One Year Blog Anniversary!

LYCHEE GUAVA ROSE CAKE

lychee-guava-rose-cake

It’s been a whole year since Allspice & Ally went live― can you believe it? I sure can’t.

It’s been a year full of recipes with a summer of five different strawberry cakes, broken fridges and Psych-inspired Cinnamon Pie. I discovered mushrooms aren’t so bad (sometimes) and how to make cauliflower taste like junk food. And how to turn lots of junk food into one crazy cake. I rode on a lobster boat, visited Gettysburg, became a level 33 Pokemon Go trainer (yes I still play) and hosted Halloween and Valentine’s Day parties.

From my (in)Famous Curry Cream Cheese Frosted Carrot Cake to this Lychee Guava Rose Cake, thank you for being here!

Now onto the cake

For my first blog anniversary, I wanted to do something special so I decided I would use rose water for the first time. Along with a homemade guava gel and lychee fruit, this is a cake perfectly suited for a special occasion.

lychee-guava-rose-cake

Interestingly enough, the texture of this Lychee Guava Rose Cake is reminiscent of a shortcake even though it doesn’t require any butter. To add sweetness, guava gel, whipped cream and minced lychee balance out a fairly low fat and low sugar chiffon cake.

One of the best things about this cake is that it’s simple to make, even with its “exotic” flavors. All you need is a bottle of rose water, a can of lychee in syrup and a can of guava nectar.

We usually have a can of lychee left in the pantry from Chinese New Year but you can find it at any Asian food store. I bought the rose water from a local Indian market for less than $2 and guava nectar is generally available in international section of grocery stores.

See? Easy extravagance.

So grab a fork and dig into this top tier cake. Here’s to another year!

 

Border Dessert 3


lychee-guava-rose-cake

LYCHEE GUAVA ROSE CAKE

Block_Border

Author: Allspice & Ally 

Recipe Type: Dessert

Bake Time:25 minutes

Serves 8 to 10

If you need an easy yet impressive cake, this chiffon cake flavored with rose water, lychee fruit and guava gel fits the bill. The texture is reminiscent of a shortcake even though it doesn’t contain any butter, making it a lower fat favorite.

Finish it off with some rose water whipped cream and enjoy!
Block_Border 

Cake Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup lychee, puréed
1/3 cup guava nectar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon rose water

Either
4 egg yolks and 7 egg whites
Or
4 eggs, room temperature, separated
6 tablespoons aquafaba (chickpea liquid)

Whipped Cream Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon rose water
1/3 cup lychee, minced

Guava Gel Ingredients

3/4 cup guava nectar
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

Guava Gel Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan, heat guava nectar and sugar.
  2. Once warmed, whisk in cornstarch.
  3. Whisking frequently, cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbling.
  4. Pour into a bowl and cool at room temperature.
  5. Once it has reached room temperature, chill covered with plastic wrap until the cake is ready to be assembled.

Cake Instructions

  1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and 3/4 cup sugar.
  2. Purée the lychee with 1/3 cup of guava nectar. (Don’t worry about draining the lychee fruit. The heavy syrup just adds additional moisture to the cake.)
  3. Make a well and add egg yolks, vegetable oil, rose water, vanilla extract and the lychee-guava nectar purée. Set aside.
  4. Beat the egg whites or the egg whites and aquafaba on low speed until soft peaks form.
  5. Slowly add 1/4 cup sugar until the mixture reaches the stiff peaks stage. Set aside.
  6. Beat the egg yolk batter until smooth.
  7. Carefully fold in the egg whites.
  8. Divide the batter between three parchment lined 9″ circle pans.
  9. Bake at 325°F for 25 to 30 minutes until golden. (I generally take the cakes out after 28 minutes.)
  10. Allow the cake to fully cool on wire racks before frosting. While cooling, brush the layers with some of the canned lychee syrup.

Whipped Cream Instructions

  1. In a chilled glass bowl, whip heavy cream on low or medium until it begins to thicken. (Lower speeds will prevent the cream from warming as quickly so you’ll end up with a more stable finished product.)
  2. Add the vanilla extract, rose water and powdered sugar in tablespoon increments.
  3. Beat at medium or medium-high speed until it reaches the medium peak stage.

Assembly Instructions

  1. Once the cake has cooled, spread whipped cream on the bottom layer.
  2. Drizzle guava gel over the whipped cream.
  3. Top with minced lychee fruit so you’ll get a bite of lychee every so often.
  4. Repeat with the middle layer of cake.
  5. On the top layer of cake, frost with the whipped cream.
  6. Carefully pipe the guava gel in the center. I start with an outer ring and then fill in the circle. Smooth with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon.
  7. Let it set in the fridge for a couple hours until ready to serve. Lychee Guava Rose Cake will keep in the fridge for a week or so but it will start to get dry any longer than that. If the cake has gotten too dry, moisten individual slices by drizzling a little of the canned lychee syrup along the exposed cake.

Pairs Well With

black-teastrawberry-compoteginger-ice-cream Milk
 
 
Hints

* I replace three of the egg whites with aquafaba, the liquid from canned chickpeas. Four egg yolks and seven egg whites is more traditional but if I’m not cooking or baking anything in need of three egg yolks, I prefer not waste the extra yolks.

* Find canned lychee and rose water in your local Asian market and guava nectar in the international section of the grocery store. Target usually carries the Goya brand in the juice aisle.

* If you want thinner layers of cake, bake in two circle pans and carefully cut each cake in two. However you may need to make more whipped cream to cover the extra layer.

* Looking for extra credit? Make two cakes and fill one with passion fruit gel instead of guava. Twice the flavor, twice the fun!

* To recreate the Lychee Guava Rose Cake photographed above (and below), decorate with clean cherry blossom flowers and enjoy. (No, I did not eat the flowers although pickled cherry blossoms are a popular Japanese treat.)

lychee-guava-rose-cake-cherry-blossoms

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *