Vruchtentaart met vla ... it's Dutch for fruitcake with custard, for if I should call it fruitcake, one would expect the old English classic. Not this one, though. This is a refreshing summery cake, enriched with cool thick custard and accented with summer's bounty: kiwis, strawberries, blackberries and canteloupes.



Tante Lily came to cook in our place one day and made a cake such as this for Mama's birthday, one of the many desserts for the buffet. This cake stole the show, not only because it was light and fruity, desirable qualities of desserts in the tropics, but also because it was decadent in its own way, rich with custard, unlike the many other buttercreamed cakes on the table.



There is a light coating of agar on top of the fruits which serves to plant the fruits firmly on the cake, preventing an avalanche as you slice into it, and also to prevent the fruits from drying out and discolouring. You definitely want to start making the agar after the cake has been fully assembled. It's an added bother, but will definitely extend the aesthetics of your baked good.

Vanilla Cake
Ingredients:
2 tsp cream of tartar
50 g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
150 g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
250 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tsp vanilla extract
200 g (1-2/3 cup) all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder

Directions:
1. Butter and line 3 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper on the bottom.
2. Preheat the oven to 175C or 350F.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until it starts to froth.
4. Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and continue whisking until soft peaks form.
5. At this stage, start adding the 50 g of sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until the egg whites come to stiff glossy peaks.
6. Transfer this meringue to another clean, large bowl.

7. Replace the whisk with a flat beater and give the bowl a good wipe, then beat together the butter and 150 g of sugar for about 10-15 minutes, till pale and fluffy.
8. While waiting, sift the flour with the baking powder into a medium bowl.

9. To the butter and sugar mixture, add the yolks, one at a time on a slower speed, followed with the vanilla extract.
10. On the slowest speed, add the flour in four additions, mixing just until no visible lumps remain.

11. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, and with a wooden spoon or a large spatula, fold a third of the egg whites to the batter.
12. Gently fold the rest of the meringue in.
13. Divide the batter among the cake pans, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
I placed one on the top rack and two on the lower rack, swapping them after they have risen.
14. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before inverting it on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Custard
Ingredients:
50 g (4 heaping tbsp) custard powder
1000 ml (4 cups) UHT milk
100 g (1/2 cup) sugar, or to taste
1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, boil custard powder and milk.
2. Add vanilla and sugar, stirring constantly.
3. When done, turn off heat and cool in a larger pan filled with cold water, keep stirring so as not to set the custard.

Agar Glaze
Ingredients:
10 g (1 pack) clear Agar (I use Swallow)
720 ml (3 cups) water
25 g (2 tbsp) sugar

Directions:
Make agar only when cake is assembled.
1. In a small saucepan, combine agar with cold water and sugar.
2. Cook till it boils.
3. Turn off the heat, keep stirring so it doesn't coagulate.

Assembling
Ingredients:
4 cups of cut peaches, plums, cherries, pineapples, strawberries, blueberries, or the like.

Directions:
1. Invert one cake layer onto a serving platter.
2. Spread a little less than a third of the custard on top.
3. If desired, place half a cup of fruit (diced small) on the top of the custard.
4. Top with the second cake layer.

5. Repeat layering with the same amount of custard earlier and optional fruit.
6. Place the last cake layer on top.
7. Pour and spread the rest of the custard on top, letting it drip over the sides.
Work quickly, this stuff can set and thicken.
8. Arrange the rest of the fruit on top of the custard.

9. At this time, the agar glaze can be made, stir to cool, then slowly pour on top of the fruit and to the sides to set the fruit and prevent them from discolouring.
10. Refrigerate a few hours or overnight.

Just when I thought you can't push the envelope on a classic banana chocolate chip muffin. You can!

I promise you, this will be your new go-to recipe for bringing to school, work, friends, or whipping up when you have a craving at midnight. This recipe makes 24 awesome muffins. Rightly so. Because you can always freeze them, you know? Not that there will be a shortage of peeps you can share it with. Really, it's just banana and baking stuff, not something super fancy, so please share the love. There has not been an ungrateful soul so far, except those trying to stick to their keto diet. LOL!

Ingredients:
Crumb:
50 g (<1/4 cup) light brown sugar
60 g (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
Pinch of ground cinnamon
42 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter

Muffins:
420 g (3-1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
6 ripe bananas, mashed
100 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
165 g (2/3 cup) unsalted butter, melted
350 g (2 cups) chocolate chunks

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine all the crumb ingredients.
2. Work them together by pinching them between your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse wet sand.
3. Place the bowl in the fridge while preparing the muffins.

4. Preheat the oven to 175C or 250F.
5. Line 2 muffin pans with cupcake or muffin liners.

6. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
7. In a medium bowl, whisk the mashed bananas, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and butter.
8. Fold the flour into the banana mixture, then add the chocolate chunks, mixing until just combined.
9. Fill the paper liners up to 2/3 full.
10. Sprinkle the crumb mixture on top of the muffins.
11. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden, rotating the pans between the oven shelves about 15 minutes into baking when the muffins have risen.
12. Transfer to a wire rack when safe to handle and let cool.

By the way, if you're not a fan of the crunchy crumbly topping and prefer to have a classic, try my ever-so-popular banana chocolate chunk muffins instead :)

And as always, bake with love!