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





Text Only Printable Recipe

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  Butter6oz (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!