Pistachio-Raspberry Cake

How to Make a 16-cm-Diameter Pistachio Sponge Cake (3 Layers) I add three eggs (weighing 140 g) to the mixer bowl, along with a pinch of salt, and beat them briefly with the mixer until foamy Then I add 100 g of sugar and vanilla sugar, and beat for about 10 minutes on high speed until a fluffy, stable mixture forms Meanwhile, I mix the pistachio paste with warm milk and add it to the whipped eggs On low speed, I fold everything together and add a single drop of green food coloring (optional)—this gives the sponge cake a more pistachio-green color Next, I mix the flour with the baking powder and add it to the beaten eggs in two batches, gently folding it in with a spatula, then stir in 25 g of chopped, toasted pistachios. Carefully pour the batter into the pan I’ll be using to bake the sponge cake. Bake in a preheated oven at 165° Celsius for 40 minutes. I let the sponge cake cool slightly, remove it from the ring, wrap it in plastic wrap, and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, I slice the sponge cake into 3 layers, and then I’m ready to assemble the cake.

Pistachio Cheesecake, 16 cm in diameter. To the Philadelphia cream cheese, I add 1 egg, heavy cream, and powdered sugar; I mix until smooth, then add pistachio paste and cornstarch, blend with an immersion blender, and pour into a pan; place it in a preheated oven to bake at 120° Celsius for one hour. After baking, I turn off the oven but don’t remove the cheesecake right away; I let it sit in the oven for a while, only then do I take it out, let it cool to room temperature, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator to set overnight; the next day, I remove the cheesecake from the ring

Berry mousse, 15–16 cm in diameter. I add thick, hot, concentrated strawberry-raspberry puree to the white chocolate; I made this puree myself by taking frozen strawberries and raspberries, simmering them over low heat for about 20 minutes, and then pureeing them with an immersion blender. You can strain the puree through a sieve to remove the seeds, or you can skip this step. The chocolate melts from the heat of the puree; I blend the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. I pour 25 g of cold water over 5 g of gelatin, let it soak for a while, then melt it in a double boiler or in the microwave—but I don’t let it come to a boil—and add it to the chocolate and puree mixture. In a separate bowl, I whip the cold heavy cream to soft peaks with a mixer, combine the whipped cream with the chocolate mixture, and pour it into a mold that I’ve lined with plastic wrap at the bottom. I leave the mousse in the refrigerator to set for at least 4 hours, or up to overnight

Raspberry-Strawberry Cake Filling I pour the unsweetened berry puree I made myself into a saucepan; you can read about how to make it in the previous step I add sugar and cornstarch to the berry puree, mix it all together, and keep it on the heat, stirring constantly until it thickens—this may take 4–6 minutes. I transfer the finished filling to a pastry bag or another container, cover it with plastic wrap, and leave it in the refrigerator to set for at least 4 hours or up to overnight

Pistachio Cream for a Cake I add Philadelphia cream cheese to a bowl—you can also use mascarpone—then add powdered sugar, pistachio paste, and beat with a mixer on medium speed until fully combined. Add a little cold heavy cream and mix again until combined. The cream is now ready; transfer it to a pastry bag, and it’s ready to use right away.

Filling for Cakes I pour 80 g of hot boiled water over 20 g of condensed milk, stir until dissolved, let it cool completely, and then use it

Assembling the cake I place the sponge cake as the first layer, soak it, spread pistachio cream on top, smooth out the cream, spread the berry mousse, then spread a thin layer of pistachio cream over the mousse, and cover it with the next sponge cake layer, soak the sponge cake, spread pistachio cream on it, and layer the pistachio cheesecake. On top of the pistachio cheesecake, I spread the strawberry-raspberry filling, add a little more cream, cover with the final sponge cake layer, soak it and spread a thin layer of pistachio cream on top, wrap the finished cake in plastic wrap or acetate film, place it in a ring mold, and leave it in the refrigerator overnight to set

Decorating the Cake For the final layer on the cake, I make a white chocolate and buttercream frosting I melted 200 g of white chocolate in the microwave in short bursts; it took me about 40 seconds to melt the chocolate to 33 °C I took the chocolate out every 15 seconds and stirred it; with each stir, it became thinner. Then I added 100 g of room-temperature butter to the chocolate; At this point, you can add food coloring in the shade of your choice. I start whipping the cream with a mixer; if it’s too runny, place the cream in the freezer for 5 minutes, then take it out and whip it until it’s light and fluffy, so the cream turns out thick and fluffy. Spread this frosting over the cake; the frosting sets quickly on a cold cake, so if you want to decorate the cake with fresh raspberries, do it quickly before the frosting hardens.