Soursop Cake, Bizcocho de Guanábana

The following recipe is from the book "El Arte de Vivir" (The Art of Living) by the Dominican author, Rosalia Gomez de Caro. While researching the book  year ago online I saw this cake. Since then I've been craving it, until at last I remembered, found the fruit and had time to make the recipe. I liked the cake very much and I'm sure it will be a dessert that I will do from now on every soursop season.

The cake consists of four recipes but they are all easy to make, I promise. en español: AQUÍ 

Soursop Cake, Bizcocho de Guanábana

 
Ingredients:
Sponge Cake (size 7”x 7”): 4 eggs separate
1 cup sugar (200 g)
2 Teaspoons vanilla (10 ml)
1 ½ cup all purpose flour (195 g)
pinch of salt
½ cup milk (118 ml)
½ cup butter (1 stick)
1 teaspoon grated lemon
1½ teaspoon baking powder

Syrup (to moisten the cake):
½ cup sugar (100 g)
½ cup liquid (juice) of soursop (118 ml)
½ cup water (118 ml)

Soursop Pastry Cream (yields more than enough):
2 cups milk divided (475 ml)
¼ cup cornstarch
2 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar (150 gr)
1½ cup pulp of soursop
For instructions: HERE

Italian Meringue:
1 cup egg whites (8-ounce exactly)
2 cups granulated sugar (400 gr)
½ cup water (110 gr)
1 teaspoon vanilla (5 ml)
For instructions: HERE

Preparation:
Cake
1. Prepare the soursop pastry cream preferably the day before. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease two cake pans of 7 "(18 cm) or one 4-inch (10 cm) tall and line with wax paper at the base.
2. Heat the milk with the butter just until melted and add the lemon zest, reserve. Beat the egg whites at maximum speed until soft peaks is reached. Add the egg yolks one by one, then gradually add the sugar and vanilla.
3. Mix flour and salt; sift. Add the flour mixture to eggs slowly, on stir speed of a kitchenAid speed or fold with a spatula. Add the warm milk and finally the baking powder.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool and coat with syrup using a brush.

Look how soft it came out. It's definitely a cake recipe to bake.

Syrup
1. In a small pot mix the sugar, juice of the soursop and water. Let it boil until all the sugar dissolves and is slightly thickened (8 minutes). Note: After cooled the syrup tends to thicken, so be sure not to cook for longer then required, to be able to coated cake layers easily. When you are ready to decorate prepare the Italian meringue.

Serves 10-12 people

I used tip #826 Ateco for stripes.

More step by step photos and tips , also en español: AQUÍ.

Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. - Psalms 37:5-6

SOURSOP Pastry Cream, Crema Pastelera de GUANÁBANA

This recipe is an excellent combination of pastry cream with exotic fruit pulp such as soursop (Annona muricata). This cream is ideal to use as a cake filling. If you taste it once you'll fall in love with it! The Soursop Cake  goes well with this cream.

Soursop is the fruit of Annona muricata.

 Fruit pulp without seeds.

  Sieved pulp and its juice.

Nice and thick cream.

Cover with plastic like this until cooled.

Soursop Pastry Cream
This recipe is an adaption of Rosalia Gomez de Caro's recipe. 
guarda la receta

Ingredients:
2 cups milk divided
¼ cup cornstarch
2 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ cups soursop pulp

Instructions: 
1. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1 cup of milk, set aside. Beat 2 egg yolks with ¼ cup sugar until light yellow, then mix with milk and cornstarch.

2. Place the remaining milk in a saucepan with remaining sugar. When the sugar has dissolve, slowly add the cornstarch mixture and use a whisk to mix. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon over medium heat, until the cornstarch is cooked, it should be very thick cream. Add vanilla and mix.

3. Empty the cream into a bowl and cover with plastic until it touches the cream, leaving the sides loose until cool. This prevents a crust from forming. Cool completely and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight. Squeeze soursop pulp with the help of a strainer, reserve the liquid. Mix the pulp with custard and ready. So easy, so delicious!  Now go ahead and make the Soursop /Guanabana Cake to fill with this cream.

Notes: 
a) You must wash the fruit, then peel and remove all the seeds with your hands before using.
b) Wonder if you can do with frozen pulp? Well ... YES! Allow the pulp to thaw a few minutes, squeeze and reserve the liquid to make syrup or juice.

Yield: 4 cups. 

You may also like to have the: Pastry Cream Recipe, ideal to use in Dominican Cake.

 En español: AQUÍ.

Proven faith brings experience. If you had not been obliged to pass through the rivers, you wouldn't have believed in your weakness, if you had not been sustained in the midst of the waters, you would have never get to know God's power. The more you exercise faith in affliction, the more it grows in strength, security and intensity. Faith is precious, and its trials are beautiful too. "- C.H. Spurgeon.

PASTA WITH SHRIMPS IN GARLIC SAUCE

I made this recipe with much appreciation, because it is a post where I get to participate with many other bloggers who have agreed to prepare a recipe from our fellow blogger friend, Tito, in order to cheer him up because he is going through a very sad moment. I did not hesitate in accepting this invitation because I find that the bond between friends in good faith is good, also because it is a way for me to send a hug through distance to a friend who is sad. From Dominican Republic, Mari's Cakes family sends a big hug and our deepest condolences to Tito in Spain.

The following recipe from Tito's blog, La Cocina sin Complicaciones (The Hassle-Free Kitchen), I invite you to visit his blog, he has a different and entertaining way to present his delicious and easy recipes. To see his shrimp recipe click, here.

Caserecce with Shrimps in Garlic Sauce

End of excuses for not preparing something delicious in a few minutes ... for a delicious dinner that's easy to prepare, I recommend this recipe.

Ingredients: 
2 cups caserecce or pasta of your choice
14 ounces peeled shrimps
3 garlic cloves sliced or mashed
2 cayenne peppers olive oil chopped parsley salt to taste

Instructions: 
1. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water and follow the manufacturer's instructions to cook pasta. In my case, I did not find the caserecce so I used mostacholis.
2. While the pasta is cooking, start with the garlic shrimps. Peel, wash and drain the shrimps.
3. In a frying pan over medium heat stir-fry garlic slices with the Cayenne peppers, when they turn golden, incorporate the shrimps and raise the fire a little. If some water is released from shrimps, drain it.
4. When the pasta is ready drain, then hold under running cold water for a second. Return to pot; mix with shrimp in garlic sauce. Add the parsley; adjust the salt and add a little olive oil. Enjoy!

Yield: 2 servings.

 More photos and receta en español: AQUÍ 

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." - Deuteronomy 31:6