STRAWBERRY BLITZ TORTE

I love strawberries. I eat them out of hand, make pies and jams with them, macerate them, even grill and pepper them. So, imagine my delight at finding myself knee-deep in Pete Ambrose’s organic strawberry patch on Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina, where he’s been harvesting the luscious berries since January. Together we worked our way up a few rows, quietly chatting and plucking until I had plenty to take home. This sweet, many-splendored cake is nice way to feature strawberries for your dearest. It’s actually a vintage blitz torte recipe, made extra special by the berries and whipped cream topper. Happy Valentines Day!

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE BLITZ TORTE

• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 2 tsp Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste (substitute vanilla extract if need be)
• 3 Tbsp whole milk

FOR THE VANILLA PASTRY CREAM

• 3 Tbsp cake flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste (substitute vanilla extract if need be)
• 1/2 stick butter

FOR THE STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM

• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 1 sheet silver strength gelatin
• 6 tsp cold water
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup superfine sugar

FOR THE STRAWBERRY TOPPER

• 4 cups, hulled and sliced right before service

INSTRUCTIONS
MAKE CAKE Sift cake flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside. In bowl of a stand mixer, whip butter and 1/2 cup of the sugar until fluffy. Add the four egg yolks and vanilla paste and beat at medium speed until incorporated. Add milk and beat again. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix just until no streaks show. Grease two 9-inch baking pans and insert rounds of parchment paper in the bottoms. Spread cake batter (it will be stiff) into the pans. Set aside. In bowl of stand mixer, whip egg whites until foamy; gradually add the remaining 3/4 cups of sugar, and continue to whip until stiff and glossy. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set rack in the center of the oven. Spread meringue over the unbaked cake batter in the pans. Place pans on oven rack and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. While cake layers bake, make whipped cream and pastry cream.

MAKE PASTRY CREAM In a double boiler over boiling water, combine flour, sugar, salt, milk, and beaten egg and whisk until thick. Stir in vanilla paste and butter. Remove pastry cream to a bowl and press plastic wrap over surface of pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate.

MAKE STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM Chill mixer bowl and whisk attachment. Cut gelatin sheet and place with gelatin powder over cold water. Allow to stand until thick. In a small pan over low heat, melt gelatin, stirring constantly. Remove to a bowl and let stand. Remove 1/4 cup of the cream to a separate bowl. In chilled bowl of stand mixer, whip remaining 1-3/4 cups cream with superfine sugar until soft peaks form. Stir the reserved 1/4 cup of cream into the warm liquid gelatin and immediately pour into the soft-peaked whipped cream; continue whipping until cream is whipped firm.

ASSEMBLE CAKE When ready to serve, place one layer of cake on serving platter, spread with pastry cream, and top with remaining cake layer. Top with most of the whipped cream. Arrange sliced fresh strawberries on top of cloud of cream. Serve remaining cream and any extra strawberries with slices of the cake.