This cake with figs and peaches is a showstopper at any party! Peach layer cake with cream cheese frosting, decorated with homemade tempered chocolate shards, fresh and dry fruits. Perfect Birthday or Wedding cake.
Whip eggs with sugar for 15-20 min until pale and triple in size. I recommend preparing one sponge at a time. Or use multiple stand mixers.
6 eggs, 180 g sugar, 4 eggs, 120 g sugar
Sift in flour in two batches and gently and slowly fold into the eggs.
180 g flour, 120 g flour
Layer the bottom of 2 x 8 inch / 20 cm spring form pans and 2 x 9.5 inch / 24 cm with parchment paper. Grease the edges with shortening, and, preferably dust with flour. Remove the excess flour.
Pour batter into prepared spring form pans.
Bake about 30-40 min smaller sponges and 50-60 min bigger sponges until top is golden and inserted wooden skewer comes out clean. Don’t open the oven door for at least 30 minutes!!!
Preferably cool the sponges in slightly open oven for 10 minutes.
Cool the sponge in the room temperature for 20 minutes, then release the edges of the pan and remove parchment paper.
Peach and fig jam:
Cut peaches and figs in chunks. Add water and fruits in pot. Add sugar, spices, lemon juice and cook until bubbles. Set the gas lower and cook 15 minutes more until fruits are soft and easy to cut with knife. Let it cool. Leave 6 tbsp if fruits aside, other – blend until smooth.
6 peaches, 4 figs, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Cream filling:
Start with whisking butter until it is soft and fluffy (use mixer with a whisk attachment). Slowly add Turkish yogurt, Vanilla cream powder, chai spices and 2 tbsp of fig and peach jam that you blended before. When everything is smooth, chill it in the fridge.* If your cream is too runny, start adding powdered sugar or more Vanilla cream powder until your consistency is spreadable. You can also use half cream cheese and half Greek yogurt instead of Turkish yogurt.
650 g Turkish yogurt, 400 g unsalted butter, 5 tsp vanilla cream powder, 1 tbs chai spices
Frosting:
Whip heavy cream until it is thick (around 5 minutes) leave in the fridge.
400 ml heavy cream
Whisk butter with sugar until fluffy and pale (use mixer with whist attachment).
200 g unsalted butter, 10 tbsp icing sugar
Add cream cheese and Vanilla cream powder and whisk just until combined.
1600 g cream cheese, 10 tbsp vanilla cream powder
Using a spatula, fold in whipped cream. Let it chill in the fridge.
*If your frosting is too soft after chilling, add more cream cheese and icing sugar (use 1/2 tbsp icing and 50 g cream cheese).
Assembling:
You will need to cut every sponge in half lengthwise.
Start assembling bigger sponges. Put first sponge on a cake stand. Put 2-3 tbsp of fig and peach jam in the middle. Put few fruits in the middle. Spread cream filling around to the edges. Put another sponge on top. Repeat until the last sponge.
Start frosting the cake, then leave in the fridge.
Do the same steps with smaller sponge cake. And leave in the fridge.
Cover bigger cake with another layer of frosting until it is even and white. Insert 3 straws in center of the cake.
Chocolate decoration
Temper the chocolate. Place 70 % of good quality dark chocolate on a double boiler (a pot with boiling water with heat proof bowl on top). Set your food thermometer (46 C / 115 F) and melt it, stirring, until it reaches needed temperature. Then immediately remove it from heat and add remaining dark chocolate. Keep stirring. Reset your thermometer (31 C / 88 F). Stir until the chocolate cools and reaches needed temperature. You can use ice bath and save you time.
1 kg dark chocolate
Spread chocolate on 2 baking trays, layered with parchment paper. Spread evenly with off-set spatula or cake server.
Mix sugar with milk until it is thick liquid. Dip baker brush and sprinkle and drizzle all over the chocolate like drawing. Let it set completely or overnight.
1 cup icing sugar, 2 tbsp milk
Crush tempered chocolate with your hands and insert in the cake (see photos in the post). Decorate with fruits, berries and sprinkle dried strawberries on top.
2 cups mixed fruits, 1-2 tsp dried strawberries
Notes
I recommend using kitchen scales to weight all ingredients in grams for more precision.