Korean Saeng Cream Cake ft. Whipped Vanilla Frosting + Fresh Fruit Filling
Today's remix comes from the wedding cake I made for Caroline + Phil last month. The cake is based on a traditional Korean Saeng Cream Cake, which is a buttery pound cake sealed with a sweet syrup and topped with light whipped frosting and colorful fruit. I pulled from several recipes to come up with the one listed above, and as always I went with a super fancy box mix.
The fruit is inside between the cake layers, which leaves the outside free to be decorated, and the pattern is based on the wood paneling found on the traditional Korean hanok. This version has strawberries and kiwis, and the actual wedding cake in May had sugared berries and pear slices. Any fruit works!
Finally, to keep this cake from getting too traditional (this was for Caroline's sweet tooth, after all) - there's the Funfetti interior and Nerd Rope border. Congratulations to Phil + Caroline!
saeng cream cake (caroline-style)
1 box Funfetti cake mix
4 eggs, separated
1/4 c. cold water
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease pans with butter or a non-stick spray like PAM. Separate eggs into yolks and whites into 2 bowls, and whisk until each begins to thicken. In a large mixing bowl, beat cake mix, oil, cold water, vanilla extract, cream of tartar, and egg yolks together for 1 minute on low speed. Fold in egg whites and mix on high for 1 minute. Pour batter into pans until each is 2/3 of the way full. Bake according to the times on the back of the mix box, depending on the types of pans you are using.
lemon-cinnamon syrup
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c.water
1-2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
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In a small saucepan on the stovetop, combine water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and lemon wedges over low heat, stirring for 5-7 minutes until the sugar dissolves and a syrup forms. Let cool and thicken for 1-2 minutes. Use a pastry brush to coat each layer of cake before filling with fruit, and also coat entire cake with syrup before frosting.
whipped vanilla frosting
1/2 c. shortening or butter
4 c. confectioner's sugar
3-4 tbsp. whipping cream
1-2 tsp. vanilla extract
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In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening, whipping cream, and vanilla extract until blended. Slowly add in sugar and continue to mix on high speed until frosting forms. Whipped frosting is very airy and great for the inner layers and coating the outside of the cake - if you are going to do any additional decorating or piping, it is best to use a regular (stiffer) buttercream recipe for that icing.
fresh fruit filling
strawberries, sliced
kiwi, sliced
asian pear, peeled and cubed
other fruit suggestions: peeled mandarin oranges, halved grapes, sliced bananas
