Sunday 19 September 2010

Blackberry panna cotta birthday cake



Since he saw me make it for the CCM back in May, my nephew (The Boy Wonder) had only one request for his birthday cake – a
panna cotta filled sponge … but with a twist; the panna cotta had to be blackberry.


The
recipe and method is the same as the cake I made in May but with added blackberries (200g punnet of blackberries pureed and sieved, then heated until reduced by half to make a thick syrup with intense flavour; add sugar to taste – I added 2 tablespoons). I made the panna cotta as usual then added the blackberry syrup just after whisking in the gelatine.


The idea with this cake is that you carve out the sponge to make a bowl and then fill it with panna cotta – it’s simpler than it sounds (as you will see if you click on the link to the method, given above).
From the outside, the cake doesn't look all that, but I think this photo gives you a visual idea of the magic within:


Now you might be thinking that this would be a nightmare to cut but – surprisingly – it isn’t and you can get beautifully crisp slices:


The colour of the panna cotta was a delicate lilac and the fruitiness worked very well.
At first I thought I hadn’t added enough fruit to the panna cotta as the initial taste was creamy and rich; then the fruit came through and was unmistakable. I’ve tried to capture how the sponge turned lilac as it soaked up the panna cotta before it set:


Happy birthday Boy Wonder!


18 comments:

Caroline said...

Oh yum! Lucky, lucky Boy Wonder! I hope he enjoyed his birthday cake, it certainly looks amazing - blackberries are such a lovely fruit and give everything such a good colour!

Scarlett said...

Wow-this looks amazing!!

Maggie said...

Boy Wonder has very sophisticated taste buds CC.
This cake is not only seasonal but a feast for the eyes.

Choclette said...

Never mind Boy Wonder, you're the wonder - fantastic cake.

Rhyleysgranny said...

Wow how fabulous is that. Love it. pass me a wee slice please :)

Patty O. said...

Wow, I think I just drooled on my keyboard. This combines my two favorite desserts into one. I think I shall have to make, and devour it, soon.

cocoa and coconut said...

Fantastic looking cake! The texture looks just delightful. I would opt for a shovel, rather than a fork thank you ;D

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

I am on holiday in Cyprus just now, so I am not spending time visiting blogs, but when I saw this on my blog list, I just had to visit. Wow, it looks amazing. I would pick that too! Good choice. Would have to use a veggie setting agent of course, but yum! Happy birthday to Boy Wonder :)

Sam said...

Wow, that is an amazing looking cake!

Maria♥ said...

Oh my, this looks so lush!

Maria
x

Cakelaw said...

Yummo! What a fab cake. This is definitely one ot bear in mind for a special occasion.

Mary Bergfeld said...

What a lovely creation. I think you've just made 13 a lucky number. I'm rather new here and I want to let you know how much I enjoy the food and recipes you share with us. I keep coming back for more. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

freerangegirl said...

Caked Crusader you are truly a cake hero! This looks so delicious. I hope Boy Wonder knows how lucky he is!

Katie said...

Yum that looks divine! I love how much creamy filling there is and the streaks of blackberry are so pretty.

Anonymous said...

NOM doesn't really do those pictures justice!

Baking Addict said...

Wow the cake looks absolutely stunning. I love the colour of the berries. Happy Belated Birthday Boy Wonder!

My Taste Heaven said...

lovely cake!

coco cooks said...

The childs(or shall I say young man now) are getting quite spohisticated. Beautiful cake!