Custard Cake Recipe (Kremsnita Cake from Croatia)

Posted on by The Foreign Fork
Piece of custard cake with fork going in

This Custard Cake, also called Kremsnita Cake in Croatia, is a beautiful cake made with layers of puff pastry, custard, and whipped cream. It is light, airy, and creamy. This is perfect for celebrating any occasion!

One of my favorite parts about cooking a meal from every country in the world is cooking the dessert that comes along with it. Dessert is (obviously!) the best part of every meal. And I’ve had so much fun experimenting with cooking the different desserts that the world has created.

I never got to try Kremsnita Cake while I was in Croatia. In fact, I distinctly remember having a hard time in Split finding ANY uniquely Croatian dessert. I had some of the best gelato I’ve ever had in my life in Croatia, but I couldn’t find any desserts that were purely Croatian.

I must not have been looking in the right places, because they clearly exist! Take, for example, this Kremsnita cake. It’s unique in design, and so darn delicious! I had so much fun experimenting with this cake for you, and I can’t wait for you to try it at home!

What is Custard Cake?

Kremsnita cake is a delicious rendition of custard cake. It’s made with two sheets of puff pastry. Then, you use your stove to make a thick, creamy custard. The custard layer goes on top of the bottom puff pastry layer.

Then, you spread on homemade whipped cream. Then, the final puff pastry layer goes on top.

The cake is delicate, light, and so very delicious! I would recommend a two-day process for making it, as you really want to make sure that the custard is set all the way before serving.

3 photos of custard layer cake

What Ingredients Do I Need to Make this Custard Cake?

Whole milk 
Eggs
Granulated sugar
White flour
Vanilla extract 
Puff Pastry sheets
Heavy whipping cream

For full ingredient measurements and instructions, visit the recipe card at the bottom of the page

How to Make Custard Cake

I’ll admit, I was nervous to make Kremsnita cake on my own, as I wasn’t really sure that I knew exactly how it was supposed to turn out. For this experience, I used Better Baking Bible’s recipe. It turned out beautifully, and I am so grateful that I had her recipe to follow!  Here are the steps I followed:

Thaw puff pastry according to package instructions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Cover two open air cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place a puff pastry sheet on each cookie sheet and put in the oven. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, until the puff pastry sheets puff up and start to brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. 

Separate each of the eggs, placing yolks in one large bowl and whites in another. 

In the yolk bowl, mix in 1 ½ cups granulated sugar with an electric beater until light and fluffy. Add in the flour, vanilla extract, and 1 cup of milk until combined. 

In a large pot on the stove, heat the remaining 3 cups of whole milk until boiling, whisking occasionally to keep the milk from burning. Once boiling, whisk in the egg yolk mixture and whisk for about 10 minutes, until the consistency thickens to that of pudding. Remove the custard mixture from the heat and set aside. 

In a separate bowl, use an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer to beat the egg whites until stiff. 

Use a rubber spatula to fold the egg whites into the custard mixture. Fold carefully, as you don’t want to deflate the egg whites when combining them with the custard. Fold gently until all egg-white streaks are gone. 

Custard cake on a plate

Assembly Instructions

In a 10×10 pan, lay one puff pastry sheet on the bottom. If you don’t have a 10×10 pan, follow the instructions above to make a pan the correct size. 

Pour the custard on top of the bottom layer of puff pastry. Put in the fridge and allow to rest for 3 hours. 

When the custard has cooled, combine the heavy whipping cream and sugar in a chilled bowl. Use an electric stand mixer or a hand mixer and beat on high speed until whipped cream forms. Spread the whipped cream on top of the custard layer. 

Use a knife to cut the top puff pastry sheet into 16 equal squares. Place on top of the whipped cream layer. Cut into pieces and enjoy! 

Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you thought!

custard cake with roses in the background

Do I Have to Make my Own Whipped Cream?

Not at all! If you don’t want to spend your time making whipped cream, you can instead use cool whip to replace the homemade whipped cream. I, of course, am partial to the homemade kind, as I think it’s absolutely delicious!

But sometimes, I just don’t have it in me to hand-make everything. If that’s the case and you’re not feeling the desire to cook, you can use cool whip. Shhhh I won’t tell 😉

What Happens if I Don’t Have a 10×10 Pan?

This recipe is, by and far, easier if you have a 10×10 pan to put the cake in. Unfortunately, I only had a 8×8 pan for a 9×13 pan to use! The 8×8 was too small, so I needed to use the 9×13.

I had a problem.

Of course, you need the pan to be only as large as the puff pastry sheets in order for the custard to hold the correct shape.

My solution to the issue was to use aluminum foil to make the pan that size that I wanted. I gathered up a long sheet of aluminum foil and folded it a couple of times so that it was really thick. Then, I turned it into a horizontal L shape. I put the short leg of the L against the bottom of the pan, and then used the longer, taller side of the L to form an entirely new edge of the pan.

This effectively turned my 9×13 pan into a 9×10 pan, which is exactly what I needed!

If you need help understanding the way I explained this, see the photos below 🙂

That’s it, everyone! Did you like this recipe for Custard Cake? If so, leave a comment on this post letting me know! Also, post a photo of your creation on Facebook or Instagram and tag @TheForeignFork and hashtag #TheForeignFork.

If you liked this recipe, you might also like these other dishes I picked out just for you:

Custard Cake
Piece of custard cake with fork going in
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Custard Cake

This Custard Cake, also called Kremsnita Cake in Croatia, is a beautiful cake made with layers of puff pastry, custard, and whipped cream. It is light, airy, and creamy. This is perfect for celebrating any occasion!

