today, I am making 2 summer-friendly cakes with fresh fruits
mix wet ingredients in a bowl
sift flour and baking powder
it helps distribute the baking powder evenly in the dough
alternatively, you could first mix flour and baking powder into a separate bowl, then add them to the liquids
now stir with a spatula till the flour absorbs the liquids
I find it easier to work with a spatula instead of a wooden spoon
but you can use whatever tool you have at home
when the dough is lightly mixed
spread some flour on your worktop and start kneading with your hands
now is a good time to preheat your oven
knead for a short minute
just the time it takes to bring all the ingredients together and form a dough ball
try not to over-knead
if needed, use more flour on your worktop
but keep the dough moist for the best result
with a rolling pin, start flattening your dough into a disc
It should look like a pizza base. To make sure it turns out round, rotate the disc often while you flatten it
I like our fruit pizza quite thin so I flatten it down to ⅛ of an inch, or 3 to 4 mm
round the edges with your hands
or use a pie dish as a model on the dough to cut it round
roll the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper
and transfer to the baking tray
cut the edges with a pizza cutter or knife for a rounder look
take out of the oven and let it cool
it's ready when the edges are lightly browned
I remove it from the baking trey and let it cool on a baking rack
I make a chocolate layer to prevent a soggy pie crust
and it adds a delicious flavour to the pizza, of course
we need to melt the chocolate
you can do that in a bowl in the microwave, heating the chocolate a few seconds at a time
or you can do it bain-marie, that is, put the bowl with the dark chocolate into a larger pot, filled with hot water
the heat of the water will melt the chocolate
for the topping I also use fresh fruits and berries. The greater variety of colours you can find, the better
the "pizza crust" has cooled down, so I start decorating it now
I like to use a wooden pizza peel to complete the look
drizzle chocolate on top
and spread it out evenly
it's easier if you use a spatula
while I was making this cake, it got very hot outside
the temperature reached 38C (100F), and the chocolate stayed warm and melty
so to help the chocolate cool
I put the pizza in the fridge for 30 mins
the cream cheese topping is very easy to make
just two simple ingredients mixed
choose your favourite vegan cream cheese, and mix well with the powdered sugar
you can prepare the cream cheese topping in advance if you are serving this pizza for guests
it's delicious and fresh, and complements the bitterness in the chocolate very well
when the chocolate layer has cooled down fully, we can start decorating
add the cream cheese layer, make sure to spread it evenly on your pizza
I like a thin layer of cream cheese, but you can choose your desired amount :-)
now for my favourite part the fresh fruits and berries
I start with thinly sliced kiwi
strawberries
blueberries
nectarines and apricots
grapes
choose fruits and berries that are in season. They are tastier and cheaper
raspberries
and a couple on mint leaves on top
cut the fruit pizza and serve it as slices
without chocolate it wouldn't be the same
the second cake is a fruit tart. I use the same dough as the fruit pizza
but I bake it in a pie pan with removable bottom
cover the pie pan with the pie crust
and fix the small holes in the dough
pierce the crust with a fork
once it's baked, let it cool down
while the pie cools, we make the vegan custard to go on top
stir the ingredients together before heating
now on medium heat, stir till the liquid turns into a thick custard. It should take a couple of minutes
take the custard off the heat and let cool down while stirring
to speed things up, you can fill up your sink with cold water, then put the pot with the custard in it and stir
the custard doesn't have to be completely cold
remove the pie crust from the pie dish
and start building the tart
fill the pie crust with the custard, and distribute evenly with the back of a spoon
now prep the fruit, then arrange it in a circular manner, from the outside to the inside
I start with strawberries in the outer circle
make circles with different fruit types
kiwi
apricots
banana
blueberries
and mint leaves
eat as it is or...
if you want the fruit on the cake to stay fresh for longer without loosing it's bright colours
then you should add a layer of apricot jam melted in a dash of water
it will add a sweet fruit flavour to the tart, while preventing the fruit from turning brown
my tip is to warm up 3 tablespoons of apricot jam with a spoon or two of water, bring to boil for a minute till it melts
then brush over the fruit with a pensl
as evenly as possible
it also creates a nice, glossy finish
buon appetito
if you like our recipes subscribe for new recipes every week
thanks for watching