“Simple” Summer Strawberry Torte for Nana!

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strawberries and dacquoise

Simple, by this I mean, not fancy; nearly rustic in appearance and suitable for a picnic table. I left the sides uncovered so that everyone could see all the layers that make up the cake, like a trifle without the bowl. I just had to let the dacquoise poke out, I thought it was a terrible shame to trim it into obscurity. Perhaps the piping on top is a bit fanciful, but I made it for Nana’s (my step mother, my boys call her Nana so now we all do!)  birthday party and I wanted it to be fun and whimsical.

All of the components to this cake are simple to make, but there are 3 of them; the orange scented sponge, toasted almond dacquoise and a stabilized strawberry whipped cream. Nothing challenging, but planning and time are required to get all these things prepared. Here is how…

You will need to make these elements ahead:

Orange Sponge Cake

Toasted Almond Dacquoise

Strawberry Whipped Cream

Strawberry Jam, preferably some that your friend has made  from the fresh strawberries she picked from an organic farm. My friend Jen did exactly that and gave me several jars. The first one the boys and I ate out of the jar with 3 spoons. The next jar I created this cake with and I have one more precious jar hidden for a rainy day!

strawberries and dacquoise

Trim the top off of the sponge cake and spread the jam over the entire surface of the cake.

strawberries and dacquoise

Place a layer of the dacquoise and then spread the strawberry cream on top.

strawberries and dacquoise

Repeat so that you have as many layers as you want and the cake remains stable.

strawberries and dacquoise

Finish the last layer of sponge cake with more jam and then pipe the strawberry cream on the top. Or you can spread the cream on as before and then decorate with fresh strawberries and edible flowers.

strawberries and dacquoise

Vanilla ice cream, some candles and you have a party! Happy Birthday Nana!!!!

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Comments

8 Responses to ““Simple” Summer Strawberry Torte for Nana!”

07/28/08 12:52 pm Bret Bannon said...

Hi Zoë -

What a beautiful cake. I can’t wait to make it with my raspberry jam.

As an aside what fun it was to assist you at your Bread Class at Cooks of Crocus Hill based on your book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Regardless of how many times I work with you I always learn something new.

One question, how does dacquoise hold up in this Minnesota humidity?

Thanks so much,
Bret
07/28/08 12:59 pm zoe said...

Hi Bret!

Fabulous to see you in class, and what a treat to see your name in the comments!

Yeah, the MN humidity is not kind to anything crispy, including dacquoise. You really need to make it and use it on the same day. In our long drawn out winters it will last for a couple of days. An upside to winter I suppose.

Thanks!

Zoe
07/28/08 1:10 pm GirlCanBake said...

What gorgeous flavors! And the layers look out of this world! Fantastic job!
07/29/08 5:35 am Rosa said...

A fabulous torte! Very pretty and delicious looking!

Cheers,

Rosa
07/30/08 1:37 pm Hillary said...

Love the puff decorations on top!
08/1/08 6:49 am Alexa said...

Nana is one lucky lady! It’s wonderful.
08/4/08 8:56 am zoe said...

Thanks! Nana deserves it and more!

Zoë
12/25/08 10:54 am Madhu said...

What a lovely cake!It looks pretty.I followed your recipe and made this for X-mas.Thanks a lot..
I couldn’t make it as adorable as u did..you can check it out in my blog..
Love,
Madhu

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