This delightful summer Brita cake was my cake meets pavlova dream came true! Every bite was a treat.
Last week I got some pink currants from Girl & Dug Farm and baked a few recipes with them-currant peach galette, currant peach pavlova nests, and a summer Brita cake. If you haven’t heard of a Brita cake before, you’re in for a treat! It’s a Nordic cake layered with meringue, whipped cream, and fresh fruits. The recipe comes from Susan Spungen’s Open Kitchen cookbook.
Steps for Making the Cake
The Brita cake takes a few steps but is quite easy once you organize all the ingredients make it sequentially.
- Make the meringue first using the Swiss meringue method
- Use the same bowl to make the cake batter.
- Bake the cake
- Whip up the creme fraiche cream and refrigerate it until ready to use. You can also make the creme the day before.
- Prepare the fruits
- Assemble the cake 30 minutes before serving.
How to Make the Meringue
For the meringue, I love using the Swiss meringue method. The meringue can be prepared using three different methods: French, Italian, and Swiss. The most common method is the French meringue where egg whites are whisked until soft peaks form and then caster sugar added slowly until peaks become thick and glossy. The Italian meringue involves whisking egg whites until soft peaks form and then a hot sugar syrup is slowly poured in and beaten until peaks become stiff and glossy.
Swiss Meringue Method
With the Swiss meringue, egg whites and sugar are whisked over a saucepan of simmering water (or double boiler) to warm them to 170 degrees F allowing the egg white proteins to coagulate despite the high concentration of sugar, creating a more stable meringue. Then the mixture is whipped with an electric mixer into stiff, glossy peaks. Once you make the meringue, transfer it to a clean bowl until ready to use.
How to Make the Cake
The cake is butter based and you only need one bowl. I used the same bowl that I whipped the meringue with to make the cake batter. Yes, it's lazy but I like to wash less dishes when possible. Make sure the eggs and butter are at room temperature to make it easier to whisk. Spread the cake batter into a 11x8 inch square cake pan with parchment overhanging the sides. The meringue layer tends expand during backing so having the parchment will help prevent it from spilling over.
How Long to Bake the Cake
The Brita Cake only requires 25-30 minutes in the oven at 325 degrees F. Overbaking will cause the cake layer to dry out. The meringue will brown slightly and crack once it's done.
What Fruits to Use for the Cake
Besides pink currants, I also used a mixture of summer fruits. Stone fruits, strawberries, and berries are great options. The meringue layer is a bit sweet so picking a mixture of fruits with different levels of sweetness and texture would complement the Brita cake.
When to Assemble the Cake
I like to assemble the Brita cake about 30 minutes before serving. Spread the whipped creme fraiche on top of the meringue layer, decorate with fruits, and dust with confectioners' sugar. The moisture from the whipped creme fraiche and fruit will seep onto the meringue layer and make it soggy so assemble it right before serving is best for maintaining texture. It tastes the best the same day!
How to Store Leftover Cake
The leftover cake can stay in the fridge for up to 24 hours in a lidded container after it's assembled.
This summer Brita cake was my cake meets pavlova dream came true! Lemony cake, marshmallowy meringue, tangy cream, and fresh fruits created four different layers of flavors and textures. I'm already dreaming of other seasonal combination for fall, winter, and spring.
For more summer cake inspiration, check these recipes: cardamom buckwheat plum cake, peach raspberry olive oil cake, cardamom cherry cake.
Summer Brita Cake (adapted from Open Kitchen Cookbook)
Equipment
- 11x8 inch square baking pan
- candy thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temp, separated
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- ½ cup 2% milk
Whipped Creme Fraiche
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup creme fraiche
- ¼ cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 pounds fresh fruits (mixture of berries and stone fruits)
Instructions
Swiss Meringue
- For the meringue, place egg whites in a bowl of a stand mixer (or a heatproof bowl) set over a saucepan of gently simmering water to make a double boiler making sure the water does not touch the bottom.
- Using a large balloon whisk, gradually whisk in 1 cup of sugar. Whisking constantly, heat the egg and sugar mixture until it reads 170°F on a candy thermometer and the mixture starts to froth and sugar dissolves.
- Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk the mix on high speed for about 5 minutes until stiff peaks form.
- Turn the mixer to low, add in the vinegar and corn starch, then whisk on high speed for another minute until well combined. Transfer the meringue to a clean bowl and set aside.
Cake Layer
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Line the cake pan with parchment. Brush the bottom with butter.
- In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt.
- To make the cake, use the same mixing bowl that you used to whip up the meringue.
- In a stand mixture with the paddle attachment, add ¼ cup of sugar and butter, and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg yolk one at a time until fully incorporated.
- Add vanilla and lemon zest and beat briefly to combine.
- Turn mixer to low speed, add half of flour mixture then the milk. Mix until combined.
- Add in remaining flour and beat for another minute until combined.
- Spread cake batter into prepared pan. Smooth with offset spatula.
- Spread meringue layer directly on top of cake batter. Create swoops with spatula.
- Place cake pan on middle rack. Bake for 25 minutes until meringue layer begins to turn brown and a toothpick inserted into cake layer comes out clean. Remove cake and let it cool for 10 minutes.
Assemble Cake
- Whip heavy cream and confectioners' sugar together until thick and smooth and soft peaks form. Fold in creme fraiche. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- To assemble, top cake with whipped creme fraiche and fresh fruits. Serve immediately.
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