Course cake, Dessert
Cuisine croatia, croatian
Prep Time 40 minutes
Servings 16 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 ¼ cups white flour
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 Puff Pastry sheets
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar

Instructions

  1. Thaw puff pastry according to package instructions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Cover two open air cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place a puff pastry sheet on each cookie sheet and put in the oven. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, until the puff pastry sheets puff up and start to brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.
  3. Separate each of the eggs, placing yolks in one large bowl and whites in another.
  4. In the yolk bowl, mix in 1 ½ cups granulated sugar with an electric beater until light and fluffy. Add in the flour, vanilla extract, and 1 cup of milk until combined.
  5. In a large pot on the stove, heat the remaining 3 cups of whole milk until boiling, whisking occasionally to keep the milk from burning. Once boiling, whisk in the egg yolk mixture and whisk for about 10 minutes, until the consistency thickens to that of pudding. Remove the custard mixture from the heat and set aside.
  6. In a separate bowl, use an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer to beat the egg whites until stiff.
  7. Use a rubber spatula to fold the egg whites into the custard mixture. Fold carefully, as you don’t want to deflate the egg whites when combining them with the custard. Fold gently until all egg-white streaks are gone.
  8. In a 10×10 pan, lay one puff pastry sheet on the bottom. If you don’t have a 10×10 pan, follow the instructions above to make a pan the correct size.
  9. Pour the custard on top of the bottom layer of puff pastry. Put in the fridge and allow to rest for 3 hours.
  10. When the custard has cooled, combine the heavy whipping cream and sugar in a chilled bowl. Use an electric stand mixer or a hand mixer and beat on high speed until whipped cream forms. Spread the whipped cream on top of the custard layer.
  11. Use a knife to cut the top puff pastry sheet into 16 equal squares. Place on top of the whipped cream layer. Cut into pieces and enjoy!
  12. Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you thought!

Recipe Notes

Recipe from Better Baking Bible. 

Honey Cake Recipe

Posted on by The Foreign Fork
Honey Cake Recipe

This Honey Cake Recipe is perfect for a spring dessert. If you want a light and sunshine-y dessert to celebrate some warmer weather, this honey cake is the way to do it! The sheet cake can then be topped with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting for a delightful finish! 

You guys are in for a treat today!! I’ve been thinking about making this Honey Cake Recipe for quite some time, but I’ve been putting it off. Finding the time to bake a brand new recipe from scratch is difficult.

Plus, it’s a little intimidating! I’m not a big fan of making up baked good recipes.

The first time I made the Honey Cake Recipe, it didn’t turn out great. It wasn’t very sweet and the texture was similar to that of cornbread.

It took me a week to get up my courage again, but finally, I got into the kitchen, tweaked the recipe, and tried again. During this second try, I used Baking Sense’s Vanilla Butter Cake recipe as a base, but added my own wonderful Honey twist to it! The cake turned out beautifully, and I’m so excited to share it with you all today!

Honey cake with piece of cake

Where did Honey Cake Originate? 

This recipe for honey cake is not a cultural recipe, however, as someone that is cooking one meal from every country in the world, I was interested in the actual history of Honey Cake!

Russia has a version of Honey Cake, Medovik, that originated in the early 19th century. The Empress Elizabeth, wife of Emperor Alexander 1, absolutely hated honey and couldn’t stand anything made with it. 

However, one day a new chef was in the palace and didn’t yet know of her distaste for the ingredient. He made a version of honey cake, and fed it to the empress without telling her what was inside. She LOVED the recipe! 

This version of honey cake is not the same as Medovik. Medovik is a layer cake with cream in between the layers. However, the bases of the recipes are the same. Honey and sour cream/yogurt form the base of these beautiful cakes. 

slice of honey cake with honey comb

What Ingredients are in this Recipe? 

Egg yolks 
Greek yogurt
Honey 
Vanilla
All-purpose flour
Cornstarch
Granulated Sugar
Baking Powder
Salt
Baking Soda
Unsalted Butter
Egg Whites

How do You Make this Honey Cake Recipe from Scratch? 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 glass pan with nonstick spray. 

In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup of honey with the egg yolks, the yogurt and the vanilla. Whisk it together until smooth. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, sift together ¾ cup sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix to combine. 

Add the butter to the flour mixture and mix with an electric mixer until butter is incorporated and the batter looks crumbly. Add the other 1/3 cup honey to the mixture. Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes until the batter lightens. 

Add the egg yolk mixture ½ at a time, scraping the sides between each half. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites on high until they form soft peaks. Add in the 2 tbsp of sugar and beat on high until stiff peaks form. Mix the egg whites gently into the batter, folding until you can’t see the whites anymore. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Top with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting. Enjoy! 

bowl of honey cream cheese frosting

How Should I Top my Honey Cake? 

You can top your honey cake with anything you’d like! You can eat it plain, top it with powdered sugar, or make a honey syrup to pour over the top! 

My best suggestion, though, would be to make a Honey Cream Cheese Frosting to go on top. I developed this frosting recipe specifically to go with this Honey Cake Recipe and it will not disappoint! The frosting is delicious…. It’s sweet and tangy and wonderfully thick and creamy.  

I would recommend covering your cake in Honey Cream Cheese Frosting and then drizzling a little bit more honey on top of the frosting. Divine!!

How Long Can You Keep this Cake? 

Your honey cake will start to harden after about 3-4 days. It’s best when eaten within a few days of making if you want it to taste fresh. However, you can keep it for up to a week. 

Additionally, if you make the cake with the Honey Cream Cheese Frosting, be sure to eat it within a week. Also make sure to store the cake in the fridge if you have topped it with the frosting, as the dairy in the recipe can go bad if left on the counter for too long! 

If you liked this recipe, make sure to post a photo on Facebook or Instagram so that I can see! And please leave a review on this page to let me know what you think 🙂 

Honey Cake Recipe
Honey Cake Recipe
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Honey Cake Recipe

This Honey Cake Recipe is perfect for a spring dessert. If you want a light and sunshine-y dessert to celebrate some warmer weather, this honey cake is the way to do it! The sheet cake can then be topped with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting for a delightful finish!

Course baking, cake, Dessert
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 20 servings

Ingredients

  • 6 large egg yolks at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup greek yogurt at room temperature
  • ⅔ cup honey separated in half
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 3 large egg whites at room temperature
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 glass pan with nonstick spray.
  2. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup of honey with the egg yolks, the yogurt and the vanilla. Whisk it together until smooth. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, sift together ¾ cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix to combine.
  4. Add the butter to the flour mixture and mix with an electric mixer until butter is incorporated and the batter looks crumbly. Add the other 1/3 cup honey to the mixture. Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes until the batter lightens.
  5. Add the egg yolk mixture ½ at a time, scraping the sides between each half.
  6. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites on high until they form soft peaks. Add in the 2 tbsp of sugar and beat on high until stiff peaks form. Mix the egg whites gently into the batter, folding until you can’t see the whites anymore.
  7. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Top with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Recipe adapted from Baking Sense’s Vanilla Butter Cake Recipe 

Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on by The Foreign Fork
Bowl of honey cream cheese frosting

This Honey Cream Cheese Frosting takes the best part of cream cheese frosting and adds the sweetness of wonderful honey. This recipe is delicious with honey cake!

Does anyone else feel like the best part of homemade cake is homemade frosting? Yeah, same! But if you buy a cake from the store, forget about it. Store bought cake frosting is dis-gus-ting. Making homemade frosting makes all the difference in the world…. It’s the best part about eating cake!

I am obsessed with cream cheese frosting. Carrot cake, red velvet cake, honey cake… you name it. If it has cream cheese frosting, I’m licking my plate clean. A few days ago, I made a delicious Honey Cake. It was sweet and dense and just plain delicious!

Originally I had wanted to do a honey syrup over the top of it, but eventually I came to my senses…. This was the perfect opportunity to try a honey cream cheese frosting!

So that’s exactly what I did, ya’ll. 

Honey cake with honey cream cheese frosting

What is Honey Cream Cheese Frosting? 

Honey cream cheese frosting is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: Cream cheese frosting with honey mixed it. And oh MY YUM. 

The frosting is a bit sweeter than normal cream cheese frosting because of the extra sugar in the honey. The extra honey also makes the frosting more dense. If you want a light and fluffy frosting, this might not be the one for you. But it sure is worth the calories <3 

What Ingredients Do I Need to Make this Recipe? 

Cream cheese, softened 
Butter, softened
Honey 
Powdered sugar
Vanilla extract

For ingredient measurements and full instructions, visit the recipe card at the bottom of the page. 

cake with frosting and honey

How to Make This Recipe from Scratch? 

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy.

Add in the honey and vanilla and beat again. 

Gradually stir in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. 

Enjoy! Refrigerate if not eaten right away. 

How Can I Thicken My Cream Cheese Frosting? 

It’s rare, but sometimes your cream cheese frosting can get runny. First, double check your ingredients. If you used fat-free cream cheese, this may be the issue. The fat-free version of cream cheese uses more water and preservatives than the full-fat version. 

To fix runny cream cheese frosting, refrain from adding more sugar than the recipe calls for. This could just succeed in making your frosting far sweeter than you intended. Instead, add about 1 tbsp of cornstarch at a time, mixing between additions. This should help thicken up the frosting. 

Does Cream Cheese Frosting Have to be Refrigerated? 

Yes! Most frostings (like buttercream) do not need refrigeration to stay delicious. However, because cream cheese is the main ingredient in this recipe, you’re going to need to keep your cake in the fridge. 

Your cream cheese frosting will last 5-7 days in the fridge. You can eat it cold or allow it to come to room temperature before enjoying. 

bowl of honey cream cheese frosting

What Does Honey Cream Cheese Frosting Go With?

Well, most obviously, this recipe will go great with my recipe for honey cake! However, you can use it for anything that you would normally use cream cheese frosting for. 

This would be delicious on lemon cupcakes, carrot cake, red velvet cake, or anything else you can think of!

Did you like this recipe for Honey Cream Cheese Frosting? If so, please post a photo on Facebook or Instagram and #TheForeignFork and tag @TheForeignFork. And please leave a comment on this post letting me know what you thought!

If you like this recipe, you might also like these ones on The Foreign Fork as well: 

Bowl of honey cream cheese frosting
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Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

This Honey Cream Cheese Frosting takes the best part of cream cheese frosting and adds the sweetness of wonderful honey. This recipe is delicious with honey cake!

Course Dessert, frosting
Prep Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 8 oz packages cream cheese softened
  • ½ cup butter softened
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy.
  2. Add in the honey and vanilla and beat again.
  3. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time.
  4. Enjoy! Refrigerate if not eaten right away.

Recipe Notes

Recipe copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only. 

Swiss Roll Recipe with Raspberry Cream Filling

Posted on by The Foreign Fork
swiss roll recipe with raspberry cream

Swiss Rolls are such a fun and impressive dessert to make! Swiss cakes are made from a very thin sponge cake that are filled with cream. In this case, our Swiss Roll Recipe features a raspberry flavored cream that both fills the cake and is spread on top. 

