Beautiful Cake

We went out for sushi for Vesa's birthday, and ended the meal with a Finnish fruit and cream cake that I made this afternoon. Since the kids were napping when I made it, and I'd promised M she could help, I took some photos to show her that I had put in the strawberries, blueberries, and mangoes that I'd promised. Luckily, she woke up right when I was finishing up the final touches — "Wow, Mama, that cake is looking so beautiful!"

The sponge cake is the best recipe I've used, from the Finnish Cookbook by Beatrice Ojakangas:

Cake Layers for Finnish Birthday (or other Celebration) Cake

4 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour, sifted with
2 Tbs. cornstarch
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375-degrees F. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans. Beat eggs until light and fluffy, add sugar gradually while beating until thick and creamy. Sift flour into bowl with other dry ingredients and fold carefully until incorporated. Pour batter into prepped pans and bake for about 30 mins. Cool on rack, then cut each layer in half. "Moisten" layers with juice from macerated, sliced fruit (like strawberries) or vanilla custard (Bird's works great), and layer with fruit, 1 pint whipped organic cream (stiff, add 2 Tbs. pwd. sugar per cup of cream, 1 tsp. vanilla per cup and 1 tsp. cream of tartar. And, to "set up" cream well you can add 1/4 tsp. unflavored gelatin to cream too).