Stars and Stripes
- 1 recipe 9-inch Juniors Sponge Cake Crust
- Four 8-ounce packages cream cheese (use only full fat), at room temperature
- 1 2/3 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 extra-large eggs
- 3/4 cup heavy or Whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon unflavored granulated gelatin
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 3 cups cold heavy or Whipping cream
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 half-pints fresh raspberries (about 6 ounces each)
- 1 half-pint fresh blueberries (about 6 ounces)
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
- Wrap the outside with aluminum foil, covering the bottom and extending all the way up the sides.
- Make and bake the sponge cake crust and leave it in the pan.
- Keep the oven on.
- Put one package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl a couple of times.
- Blend in the remaining cream cheese, one package at a time, stopping to scrape down the bowl after each one.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat in the remaining 1 1/3 cups sugar, then the vanilla.
- Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after adding each one.
- Beat in the cream only until completely blended.
- Be careful not to overmix!
- Gently spoon the cheese filling over the crust.
- Place in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the springform.
- Bake until the edges are light golden brown and the top is slightly golden tan, about 1 1/4 hours.
- Remove the cake from the water bath, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool for 2 hours (just walk away-dont move it).
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cold, preferably overnight or for at least 4 hours.
- Transfer to the freezer for at least 2 hours or until ready to decorate the cake (the frosting will set faster and be easier to handle on the slightly frozen cake).
- To decorate, release and remove the sides of the springform, leaving the cake on the bottom of the pan.
- Place on a cake plate.
- Make the frosting: Place the gelatin in a heatproof measuring cup, stir in the cold water, and let stand until it swells and thickens.
- Cook in the microwave on high for about 30 seconds or over a pan of simmering water for about 1 minute, until clear and completely melted.
- In a medium-size bowl, whip the cream with the mixer on high until it thickens and soft peaks just begin to form.
- With the mixer still running, add the sugar and beat just until the cream stands up in peaks (dont overmix or the cream will curdle).
- Beat in the vanilla.
- Add the melted gelatin all at once and beat until thoroughly incorporated.
- Transfer about half the frosting to a separate small bowl and refrigerate while you frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.
- Fit a pastry bag with a medium closed-star tip (#31) or medium open-star tip (#32), fill with some of the reserved frosting, and pipe rosettes (page 26) around the edge of the cake bottom, if you wish.
- To make the flag on top, place three straight horizontal rows of raspberries, pointed ends up, about 7 inches long across the bottom half of the cake and three 3 1/2-inch lines in the top right-hand corner.
- Create a 3-inch blue square with the blueberries as the background for the stars in the upper left-hand corner of the cake.
- Then pipe whipped-cream stars (as many as 50 if you like) in between and on top of the blueberries, using a small open-star tip (#15).
- Refrigerate until cold and set, at least 2 hours, or until ready to serve.
- Slice with a sharp straight-edge knife, not a serrated one.
- Cover any leftover cake and refrigerate.
- Do not freeze this cake.
juniors, cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, eggs, cream, gelatin, cold water, cold heavy, sugar, vanilla, fresh raspberries, blueberries
Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/stars-and-stripes (may not work)