Cake for a little one
Description
Perfectly pairs with tea and coffee. This cake recipe is suitable for both boys and girls. You can replace the red ribbon with a blue or pink one, depending on who the cake is intended for. Choose a decorative candle in a matching color, and use only those fruits or berries that your child likes to eat. The base of this treat consists of children's biscuits, children's cottage cheese, and children's drinking yogurt. I used banana-strawberry flavored cottage cheese and yogurt, but you can choose any other flavor you prefer. Making this little cake is easy and won't require spending hours in the kitchen. Meanwhile, adults can have a full-sized cake prepared separately or simply bought. This is a natural cake made from ingredients your little one actually eats. Suitable for all children, and any home cook can handle it. Serve cooled or slightly warm.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare all the ingredients from the list. If you don't have a springform pan, you can use a cooking ring or a small round container, covering the bottom and sides with plastic wrap (mine has a diameter of 15 cm). A large cake the child won't eat anyway, while a small one looks very cute.
- 2
Step 2
Pour water over the gelatin and let it swell. Then gently heat the gelatin until completely dissolved and cool it completely.
- 3
Step 3
Transfer the cottage cheese to a deep bowl.
- 4
Step 4
Add yogurt.
- 5
Step 5
Pour in the gelatin.
- 6
Step 6
Vigorously mix the mixture with a whisk.
- 7
Step 7
Break part of the cookies and transfer them to the blender bowl.
- 8
Step 8
Crush into crumbs.
- 9
Step 9
I added a few tablespoons of milk to the crumbs, but you can replace it with soft butter for a denser consistency. Line the bottom with the prepared cookie crumbs. Immediately place the remaining whole cookies along the sides.
- 10
Step 10
Pour half of the mixture with gelatin into the mold, and immediately place it in the freezer for about an hour (or until the mixture begins to set) so that the cookies don't have time to soften. I use a cooking ring, which I've already placed on the serving plate. Important! There should be no gaps or openings at the bottom, otherwise the gelatin mixture will leak out. If the ring doesn't fit tightly, it's better to line the bottom with plastic wrap, or ideally, use a special springform pan.
- 11
Step 11
When the layer has set, remove it and add any filling—you can use sliced banana, as I did.
- 12
Step 12
Pour the remaining curd-yogurt mixture and place the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Before serving, decorate with fruits or berries to taste.
- 13
Step 13
I'll be using bananas and frozen strawberries. To prevent the bananas from browning and to keep the strawberries stable, I'll coat them with a glaze gel. Let me explain how to prepare it. The glaze or neutral gel consists of water, sugar, and a thickener. Gelatin is most commonly used as the thickener, which is why the gel becomes transparent and jelly-like when set. Fruits or berries coated with this gel won't dry out or lose moisture, staying visually appealing for a long time. You'll need 100 grams of water, 100 grams of sugar, 5 grams of gelatin, plus additional water for soaking the gelatin.
- 14
Step 14
Soak the gelatin in cold water and leave to swell. If using sheet gelatin, simply place the sheets in water. For granulated or powdered gelatin, refer to the package instructions for the correct water ratio (usually 5 parts water to 1 part gelatin). I added 50 ml.
- 15
Step 15
Bring the water with sugar to a boil and remove from heat.
- 16
Step 16
Pour the still-hot syrup into a deep plate and add the gelatin.
- 17
Step 17
Mix until smooth and let cool. Store the jelly gel in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap in direct contact with the surface to prevent moisture from evaporating. Shelf life is 1 month. In the cold, the jelly gel turns into a solid jelly; to return it to a liquid state, take the required amount and heat in the microwave in 7–10 second pulses. Alternatively, heat over a water bath. Do not bring to a boil!
- 18
Step 18
If you have a large amount of fruit or berries, it's easiest to pour the jelly over the fruit in a container and mix thoroughly so that the gel covers all the fruit. Then spoon it onto your dessert. Since I'm making a small children's cake, I brushed the fruit with jelly using a regular pastry brush. If you're using fruits that don't discolor, simply skip these steps.
- 19
Step 19
The cake for the baby is ready. Tie it with a ribbon and serve.
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Step 20
I hope this cake will surely delight your little boy or girl, as children so love surprises!