Strawberry & Kumquat Mini Trifles with Freda DeKnight’s Everyday Cake
I’ve been enjoying the Culinary Cookbook Celebration of Black History series so far and I hope you have too! Today’s recipe is the first where I’m selecting a foundational recipe from one of the cookbooks and turning it into something brand new. We recently learned all about The Ebony Cookbook by Freda DeKnight and the selected recipe was the Everyday Cake. This cake is truly versatile due to its lightness and strength, as well as its ability to pair well with various ingredients. Because of these characteristics, I knew it would be perfect to make Strawberry and Kumquat Mini Trifles!
Since it’s Winter here in Okinawa, Japan, it’s time for Ichigo season! Ichigo is the word for strawberry in Nihongo (Japanese). It’s also the season for harvesting citrus fruits like Kumquats, which are the cutest little gems that you can eat whole because they have sweet peels. Strawberries and Kumquats pair very well together so I knew they would be delicious with the Everyday Cake!
The first thing you want to do is to begin macerating the strawberries and kumquats. The technique of maceration is simply mixing fruit with sugar and letting it sit for a specified amount of time. Doing this pulls out the liquid from the fruit, creating a delicious syrup and it also softens the texture of the fruit. For this dish, we are going to macerate the fruit with sugar, mint, and cordials/liqueurs of elderflower and strawberry. These cordials/liqueurs along with a touch of mint act as a way to elevate the flavors of this dessert to even higher heights! Toss it all together in a bowl, cover it, and let it sit in the refrigerator.
Next, you want to make the Everyday Cake as this allows enough time for the fruit to macerate fully. The recipe for this cake is located originally in The Ebony Cookbook by Freda Deknight on pages 291-292. I’ve also included photos of the recipe for your convenience below. ***Note: check on the cake between 25-30 mins into baking it. I’ve noticed this cake tends to finish cooking faster than the original time frame of 55-60 mins. Use a toothpick to check the center and if it comes out clean along with having a slightly browned top, the cake is done. I noticed that stopping it earlier made for a fluffier cake that’s perfect for eating as is.
While the cake is in the oven, this is the ideal time to make some fresh whipped cream for the trifles. I previously made a delicious recipe of Fresh Whipped Cream with Lemon Zest (<--- click here), which will be perfect for this dessert!
I decided to make mini trifles that can be served in elegant, single-sized servings, so I used stemless wine glasses to hold the dessert. It looks beautiful and it’s much easier to experience it as a personal indulgence. After the cake has cooled, cut it into 2-inch squares and gather your macerated fruit and whipped cream so you can begin assembling the mini trifles. Start by adding 1 layer of cake to the bottom of the glass. You can break the cake into smaller pieces to fill in the open spots. Next, add in about 2 tablespoons of the fruit mixture on top of the cake layer. Feel free to add a little more to ensure it covers the cake pieces. Now add about 2 dollops of the whipped cream on top of the fruit and then repeat the process about 1-2 more times until you reach the top of the glass. Finish it off with whipped cream and garnish it with a slice of strawberry, kumquat, and a sprig of mint. Now serve this delicious treat to the ones you love!
That’s it for the first foundational recipe transformation! The full recipe with details is below and I hope you enjoy it! I look forward to your thoughts here in the comments below, email, and on social media. Take care of yourselves, love each other and stay tuned for the next book called Creole Feast: 15 Master Chefs of New Orleans Reveal Their Secrets! See you soon!
-Shari :)
Strawberry & Kumquat Mini Trifles with Freda DeKnight’s Everyday Cake
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 Everyday Cake (recipe in the above photos and on pages 291-292 in The Ebony Cookbook
4 cups strawberries, sliced lengthwise + 4-6 extra slices for garnish
1 ½ cups kumquats, thinly sliced into rounds + 4-6 extra slices for garnish
3 Tbsp mint, roughly chopped + 4-6 sprigs or leaves for garnish
½ cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp elderflower cordial/liqueur
1 Tsp strawberry cordial/liqueur
3-4 cups fresh whipped cream with lemon zest (<---click here for recipe)
Directions
Slice the strawberries lengthwise and the kumquats into thinly sliced rounds. After cutting 2 or 3 slices of the kumquat, remove the seeds with a toothpick and continue slicing. Be sure to save 4-6 slices of each fruit for garnish later.
To a medium-sized bowl, add the sliced strawberries and kumquats, chopped mint, sugar, as well as the elderflower and strawberry cordials/liqueurs.
Toss gently, cover, and place in the refrigerator to allow the fruit to macerate and create a syrup.
Next, you want to make the Everyday Cake as this allows enough time for the fruit to macerate fully. The recipe for this cake is located in the photos above as well as in The Ebony Cookbook by Freda Deknight on pages 291-292.
***Note: check on the cake between 25-30 mins into baking it. I’ve noticed this cake tends to finish cooking faster than the original time frame of 55-60 mins. Use a toothpick to check the center and if it comes out clean along with having a slightly browned top, the cake is done.
While the cake is in the oven, make the fresh whipped cream. I previously made a delicious recipe of Fresh Whipped Cream with Lemon Zest (<--- click here), that pairs perfectly with this dessert. Place in the refrigerator until it’s time to use the whipped cream.
***Note: When making the whipped cream, stop whipping a little earlier so you have softer peaks that are slightly pourable. You want the whipped cream to slide off the spoon in a dollop fashion.
Once the cake is finished, allow it to cook for about 30 mins to an hour. After the cake has cooled fully, cut it into 2-inch squares.
Collect 4-6 stemless wine glasses then gather your Everyday Cake squares, macerated fruit, and whipped cream so you can begin assembling the mini trifles.
Start by adding 1 layer of cake to the bottom of the glass. You can break the cake squares by hand into smaller pieces in order to fill in the open spots.
Next, add in about 2 tablespoons of the fruit mixture on top of the cake layer. Feel free to add a little more to ensure it covers the cake pieces and drizzle some of the syrup on the cake
Next, add about 2 dollops of the whipped cream on top of the fruit and then repeat the process about 1-2 more times until you reach the top of the glass.
Finish it off with whipped cream and top with a slice of strawberry and kumquat along with a sprig of mint. Serve this delicious treat immediately to the ones you love!
Notes
You can swap out the liqueurs for cordials and vice versa. Cordials are alcohol-free sweetened syrups and liqueurs are liquor-based sweetened syrups. Each of these will give your dessert the same elevated flavor profile.
***Note: Watch the time when you’re baking the Everyday Cake as it seems to finish cooking earlier than the 55-60mins that the original recipe calls for. Check the cake with a toothpick in the center at around 25-30 mins. If it comes out clean and the top is lightly browned, take it out of the oven.