Surprisingly, Swiss Roll cakes did not originate in Switzerland, though they are from Central Europe somewhere! I guess this problem is very similar to how French Fries are actually from Belgium. 

It is guessed that this type of cake actually originated in Austria. They’re crazy about cake over there! Swiss Roll cakes in Austria are normally filled with cream, either flavored or not. There are other versions of this cake, however. Ones in America are often filled with jelly, whereas there are South American versions that are filled with Dulce de Leche! 

Whichever way you choose to fill them, you’re going to love this Swiss Roll Recipe! If you’d prefer to use a different type of berry for your recipe, feel free to swap out the raspberries for whatever you want.

What Ingredients are In this Swiss Roll Recipe? 

Ingredients for the Swiss Roll 

Cake flour sifted
Granulated Sugar
Eggs
Vanilla
Salt

Ingredients for the Raspberry Filling 

Raspberries
Sugar 
Water 
Cornstarch 
Heavy Whipping Cream 
Powdered Sugar 
Vanilla 

Raspberry Roll recipe with raspberry cream

How to Make this Swiss Roll Recipe

How to Make the Swiss Roll

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Crisco a sheet pan, then cut a piece of parchment paper into the shape of the pan and lay it down on the bottom. Crisco the parchment paper and dust with flour.
Separate egg yolks from egg whites.
In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and ¾ cup caster sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until mixture becomes pale and thick, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (if possible, or with a hand mixer if not) beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 2 tbsp sugar. Beat again until stiff peaks form.
Fold your yolk mixture into the egg whites with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Take care to mix the ingredients, as you don’t want to stir the egg whites too roughly or they will deflate.
Once the eggs are mixed together, sift the cake flour over the eggs and fold gently to combine.
Put batter into the prepared pan and place in the oven.
Bake cake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when stuck into the middle of the cake.

Follow the instructions below for how to roll a Swiss Roll

How to Make the Filling 

In a saucepan with a heavy bottom, heat the raspberries and the granulated sugar over medium heat until the raspberries release their juices and they begin to boil slightly. This should take about 7 or so minutes. Stir so as not to burn. 

Once the raspberries are at a low boil, mix the water and the cornstarch together in a small bowl. Pour into the pot. Continue stirring the raspberries over the heat until they form the consistency of slightly watery jam. They will thicken up in the fridge. This should take about 4 minutes. 

Once the desired consistency is reached, put the jam in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, add the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Mix on high until a thick whipped cream is formed. This will take about 3-5 minutes. 

Once cooled enough, remove the jam from the fridge and lightly fold it into the cream, reserving about ¼ of the jam. 

Split the raspberry cream in half. One half is for the filling. One half is for the topping. Store in the fridge until you are ready to use it. 

How Do You Roll a Swiss Roll? 

Making sure that you roll your Swiss Roll correctly is very important. When you remove your Swiss Roll from the oven, let it rest for about 5 minutes, but NO LONGER. As soon as it is cool to touch, lay a dish towel (at least as large as your cake) out on the counter. 

Turn your cake over to remove it from its baking tray. Peel the parchment paper from the bottom. Then, roll the cake up WITH the dish towel, so that the dish towel is between all of the layers of the cake, and the cake is not touching itself. 

Rolling the cake up with the towel allows the cake to cool in the shape you want it to later take. This forms kind of a “muscle memory” in the cake, so that when you roll it with filling later, it will not crack. Allow the cake to cool completely.

Once the cake is completely cooled, unroll the cake. Spread the reserved raspberry jam across the bottom of the cake, then spread on the half of the cream mixture you reserved for the interior. Re-roll the cake without the dish towel. Then spread the remaining raspberry cream on top of the cake. 

swill roll recipe

Do I need a Swiss Roll Tin? 

A Swiss Roll tin in a large and shallow tin used to bake the sponge cake for Swiss Rolls. It is normally less than an inch deep and 9×13 inches wide with a smooth bottom. 

If you do not have a Swiss Roll tin, you do not need to go out and buy one. Make sure that you bake your cake in a light-colored colored cookie sheet that has edges. As long as you line the bottom of the cookie sheet, this should work just fine. 

I use a light-colored cookie sheet that is 1 inch deep and 12×17 in dimension, and it works perfectly for me! You can also use a 9×13 cookie sheet. 

Can I Freeze my Cake? 

Yes! Just as with a normal cake, Swiss Rolls last in the fridge for quite some time. My recommendation would be to make sure that you keep your Swiss Roll is in the fridge for no longer than 2-3 months for maximum freshness. However, it will keep a bit longer. 


Make sure to thaw your Swiss roll completely before cutting into it. You can do this for leaving it in the fridge overnight before serving. 

Thank you for reading! Did you enjoy this Swiss Roll Recipe with Raspberry Filling? If so, make sure to take a photo and post it on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #TheForeignFork and tag @TheForeignFork! And don’t forget to leave a comment on the bottom of this post letting me know what you thought!

If you liked this recipe, don’t forget to check out the other yummy cake recipes on my website: 

swiss roll recipe with raspberry cream
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Swiss Roll with Raspberry Cream

Swiss Rolls are such a fun and impressive dessert to make! Swiss cakes are made from a very thin sponge cake that are filled with cream. In this case, our Swiss Roll Recipe features a raspberry flavored cream that both fills the cake and is spread on top. 

