whipped cream cake- soft airy and cloud-like!

I am totally enjoying having my mom here. Whenever I am with her I hardly even enter the kitchen and happily relax and enjoy her delicious cooking. Everything -even things that I make all the time like dal and even coffee tastes better when mom makes it for me. Mothers have some extra special kaipunyam or magic touch, don't you think?
But I am always game to make the dessert so when she said she felt like eating cake, I happily obliged with this treasure from Rose Levy Beranbaum who is considered the Queen of cakes. This cake is apparently one of her most popular and with good reason. It is tender, airy and cloud-like. Perfect as a simple tea cake or as a layer cake underneath oodles of frosting and it is my current and absolute favourite- a definite must try for all cake lovers! 

Here is a close up shot so you can see how tender it is! Similar to an angel food cake in texture but minus all those eggs and so much easier to make! 

The main fat comes from heavy whipping cream and not butter. Yes you read that right, this unusual cake contains no butter, instead using cream. I am dying to buy a carton of cream and make this again with some simple whipped cream frosting or my favourite chocolate nutella ganache frosting with the leftover cream, or maybe slathered in some dulce de leche , or with some juicy fruit? Mmmm the possibilities! Since we practically inhaled this cake though, you can guess that it's pretty awesome on its own! 

Whipped Cream Cake

Recipe Source: Adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum here  as well as from Butteryum here 

Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 25-35 mins to bake Total time: 1 hour Yield: serves 8-10

Ingredients: 

• Cake Flour or bleached all-purpose flour ( I used bleached all-purpose flour), sifted:2 1/4 cups/8 ounces/225 grams 
• Baking powder:2 teaspoons
• Salt :3/4 teaspoon
• Heavy cream, cold :1 1/2 cups/12.3 ounces/348 grams
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature : (1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons/5.3 ounces/150 grams)
• Pure vanilla extract:1 teaspoon
• Superfine sugar:1 cup plus 2 tablespoons/8 ounces/225 grams ( I just put regular sugar in my blender and ground until fine) 

Special Equipment - One 10-cup fluted metal tube pan, greased and floured

(or you could make cupcakes instead, in which case use a regular cupcake pan greased or lined and bake for 20 mins)

Instructions:

Preheat the Oven - Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C (350°F/175°C if using a dark pan).

Mix the Dry Ingredients - In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt and then sift them together a couple of times to make the mixture easier to incorporate.

Mix the Liquid Ingredients - In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk beater or with a hand held electric beater, whip the cream, starting on low speed, gradually raising the speed to medium-high as it thickens, until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised.

In a small bowl or mug, whisk the eggs and vanilla with a fork or whisk just until lightly combined.
On medium-high speed, gradually beat the egg mixture into the whipped cream in the mixer
The mixture will thicken into a mayonnaise like consistency (unless high-butterfat cream is used).
Gradually beat in the sugar. It should take about 30 seconds to incorporate it.

Make the Batter - Add half the flour mixture to the cream mixture and, with a large spatula, stir and fold in the flour until most of it disappears.
Add the rest of the flour mixture and continue folding and mixing until all traces of flour have disappeared. Using a spatula or spoon, scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
Run a small metal spatula or dull knife blade through the batter to prevent large air bubbles, avoiding the bottom of the pan. Smooth the surface evenly with a small metal spatula.

Bake the Cake - Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted between the tube and the side comes out completely clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center.
The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from the oven and should have a golden, well browned crust.

Cool and Unmold the Cake - Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. With a small metal spatula or blunt butter knife, loosen the top edges of the cake and invert the cake onto a wire rack that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Cool completely. 

Rose suggests serving the cake as is, or with a light dusting of powdered sugar or a large dollop of lightly sweetened Whipped Cream. I think it would be great with some lemon curd or a topping of  some poached or caramelized fruit, ice cream  or roasted strawberries and perfectly heavenly with some chocolate or nutella ganache frosting!

Notes: I baked this in a bundt as well as in cupcake tins. I have not tried baking this is a regular round cake tin, but mean to try soon. If any of you do, please let me know.

Butteryum points out to not chill the bowl and beaters for the heavy cream because the eggs will not emulsify as readily if the whipped cream is too cold.

Rose suggests that High-butterfat (40 percent) heavy cream produces a finer, more tender crumb. This cream is generally available only to bakeries and restaurants, but it is certainly worth asking your local baker to sell you a container.

This cake also freezes well so I highly suggest doubling the batch, making an extra cake or some cupcakes and freezing them after wrapping well or in a zip lock. You can simply thaw it by moving it from freezer to fridge or even leave it on the counter overnight. Cupcakes can even be zapped for about 10 seconds at a time in the microwave to thaw. You will be glad you made a double batch, trust me!

Because this cake with a dollop of cold whipped cream or roasted or flambeed fruit is perfect to beat the late summer heat I am sending it in to Sugar High Friday with the theme Sweet Heat! by Vampituity 

The lovely Namitha of collaborative curry made this cake too! Go check it out here and hear what she thought about it! Here is a gorgeous picture of her cake: