in the centre, it will spread slightly out and then place the other cake half on top. Put into fridge until mallow has reset.

For the meringue frosting, sort the colouring and flavouring out first. This mixture sets pretty quickly and you won’t have time to suddenly look for things. Place sugar and water in a heavy based saucepan and allow water to start to dissolve the sugar. In another bowl whisk both egg whites until stiff. Heat the sugar and water syrup until 240°, or to the soft-ball stage. Pour the syrup slowly into the egg whites whisking all the time. The mixture will start to thicken. Whisk a few drops of the coloured strawberry mix at a time until the desired shade is acquired. Spread the icing, covering the whole of the cake. Sprinkle liberally with Kali or your coloured sugar.

The Kali Sparkle and Tang!









34 comments:

  1. Pink is not my favorite color, but boy does this cake look scrumptious! Thank you for sharing :)

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  2. I know what you mean, my son was pretty disgusted with this colour but he still managed to eat it! :-)

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  3. I think that's every little girl's dream birthday cake!! Maybe even mine... you're never too old to love pink :)

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  4. Thanks for stopping by my site - this is my first visit to your site and I love it! Make room for me....for I shall now be a frequent visitor!

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  5. It's so pink I love it, and sparkly too! The meringue frosting is genius, it makes me want to try a smaller version(cupcake sshhh) for Valentines Day!!

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  6. I think it could be a little bit too girly for some guys - check your inner John Wayne for pointers http://uk.askmen.com/dating/curtsmith_150/155_dating_advice.html

    On a more serious note maybe I will keep this for Pink Friday fundraisers on breast cancer awareness month in October http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/media-centre/breast-cancer-awareness-month/pink-fridays/

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  7. I love pink, food, clothes,etc., it doesn't matter, so I would love your pink cake. Perfect for a tea!

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  8. This is my kind of cake. What a beautiful color. I think this would be perfect for my daughters pretty princess birthday party.(not until October though) Have a great day Pauline!

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  9. Adorable Cake! It's so Pink and mouthwatering ! ^_^

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  10. I love how pink this is. I'm especially interested in the strawberry meringue!

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  11. Delightful looking! I'm envious of bakers like you who can create such lovely concoctions, seemingly so effortlessly. You know, I have a bridal shower to host next month, and pink is her favorite color!

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  12. This cake looks delicious! I love the color too!

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  13. Thank you for all your positive pink comments!@ Rosemary, thanks but I have an outtakes page and a freezer full of trifle sponge for those that didn't make it...

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  14. I wish my cakes were as pretty as yours. The pink of this cake is so inviting and sweet, I just want to nibble on the whole thing!

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  15. Wow, what a cake! Love hearing about the different sweets and bon bons you have in the UK.

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  16. What a beautiful, decadent, multi-faceted cake! Wonderful!!!

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  17. My husband and son would hate this but I would gobble it up. Maybe I'll need to make this for the next gals get together ;)

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  18. Mmmm strawberry bon bons. Love all the different textures throughout.

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  19. So much pink...I love it! Beautiful cake.

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  20. I'd like to passing an award for U, check at:
    http://c1tr4sinau.blogspot.com/2011/02/bolu-coklat-kukus-bentuk-hati-steamed.html
    Hope U'll like it
    ~C1tr4~

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  21. Thank you for kind comments and to you Citra. maybe something butch for the guys next, like Cactus Cake ?

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  22. So delicate and beautiful. Perfect for V-Day!

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  23. Looks so moist and elegant! Thanks for stopping by my site and leaving your sweet comment. Happy baking!

    http://treatntrick.blogspot.com

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  24. What a gorgeous cake! Love the color, sounds amazing!

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  25. Oh MY!! I don't normally go for cakes (love a good cookie!), but this one has me really, really wanting it. I've copied the recipe and just may give it a go this weekend. Thanks for this!

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  26. I simply love the look of this cake! It's festive and PINK! My daughter is a huge fan of the color and the flavor of strawberry... I think I'll know which way to go the next time she desires to have her girlfriends over. I'm passing a STYLISH BLOGGER AWARD to you! Go here for details http://bit.ly/i5cUlV
    Best, Brooks

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  27. thank you for these pink moments...i love baking and it's a delight to befriend you...

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  28. What a treat for the eyes! I'm sure the cake was devoured instantly. Lovely color - makes me want my own strawberry cake now. Thanks for sharing.

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  29. Quick question what is the strawberry syrup you use? I am tempted to try and make this for cake club as it's a sweet themed night.

    Thanks :)

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    1. Hi, for this cake I used Crusha milkshake syrup - Strawberry flavour for a 'pink' sweetie taste as opposed to a true strawberry taste ;-) hope that makes sense. Strangely enough I've just made a raspberry cake for my next post with Raspberry Crusha which has truer flavour. The other artificial strawberry flavouring I use is a LorAnn you can buy from ebay or the Cake Decorating Company - http://www.thecakedecoratingcompany.co.uk/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=lorann&x=0&y=0. I buy Crusha from Waitrose, Ocado and the Co-op.
      Hope it turns out well, sounds like a great event!

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  30. Thank you very much, that is what I was thinking about, much appreciate I'll let you know how it goes.

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