Course cake, Dessert
Cuisine austrian, swiss
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients

Swiss Roll Recipe Ingredients

  • 1 cup Cake flour sifted
  • ¾ cup sugar Superfine sugar caster sugar + 2 tbsp
  • 5 Eggs
  • 1.5 tsp Vanilla
  • ¼ tsp Salt

Raspberry Filling Ingredients

  • 6 oz Raspberries
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp water
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 1/3 cup cream
  • 6 tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • To Bake the Cake

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Crisco a sheet pan, then cut a piece of parchment paper into the shape of the pan and lay it down on the bottom. Crisco the parchment paper and dust with flour.
  3. Separate egg yolks from egg whites.

  4. In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and ¾ cup sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until mixture becomes pale and thick, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt.

  5. In the bowl of a stand mixer (if possible, or with a hand mixer if not) beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 2 tbsp sugar. Beat again until stiff peaks form.
  6. Fold your yolk mixture into the egg whites with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Take care to mix the ingredients, as you don’t want to stir the egg whites too roughly or they will deflate.
  7. Once the eggs are mixed together, sift the cake flour over the eggs and fold gently to combine.
  8. Put batter into the prepared pan and place in the oven.
  9. Bake cake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when stuck into the middle of the cake.

To Make the Filling:

  1. In a saucepan with a heavy bottom, heat the raspberries and the granulated sugar over medium heat until the raspberries release their juices and they begin to boil slightly. This should take about 7 or so minutes. Stir so as not to burn.
  2. Once the raspberries are at a low boil, mix the water and the cornstarch together in a small bowl. Pour into the pot. Continue stirring the raspberries over the heat until they form the consistency of slightly watery jam. They will thicken up in the fridge. This should take about 4 minutes.
  3. Once the desired consistency is reached, put the jam in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, add the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Mix on high until a thick whipped cream is formed. This will take about 3-5 minutes.
  5. Once cooled enough, remove the jam from the fridge and lightly fold it into the cream, reserving about ¼ of the jam.
  6. Split the raspberry cream in half. One half is for the filling. One half is for the topping. Store in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

To Roll the Cake

  1. Making sure that you roll your Swiss Roll correctly is very important. When you remove your Swiss Roll from the oven, let it rest for about 5 minutes, but NO LONGER. As soon as it is cool to touch, lay a dish towel (at least as large as your cake) out on the counter.

  2. Turn your cake over to remove it from its baking tray. Peel the parchment paper from the bottom. Then, roll the cake up WITH the dish towel, so that the dish towel is between all of the layers of the cake, and the cake is not touching itself. Allow the cake to cool completely.

  3. Once the cake is completely cooled, unroll the cake. Spread the reserved raspberry jam across the bottom of the cake, then spread on the half of the cream mixture you reserved for the interior. Re-roll the cake without the dish towel. Then spread the remaining raspberry cream on top of the cake. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Recipe copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational and personal use only. 

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Posted on by The Foreign Fork
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

The name Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake may sound unappealing, but this cake is decadent, moist, and so delicious. Plus, it’s perfect for when you’re running low on supplies and don’t want to (or can’t) go to the grocery store! 

I must tell you…. I am an avid hater of mayonnaise. Mayonnaise on burgers or pasta salad or sandwiches (with the strange exception of Jimmy Johns) just kind of… gross me out. I’ve always hated mayonnaise, and, I’m pretty sure, I always will. So, when I first heard of mayonnaise cake, I (justifiably) refused to eat it. 

It took a lot of convincing for my friend’s mother to get me to eat a piece, but once I did, I realized…. It was delicious! Though this cake is made with mayonnaise, you can’t taste the mayo in the final product at all. The cake is light and moist and chocolate-y and all the things that you want your chocolate cake to be. It’s just made with mayonnaise!

This is the recipe that my family friend gave to me with permission to share. You’re going to love it!

Single Slice of mayonnaise Cake

Why Mayonnaise? 

Mayonnaise cake is popular because it’s delicious, but it’s also popular because it’s simple. The mayonnaise acts as the fat supplement in the cake, meaning that you can make a perfectly wonderful chocolate cake with just flour, sugar, cocoa, and some mayonnaise. 

The special ingredient eliminates the need for milk, butter, or even eggs! A simple water and mayonnaise will do the trick.

This is helpful for a few reasons. If you don’t have access to or can’t keep normal perishables (such as milk and eggs), mayonnaise is a long-term substitute. For example, during the COVID-19 quarantine of 2020 (aka now), I made my boyfriend this cake for his birthday. It’s beautifully versatile and resilient. 

piece of cake with cake

History of Mayonnaise Cake

So how did mayonnaise cake come to be? Well, similar to how I like this cake because our country (ahem, world) is in a crisis situation, so too did folks during the Great Depression. 


During the Great Depression, a lot of Americans didn’t have access to normal perishable items such as milk and eggs. The beauty of the human spirit, however, is that it does not let the negativity keep it down. There were still birthdays, anniversaries, and even plain-ole-Saturdays to celebrate. But there needed to be an affordable way to do so!

Enter: mayonnaise cake. It seems that one of the first recipes for chocolate mayonnaise cake was invented by Hellman’s Mayonnaise to promote their product during The Great Depression. Other versions of the recipe also involve instant coffee.The idea stuck, and to this day America enjoys a good mayonnaise cake. 

decorated flower cake

What Ingredients Do I Need to Make Mayonnaise Cake?

Flour 
Sugar
Cocoa
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Mayonnaise
Water
Vanilla 

How do You Make a Mayonnaise Cake from Scratch?

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Butter and flour 2 9” round pans or 1 9×13 pan.

Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl.  

Use an electric hand mixer to mix in mayonnaise. 

Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix in water by hand. 

Add vanilla and mix by hand again. 

Pour into prepared pan(s). Bake for 25-30 minutes for 9” pan or 40 minutes for 9×13. 

Frost with Chocolate Buttercream frosting. My favorite recipe is linked in the “notes” section at the bottom of the recipe card. 

Enjoy! Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you thought! 

3 pieces of cake and full cake

Does the Finished Cake Need to be Refrigerated? 

Your mayonnaise cake should be fine to stay unrefrigerated, unless you have cream cheese frosting on top (not recommended). Buttercream frosting is okay to stay out of the fridge. You also can refrigerate the cake if you’d like, depending on if you like cold or room temperature cake. 

If you liked this recipe, be sure to leave a comment letting me know! And don’t forget to post a photo of your cake on Facebook or Instagram with the #TheForeignFork and tag @TheForeignFork. 

If you liked this cake recipe, you might also like these recipes I’ve picked out just for you: 

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
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Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

The name Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake may sound unappealing, but this cake is decadent, moist, and so delicious. Plus, it’s perfect for when you’re running low on supplies and don’t want to (or can’t) go to the grocery store!

Course cake, Dessert
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 20 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • ⅓ cup cocoa
  • 2 ¼ tsp baking powder
  • 1 ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 ½ cup water
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Butter and flour 2 9” round pans or 1 9×13 pan.
  3. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
  4. Use an electric hand mixer to mix in mayonnaise.
  5. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix in water by hand.
  6. Add vanilla and mix by hand again.
  7. Pour into prepared pan(s). Bake for 25-30 minutes for 9” pan or 40 minutes for 9×13.
  8. Frost with Chocolate Buttercream frosting. My favorite recipe is linked in the “notes” section at the bottom of the recipe card.
  9. Enjoy! Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you thought!

Recipe Notes

Click here for a delicious recipe for Chocolate Buttercream Frosting by Just a Taste. 

Chocolate Molten Lava Cake Recipe

Posted on by The Foreign Fork
dripping chocolate molten lava cake

This Chocolate Molten Lava Cake can be ready in about 20 minutes! It’s the perfect recipe for a date night, a girl’s night in, or even Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day is all about chocolate, right? Some people think it’s about KISSES or your RELATIONSHIP or maybe even LOVE or APPRECIATION. Those people are crazy, because all the sane people know that Valentine’s Day is about chocolate first. Your significant other can come in a close second. 

But good news, people! If you make this Chocolate Molten Lava Cake for your hunny on Valentine’s Day, they’re going to think the day is all about them, even though it’s really about the ooey gooey chocolate coming out of the center of that cake 😉 

I love making this molten lava cake as a sweet dessert on Valentine’s Day, after serving my cheese fondue recipe as an appetizer! What’s Valentine’s Day without a few calories anyways? 

What is Molten Lava Cake?

Is it cliche of me to say that Chocolate Molten Lava Cake is heaven? I think it is…. But, I mean, you can’t help the truth. If there’s chocolate molten lava cake on a menu at any given restaurant at any given time, you get bet your belly that that cake is going in my mouth. 

These chocolate molten lava cakes are perfect individual or shared desserts. Normally they are served warm and with ice cream. The real magic of this dessert comes when you use a fork to break open the center. Ooey gooey molten chocolate with flow from the center, mixing with the ice cream. It is a decadent and delicious dessert and so easy to make at home! 

chopped chocolate

What Ingredients are in this Recipe? 

Butter
Eggs
Egg yolks
Chocolate Chips
Flour
Sugar
Salt 

How Do You Make Molten Lava Cake? 

Heat to 425. 

Use a cold stick of butter to rub butter on the interiors of 6 ramekins. Dump cocoa powder and each one, turning the ramekins until cocoa sticks to all the butter inside. 

Create a double boiler on your stove. To do this, place a medium pot on a stove and fill it with water. Bring this water to a boil. Place a glass bowl on top of the pot so that the bottom is heated by the steam but is not touching the water. 

In the glass bowl of the double boiler, melt the butter. When melted, add the chocolate chips to the butter. Mix until the chocolate and the butter combine together.


In a separate bowl, mix eggs/egg yolks with sugar using an electric mixer. Use a wooden spoon to mix in butter/chocolate, flour, and salt until combined. 

Pour into prepared ramekins and bake!

Read the recipe card below for full recipe measurements and baking time. 

How to Make Molten Lava Cake without Ramekins

My home is filled with so many cooking and baking utensils, it’s not even funny. But even with my shelves so full they’re bending, I somehow don’t have any ramekins in my pantry? 

Have no fear! Most people don’t have ramekins, not even myself. If you need a different way to bake your chocolate molten lava cake, you can use the muffin tin method! 

Simply butter and cocoa the muffin tins instead of ramekins. Then, pour the batter into the muffin tins. I used a half-muffin tin sheet, and my recipe made 6 molten lava cakes exactly. Then bake according to the instructions

How Do You Know When Lava Cake is Done?

Your lava cakes will cook at different rates depending on how many you make and which method you choose to cook them in. Because of this, you’ll need to keep a close eye on your dessert to know when they’re ready to eat!

You’ll know your Chocolate Molten Lava Cake is ready when the edges are set but the middle still jiggles when you shake the ramekin. You should be able to see that the middle is still liquidy. 

For me, this took about 9 minutes in the oven. When I first tested this recipe, I baked the cakes for about 14 minutes. They cooked all the way through, and, though delicious, they certainly weren’t molten. 

