Saga cake – A fresh cream cake with lemon, poppy and basil for moments to share.
A fresh cream cake with lemon, poppy and basil for moments to share.
Sagaform presents its own Saga Cake together with Linn Utbult. A cake easy to bake and to serve on all occasions worth celebrating, all year round. And to be honest, what moments are not worth celebrating together?
The cake can be baked from scratch but works just as well with ready-made layers if you want a quick result. This is a lemon and poppy seed layer cake filled with lemon curd, raspberries and vanilla cream and brushed with a super fresh basil sugar syrup that takes the cake to a whole new level.
This is what you need:
Lemon & Poppy Seed Cake
4 eggs
2 dl granulated sugar, 180g
1 dl all-purpose flour, 60g
1 dl potato starch, 75g
1 tsp baking powder, 5g
2 tsp vanilla sugar, 10g
3 tbsp blue poppy seeds, 30g
Zest of 1 large organic lemon
Lemon Curd
2 eggs
1 dl granulated sugar, 90g
¾ dl lemon juice, 75g
Zest of 1 large organic lemon
50g butter, cubed
Basil Syrup
2 dl water
1 dl granulated sugar
A handful of fresh basil leaves, about 12 leaves
Vanilla Custard
½ vanilla pod
¾ dl milk, 75g
1 dl heavy cream, 100g
2 tbsp granulated sugar, 20g
1 egg yolk
½ tbsp cornstarch (Maizena), 10g
200g fresh raspberries for filling
Toppings
4 dl whipped cream
Blue poppy seeds
Edible flowers
Fresh basil
Fresh raspberries
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius (175 degrees Celsius for conventional). Whisk eggs, sugar, and vanilla sugar until it’s fluffy in a large bowl. Wash and finely zest the peel of one lemon. Sift in all-purpose flour, potato starch, and baking powder, then add poppy seeds and lemon zest. Gently fold the mixture until it’s a smooth batter. Pour the batter into a lined springform pan, approximately 24 cm in diameter. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out dry. Invert the pan onto a piece of parchment paper and let the cake base cool completely under the pan.
2. Lightly whisk the eggs for the lemon curd in a stainless steel or glass bowl. Stir in granulated sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Place the bowl over a saucepan with simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and heat the curd while constantly stirring with a spatula until it thickens. If you have a digital thermometer, cook the mixture until it reaches 83-85 degrees Celsius.
3. Remove from heat, strain into a clean bowl, and stir in the cubed butter until you have a smooth and even cream. Cover the surface directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours.
4. Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Pour all ingredients for the vanilla custard into a saucepan. Simmer the custard over medium heat while stirring until it thickens. Cover the surface directly with plastic wrap and let
it cool completely.
5. Boil water and sugar in a saucepan until the sugar completely dissolves. Let it cool before using a hand blender to mix in the fresh basil, creating a vibrant green basil syrup.
Tip: If you want an extra juicy cake, assemble the cake the day before and coat it in cream just before serving.
Assembling and Decorating
Divide the cake into three equal layers. Place the first layer on your cake stand or serving plate and brush or drizzle the basil syrup over it. Spread a layer of lemon curd on top and place half of the raspberries.
Place the second layer on top and repeat with the basil syrup and then spread the vanilla custard and add the remaining raspberries. Place the third layer on top and refrigerate for a while.
Whip the cream until it’s softly whipped, better a bit loose than too firm. Spread the cream on top and around the sides of the cake, then pipe decorative peaks on the top with your choice of pastry tip. Garnish with raspberries, edible flowers, poppy seeds, and fresh basil.
Serve and enjoy!
