Chocolate cake with lemon cream
When we enter the kitchen together, my little one usually chooses which cake we will make. This time, we prepared a brownie with sour cherry jam and a tangy lemon cream. The base is dense, with flavors of cocoa and cherries, while the cream on top balances it out without being heavy. It’s important for the base to cool completely before cutting and decorating, so I prefer to bake it a day in advance. Quick Info Total time: cannot be determined exactly, as the cake needs to cool completely before cutting; ideally, it is left until the next day Preparation time: active time is not specified in the original recipe Baking time: 30-40 minutes Servings: cut into pieces approximately 9 x 4 cm; the final number depends on how the base is portioned Difficulty: easy Recipe type: homemade cake with cocoa base, jam, and lemon cream Ingredients Base 8 medium eggs 8 heaping tablespoons of granulated sugar 14 heaping tablespoons of all-purpose flour 2 heaping tablespoons of cocoa powder (22% fat) 200 g sour cherry jam 10 g baking powder 65 g palm oil or melted butter Zest of 1 lemon Lemon cream 200 g liquid cream for whipping 2 tablespoons of sugar 2 tablespoons of lemon juice 1 tablespoon of water Zest of 1 lemon For soaking 1 teaspoon of lemon syrup 60 ml water For decoration Thin slices of lemon zest Preparation method Base 1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a 32 x 22 cm rectangular baking pan with parchment paper. 2. Place the eggs and sugar in a bowl and mix until you get a frothy texture and the sugar begins to dissolve. 3. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Add them to the egg and sugar mixture, then incorporate them with a mixer. 4. Add the palm oil or melted butter, lemon zest, and sour cherry jam. Mix until the composition is homogeneous. 5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and level it. Bake the brownie for 30-40 minutes. 6. Check the base with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, without any raw batter, the base is baked. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool completely. For easier cutting, the base can be left until the next day. 7. After cooling, trim the edges of the base if needed, then cut it into pieces approximately 9 x 4 cm. Lemon cream 1. Place the sugar, lemon juice, and water in a non-stick saucepan. Simmer the mixture over low heat, stirring, until you obtain a thick syrup. About 2-3 minutes is sufficient. 2. Turn off the heat, add the lemon zest, and stir. Allow the syrup to cool completely. To speed up cooling, the pot can be placed in another bowl with cold water. 3. Whip the liquid cream until it increases in volume and becomes airy. 4. Add the cooled lemon syrup and mix for about 1 minute until it is evenly distributed in the cream. Soaking and assembling 1. Before decorating, mix 1 teaspoon of lemon syrup with 60 ml of water. 2. Lightly soak the brownie pieces. They don’t need to be saturated; just a little syrup on the surface is sufficient. 3. Place the cream in a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Decorate each piece of cake. 4. Garnish the pieces with thin slices of lemon zest. Why I make this recipe often It’s a simple cake, but it has a pleasant contrast between the cocoa base and the sour cherry jam and lemon cream. The base can be baked a day in advance, which makes assembly easier. Additionally, after cooling, it cuts more cleanly and holds its shape when decorated with cream. The recipe is also suitable for moments when I cook together with my little one, as the base mixture is prepared without complicated steps, and the decoration can be done after cooling. Tips The base should be allowed to cool completely before cutting. If it is still warm or hot, the pieces may break, and the cream may become soggy. Weighing the ingredients would be the most accurate; however, the recipe is expressed in heaping tablespoons, as it was originally prepared. It’s important that the tablespoons of flour, sugar, and cocoa are heaping, not leveled. The lemon syrup for the cream must be completely cooled before being added to the whipped cream. Warm syrup can affect the consistency of the cream. Do not boil the syrup longer than necessary. It should be thick but not caramelized. In the original recipe, boiling takes about 2-3 minutes over low heat. For an even decoration, the cream should only be piped once it is well mixed and homogeneous. Substitutions Palm oil can be replaced with 65 g of melted butter, according to the recipe. The butter should be allowed to cool before being added to the mixture. For the cream, liquid cream for whipping is used. Fermented cream is not recommended, as it has a different consistency and taste. The sour cherry jam is part of the base mixture and should not be omitted if you want to preserve the flavor of the recipe. No exact substitute is specified, so using another jam will change the flavor and texture. Variations You can adjust the amount of lemon zest based on how intense you want the citrus flavor to be, without changing the other ingredients. The cream can be used only for decorating on top, as in the original recipe. The pieces can remain simple or be adorned with more cream, depending on preference. If you are preparing the cake for a family meal, you can keep the pieces larger. For a platter with multiple desserts, cut the base into smaller pieces while maintaining approximately the same rectangular shape. Serving ideas The brownie is served cold, after the cream has set. Thin slices of lemon zest are added at the end to keep the decoration fresh. The pieces can be arranged on a platter and served as individual cakes. For a neat appearance, it is helpful to trim the edges of the base before cutting and to use the same dimensions for all pieces. Frequently asked questions Can I prepare the base a day in advance? Yes. It is actually preferable to let it cool until the next day. The base will be easier to cut, and the pieces will hold their shape better when decorated. How do I know when the base is baked? Insert a toothpick into the center of the base. If it comes out clean, without any raw batter, the cake is baked. The indicated time is 30-40 minutes, but checking with a toothpick remains the most reliable method in the recipe. Can I use the cream while the syrup is still warm? No. The lemon syrup must be completely cooled before being mixed with the whipped cream. To cool it faster, the saucepan can be placed in a bowl of cold water. Is it necessary to soak the brownie? In the original recipe, the pieces are lightly soaked before assembly with 1 teaspoon of lemon syrup mixed with 60 ml of water. They should not be saturated, just lightly moistened on the surface. How many pieces does one pan yield? The recipe indicates cutting into pieces approximately 9 x 4 cm, but the exact number depends on how much of the edges are trimmed and how the base is divided. Nutritional values The values are estimates and depend on the size of the pieces, the actual amount from the heaping tablespoons, the type of cream, and the jam used. For one piece of cake, if the base is divided into approximately 8-10 servings, the estimate is: Calories: approximately 420-550 kcal Protein: approximately 8-12 g Carbohydrates: approximately 55-75 g Fats: approximately 18-28 g Most of the calories come from sugar, flour, eggs, fat, jam, and whipped cream. Values can vary quite a bit as the tablespoons are heaping and the portion sizes are not fixed by an exact number. Storage and reheating Store the cake in the refrigerator in a covered container, as it contains cream based on whipped cream. It is best consumed cold, and reheating is not necessary. The plain base can be stored separately until assembly after it has cooled completely. After adding the cream and decoration, the cake should be kept cold. Only remove the amount that will be served, so the cream retains its shape as well as possible.
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