The next time I baked this recipe, I checked on the cake every two or so minutes. Because they only took 9 minutes to bake, this wasn’t too bad! I found that my edges were baked but my middle was gooey at about 9 minutes. 

chocolate cake batter

How to Release the Molten Lava Cake from the Ramekins/Muffin Tin 

Once your cakes are cooked the way you want them to be, remove them from the oven. Leave the cakes to rest for about 2 minutes in the tins. If you leave them for any longer, the tin/ramekins will continue to cook the center, which we certainly don’t want! 

Before trying to remove the cake from the ramekins, run a butter knife around the outer edge of the cake. This will loosen the cake, making it easier to remove it from the tin. 

To Remove the Lava Cake from Individual Ramekins 

Place a plate over the ramekin with the cake still inside. Flip the plate over so that the ramekin is now sitting upside down on the top of the plate. Gently lift the ramekin off of the plate, leaving the chocolate molten lava cake inside. If you need some help, gently use a butter knife to loosen the cake. 

To Remove the Lava Cakes from One Large Muffin Tin

Place a cookie over the muffin tin with the cakes still inside. Flip the cookie sheet over so that the muffin tin is now sitting upside down on the top of the cookie sheet. Gently lift the muffin tin off of the cookie sheet, leaving the chocolate molten lava cakes inside. If you need some help, gently use a butter knife to loosen the cakes. 

How to Eat Molten Lava Cake

The most important part about eating this Chocolate Molten Lava Cake is that it’s warm. My favorite way to top the cake is with ice cream and raspberries. If you’d prefer, you can add hot fudge, caramel, peanut butter, marshmallow creme, or anything else your brain can come up with! 

Can you Reheat Chocolate Molten Lava Cake? 

Of course! If you want the best experience with your cake, eat it fresh out of the oven. The molten lava cake is always most delicious fresh. However, if you have extra or somehow (*gasp*) missed the first batch of lava cakes, you can always reheat them! 

My favorite way to reheat my molten lava cake is just by putting it in the microwave for about 15 seconds. If you heat the lava cake for too long, the microwave will cook the middle of the cake. In order to successfully heat up the cake, make sure to only microwave it until it just warms. This will maintain the excellence of the cake while still eating it on the second day! 

Does Molten Lava Cake Need to be Refrigerated? 

Yes, if you are saving your molten lava cake for another day, make sure to keep it in the fridge. Because the inside is just batter, it is most safe when kept cool in the fridge. Follow the above instructions to reheat your lava cake before eating. 

Did you like this recipe? If so, make sure to check out some of my other Valentine’s Day Recipes, features below: 

dripping chocolate molten lava cake
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Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

This Chocolate Molten Lava Cake can be ready in about 20 minutes! It’s the perfect recipe for a date night, a girl’s night in, or even Valentine’s Day. 

Course baking, Dessert
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 6 cakes

Ingredients

  • ½ cup 1 stick butter + extra for coating ramekins
  • Cocoa powder for coating ramekins
  • 6 oz chocolate chips or chopped
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • ¼ c sugar
  • ¼ c flour
  • ⅛ tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Use a stick of cold butter to coat 6 ramekins or 6 muffin tins with butter. Dump cocoa powder into each, and tilt the ramekin/tin until cocoa coats the entire thing.
  3. Create a double boiler on your stove. To do this, place a medium pot on a stove and fill it with water. Bring this water to a boil. Place a glass bowl on top of the pot so that the bottom is heated by the steam but is not touching the water.
  4. Melt the butter in the glass bowl. When melted, add the chocolate pieces. Stir together until chocolate is completely melted and combined with the butter.
  5. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to combine eggs, egg yolks, and sugar.
  6. Hand mix in chocolate/butter mixture, salt, and flour.
  7. Pour into prepared ramekins. Place in the oven and cook for about 9 minutes, until edges are set, but the middle still jiggles when shaken.
  8. Remove from oven and allow to rest for two minutes before turning onto a plate. Serve with ice cream and raspberries.
  9. Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you thought!

Recipe Notes

Recipe copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use. 

Brazo de Reina Recipe from Chile

Posted on by The Foreign Fork
Brazo de Reina pieces

This special dessert, called Brazo de Reina, is a wonderful fusion dessert inspired by both Europe and South America. A thin sponge cake is spread with dulce de leche filling and then rolled into a spiral and topped with coconut. Keep reading for instructions and tips about how to make this yummy and impressive dessert! 

What is Brazo de Reina?

If my Spanish minor serves me correctly, I thiiiink that “Brazo de Reina” directly translates to “arm of the queen”. Someone that speaks better Spanish than me please correct me if I’m wrong, here. 

Brazo de Reina is a thin sponge cake which is then spread with dulce de leche filling. Once you bake and fill the cake, roll it up tightly into a spiral and then cut into pieces from there. The slices then show the spiral interior of the cake, which adds a beautiful detail to this delicious dessert!

Where Does Brazo de Reina Originate? 

Oooh this question is a bit harder to answer than you may have originally thought. This recipe for Brazo de Reina obviously comes from Chile, but…. Does it originate from Chile? The short answer here is no. 

The longer answer is… 

Rolled cakes are common across the world, in the United States, Europe, South America, and more. They go by different names in each of these locations, including Jelly Roll, Cream Roll, Pionono, and Brazo de Reina.   

If you take a look at any of these rolled cakes, you will see that the basic concept is the same… a thin sponge cake coated with a delicious filling and rolled into a spiral. 

