Happy Birthday Jeff ! ( Strawberry Cake, Diplomat Cake, Yule Log and Orange Cheesecake )

At the beginning of June we celebrated Jeff's Birthday. He got spoiled by what I would say it is 4 birthday cakes.
His Mom makes him a Strawberry Cake every year and this summer was no exception - and I got to taste it ! Just delicious ! And it looked so good ! And Pink !


Now let's go on to the other cakes.
The one called Diplomat Cake consists of lady fingers with a whipped cream filling that has a kick to it.
It has gelatin softened in orange juice and then mixed in.


The chocolate drizzled on top is Jeff's fav - semi sweet morsels/chocolate chips melted on a double boiler.
The Yule Log is one of my fav cakes, as mom used to make it every now and then when I was a little girl.

It has the same whipped cream filling as the cake and it is so light and yummy.
Now the orange cheesecake has been made using this recipe.


It is so rich and creamy, you will ask for a second serving soon !


I also went on and played with the candied orange slices.


I chose to make a cheesecake instead of what I would have called a layer cake only because I know Jeff likes cheesecakes so much.

Here's the recipe for the Classic Diplomat Cake.
Ingredients for the cream filling:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs, divided
500 ml heavy cream (2 cups and 1/3)
vanilla
3 envelopes of unflavored gelatin or 20-21 gr (I use Knox and each envelope has 7 gr)
1/2 cup orange juice or the juice from any fruit you like

Directions:
Let the gelatin soften in the orange juice for 30 minutes, then put the cup of gelatin in a sauce pan that has hot water and keep it on the stove, stirring the gelatin for 5-7 minute until completely dissolved.
Set aside to cool off, just don't put it in the fridge, as it will harden.
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until yellow pale then add the milk and keep over medium heat until they thicken a bit then put in the refrigerator to cool off.
Whip the cream and set aside in the refrigerator.
Beat the egg whites with 1 teaspoon of sugar and the vanilla until hard peaks form then mix with the whipped cream.
By this time the gelatin and the yolks mixture should be cold/room temperature.
Add the gelatin to the yolks and stir to combine.
Pour it over the cream folding gently but quickly to combine, keeping in mind that the gelating will set very fast as soon as it hits the cold cream.
At this point you really need to pour this over lady fingers, which in my case were apple cinnamon muffin mix shaped into fingers.
You can also add fruit to the filling if you wish.
If you feel like playing or being creative, you can do what most people do: line a spring pan with plastic foil, place some fruit (usually pineapple slices) on the bottom of the pan and on the edges then pour some filling mix, lay some lady fingers or skip this step then add some more filling until the pan is full.
Cover with more plastic and let set in the frige for at least 2-4 hours.
When ready to serve, invert it onto a nice serving plate and discard the foil.


It will look cute and it will taste so good !
Or you can use more lady fingers like I did and skip the foil and the fruit in the cream mix.


The Yule Log Recipe

I have here the quantities for 2 medium size logs:
10 eggs, divided
10 TBSP sugar
10 TBSP flour

Directions:
Beat the egg yolks with half of the sugar until they turn a pale yellow and set aside.
Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks with the rest of the sugar.
At this point you will need to combine the two, folding carefully.
Add the flour at the end, just sifting it lightly.
Butter or oil 2 cookie sheets with rim and sprinkle flour over or line them with parchment paper.
Spread the mix evenly in the 2 sheets (I would recommend using sheets that measure something like 18x12 inch or so) and bake at 375 for approx 10 minutes or until a wooden stick comes out clean and the batter looks golden.
When done, remove from the cookie sheet and place on aluminum foil and sprinkle with some orange juice .
Spread some of that whipped cream mixture you have the recipe for above, leaving 1-2 inches clean at the edge and roll using the aluminum foil.
Make sure it is wrapped tight and let it sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours before you cut it.
I discarded the foil and placed it on a baking sheet an drizzle with some melted chocolate.


At this point you can also cover it entirely in whipped cream, chocolate or icing and decorate it any way you like.
Enjoy and email me or leave a comment here if you have any problems with anything.


Don't these all look just so yummy ?