"Fairytale Evening" Cake

"Fairytale Evening" cake is a three-layer chocolate sponge soaked in coffee, filled with a two-tone cream cheese and sour cream frosting, and decorated with tiny cocoa-dusted meringues. The sponge can be baked in a slow cooker or in the oven, and the assembled cake needs at least two hours in the fridge. It really does turn out magical and very tasty, I recommend it.

"Fairytale Evening" Cake

A three-layer chocolate cake soaked in coffee, filled with two-tone cream cheese and sour cream frosting, decorated with homemade cocoa meringues.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Soaking time in the fridge 2 hours hrs

Total Time 5 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Servings: 10 servings

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: Home cooking

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Chocolate Sponge

• 200 g sugar
• 100 g flour
• 60 g cornstarch
• 3 egg whites
• 5 egg yolks
• 50 g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• vanillin pinch

Meringue

• 2 egg whites
• 130 g sugar
• lemon juice
• cocoa powder for dusting the meringues

Frosting

• 300 g 26% whipping cream I use the "Smachno Chef" brand
• 250 g cottage cheese
• 4 tbsp powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• vanillin pinch

Soak and Decoration

• 160 ml coffee espresso, for soaking
• 50 g chocolate for decoration

Method

 

Meringue

1. Whip the egg whites with lemon juice until foamy, gradually adding the sugar. Keep whipping until stiff peaks form.
2. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and pipe small meringues onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Dust them with cocoa through a sieve.
3. Dry the meringues in an oven preheated to 60-80 °C for about 1.5 hours. Then remove and let them cool.

Chocolate Sponge

1. In a deep bowl, whip the egg whites with half the sugar to stiff peaks. Beat the yolks with the other half of the sugar until pale. In a third bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, cornstarch, cocoa, baking powder and vanillin.
2. Gently fold the whipped whites into the yolks. Then sift in the dry mixture and mix - the batter is ready.
3. Pour the batter into the slow cooker bowl and bake on the "bake" setting for 45 minutes. If you don't have a slow cooker, bake in an oven preheated to 180 °C for 40 minutes.

Frosting

1. Whip the cream in a deep bowl according to the package instructions - mine took 7 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, whip the cottage cheese with the powdered sugar, vanillin and a bit of the whipped cream. Combine both mixtures - this gives you a cream cheese and sour cream frosting.
3. Set aside about a quarter of the frosting, add the cocoa and mix until smooth. Now you have two frostings: white and chocolate.

Assembly and Decoration

1. Cut the sponge into three layers and brew two cups of espresso for soaking.
2. Place the bottom layer on a plate, soak it with coffee and spread generously with half the white frosting. Cover with the second layer, soaked with coffee on both sides, and spread the rest of the white frosting. Top with the third soaked layer.
3. Coat the whole cake with the chocolate frosting and refrigerate for at least two hours to let it soak through.
   
4. Melt the chocolate and draw patterns on the sides and top of the cake.
   
5. Decorate the cake with the finished meringues and serve. Enjoy your meal!
   

Notes

It's convenient to start drying the meringues first, while the sponge bakes and the frosting comes together. The assembled cake needs at least two hours in the fridge.

Tips

• Sponge without a slow cooker: if you don't have one, bake it in an oven preheated to 180 °C for 40 minutes instead of 45 minutes on the "bake" setting.
• Meringues are dried, not baked: 60-80 °C for about an hour and a half. It's convenient to put them in the oven first, while you work on the sponge and frosting.
• Cream: I use ready-made 26% whipping cream - it whips reliably, and mine took 7 minutes.
• Two colors of frosting from one batch: set aside about a quarter of the finished frosting and mix in cocoa - this is the frosting for coating the cake.
• Don't rush to serve it: the assembled cake needs at least two hours in the fridge for the layers to soak through.