Feeling Naughty: Maltese Prinjolata Festival Cake!
Ingredients for Sponge:
– 4 large free-range eggs
– 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind (don’t be afraid to put a little more)
– 1.5 teaspoons vanilla essence
– 200g castor sugar
– 200g superfine self-raising flour (or regular self-raising flour)
Ingredients for Filling:
– 4 tablespoons of whisky
– 80 g natural red glace’ cherries
– 80 g of 85% cocoa dark chocolate, shaved into fine chips with a knife
– 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla essence
– 80 g pine nuts, chopped, then roasted for 2 minutes @ 180°C in a fan-forced oven
– 250g softened margarine
– 2 tablespoons of icing sugar
Ingredients for Icing:
– 125g butter, softened
– 1 tablespoon light cream
– 1.5 cups icing sugar mixture
Decorating ingredients:
– 80 grams glace’ cherries, sliced in half
– 65 grams dark chocolate, melted in a bain marie
– 25 grams of white chocolate, melted in a bain marie
– 50 grams raw pine nuts
Method for the icing:
Using an electric beater, beat butter in a bowl until an off-white/pale yellow colour. Add icing sugar mixture, 20 grams at a time, beating until all incorporated. Add your cream at the end, then beat well until thick again (should only take a few seconds). Cover with cling film, then place in refrigerator, until you are ready to decorate your cake.
Method for the Cake:
– Preheat the oven to 180°C
– Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs, lemon rind, vanilla essence for 4 minutes, or until mixture has a smooth consistency. Fold in the flour with a large metal spoon. This step is important, as you want as much air as possible into this sponge.
– Grease your spring form medium-sized cake pan well with butter, then pour this aerated sponge mixture goodness in.
– Cook your sponge for 20 minutes, or until a fork or a cake tester does not have any raw mixture on it, once inserted. If there is still raw mixture on the cake tester, once the 20 minutes have passed, then place in the oven for another three minutes, then switch the oven to ‘off.’ The residual heat will continue to cook this sponge.
– Once cooked, place on a wire rack to cool thoroughly. If the weather is mild, this should take between thirty minutes to one hour.
– Once your cake is completely cooled, break the sponge into very small pieces in a large metal bowl. Shake all your whisky all over this sponge, ensuring even distribution. Add your chopped and roasted pine nuts, dark chocolate chips and glace’ cherries. Use your large metal spoon to really give this mixture a good stir.
– Using an electric beater, beat your margarine and sugar together, until a thick and smooth mixture has formed, then pour all your vermouth in. Beat altogether, until all the vermouth has been incorporated.
– Grap your favourite mould. This mould must hold at least one litre of content, for aesthetic purposes. Heavily grease the inside of your mould with butter. Pour all your mixture into this mould, ensuring you compact as you go. Cover your mould and mould mixture, then set in the fridge for only 5-10 minutes. You read right 🙂
– Gently and patiently, allow gravity to be on your side, as you empty the contents from the mould, onto your serving platter or large plate.
– Now its time to decorate! Let the Maltese Carnival begin!
Compiling the Beauty:
– Once your moulded cake mixture has been placed onto your plate, you will need to grab your icing, as compiled previously, then cover your cake with this. You can use a spatula to really ensure you have a pretty finish to your cake.
– Once your icing has been evenly spread, covering the outside of your cake, you will need to bring out your inner child and decorate like an artist!
– Working quickly at this stage, in order to prevent the icing mixture from drying, completely stud the iced cake with your pine nuts. Then, grab your cherries and gently and randomly, stud your iced cake with these as well.
– Bring some hot water to the simmer, in a medium-sized pot. Place your large metal bow over this simmering water, then break up your dark chocolate and place in the bowl. Allow the chocolate to melt completely, stirring constantly, in order to prevent it from burning. Artistically, pour this melted goodness allover your cake, making your artistic imprint on it, however you like it!
– Keep the same hot water on the simmer, then clean your bowl. Now, do the same as you did with the dark chocolate, as per the white chocolate now. Once your white chocolate has completely melted, artistically drizzle this on top of all your cake. The white chocolate should be the last one on the cake.
– Grab a bottle of vermouth, then pour into a petite glass. Admire your creation, then place in the refrigerator overnight in an airtight container, for the flavours to infuse.
– Enjoy the next day with your favourite drink, then let the carnival begin!
Serves a tribe!
Enjoy!
Karina x
FOOD IS LIFE! 
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