A dessert of the same name is also made in Spain and is filled with Spanish cream, much like a custard. The filling in the Chilean rendition is oftentimes also called arequipe, though we know the product more commonly as dulce de leche. 

What Ingredients are in Brazo de Reina?

It’s actually a fairly short list! 

Cake flour 
Caster sugar (or normal granulated sugar and a blender) 
Eggs
Vanilla 
Salt
Dulce de leche 
Coconut, if desired

Making Caster Sugar at Home

My pantry is overflowing with every kind of flour, oil, vinegar, sugar, and canned food you can think of. That being said, I have to be selective with what I choose to add into my poor cupboard! 

Caster sugar can be bought in stores, but it’s so simple to make at home that I never invest in buying it pre-made! 

To make caster sugar at home, all you need is white granulated sugar and a blender. Measurements for caster sugar and granulated sugar are the same, so if you need ¾ cup of caster sugar, simply measure ¾ cup of granulated sugar. 

Add your sugar into a blender or a food processor and pulse one or two times. Do not over-blend your sugar or it will turn into powdered sugar instead! In the brief moments between when your granulated sugar becomes powdered sugar, it will transform into superfine “caster” sugar. 

What Type of Cake is in this Recipe?

This brazo de reina recipe, and most other rolled cakes recipes, are made with sponge cake. 

How Do I Make Sponge Cake? 

This was the first time that I had ever made a recipe for sponge cake, so it took quite a bit of research to get the recipe right. I’ve learned that sponge cake is not normally made with a leavening agent like baking soda or baking powder. 

Every once in a while, baking powder is added to allow the cake to rise, but normally sponge cake is reliant on something different…. Eggs!

In this recipe, egg whites are whipped until they form stiff peaks. Adding these egg whites into the cake batter introduces a leavening agent to the cake, which allows the cake to rise. 

How to Roll a Cake Roll

If you’ve ever watched a good episode of The Great British Baking Show, you’ve heard Paul Hollywood discuss the importance of a tight roll on swiss rolls. 

Rolling your Brazo de Reina tightly is imperative for a beautiful cake roll! There are a few steps to properly rolling your sponge cake while making this dessert. 

Once your cake is baked in the oven, let it sit for 5 minutes and then immediately transfer the cake from your baking pan onto a dish towel. Roll your Swiss roll tightly into the dish towel while still warm.

Allow the cake to rest, rolled in this shape until it cools completely. Then unroll the cake, spread the dulce de leche, and re-roll.

If you let your cake cool completely before trying to roll it, the cake will crack and break. By rolling the sponge cake while it is warm, you effectively give the cake “muscle memory.” The elasticity in the warm cake allows the dessert to roll without breaking. Then, when re-rolling the cooled cake, it will want to assume its previous shape, allowing the cake to roll once again without cracking. 

dulce de leche cake

What Fillings Should I Put in My Brazo de Reina?

If you are following tradition, your Brazo de Reina should always be made with dulce de leche filling. However, if dulce de leche isn’t quite your thing, you can fill this cake with almost anything your heart desires: Jelly, cream, custard, lemon curd, or more. 

If you choose any of these other fillings, I don’t think you could officially call your cake “brazo de reina”, but you can call it delicious. 

How Should I Decorate my Brazo de Reina? 

I’ve seen plenty of Brazo de Reina in my time (meaning over the last like… month and a half). Customarily, the cake is sprinkled with a thin layer of powdered sugar.

In the Foreign Fork version of this dessert, I have chosen a different approach. Once my cake is rolled, I spread extra dulce de leche on the top to cover the entire thing. I then sprinkle sweetened, shredded coconut on top of the cake, which sticks to the dulce de leche topping and decorates the entire masterpiece. 

I love the extra texture and flavor that the coconut adds to the dessert, and would definitely recommend decorating your rendition of the dessert this way as well! 

Did you like this recipe for Brazo de Reina from Chile? If so, make sure to check out the other awesome cake recipes on my blog: 

Thanks for reading everyone! Make sure to check back for more yummy recipes from Chile. 

Brazo de Reina pieces
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Brazo de Reina

This Brazo de Reina from Chile is a thin sponge cake spread with dulce de leche filling and then rolled into a spiral and topped with coconut.

Course baking, Dessert
Cuisine Chile
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Cake flour sifted
  • ¾ cup sugar Superfine sugar caster sugar + 2 tbsp
  • 1½ cups Dulce de leche
  • 5 Eggs
  • 1.5 tsp Vanilla
  • ¼ tsp Salt

Instructions

To Make Caster Sugar:

  1. Put the sugar in a blender and pulse once or twice until the sugar becomes a bit finer than it was before. Do not blend so long that it becomes powdered sugar.

To Bake the Cake:

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Crisco a sheet pan, then cut a piece of parchment paper into the shape of the pan and lay it down on the bottom. Crisco the parchment paper and dust with flour.
  3. Separate egg yolks from egg whites.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and ¾ cup caster sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until mixture becomes pale and thick, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt.
  5. In the bowl of a stand mixer (if possible, or with a hand mixer if not) beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 2 tbsp sugar. Beat again until stiff peaks form.
  6. Fold your yolk mixture into the egg whites with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Take care to mix the ingredients, as you don’t want to stir the egg whites too roughly or they will deflate.
  7. Once the eggs are mixed together, sift the cake flour over the eggs and fold gently to combine.
  8. Put batter into the prepared pan and place in the oven.
  9. Bake cake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when stuck into the middle of the cake.
  10. Take the cake out of the oven and allow to rest for five minutes. Turn the cake over onto a clean dish towel and remove the parchment paper from the bottom.
  11. Starting at one short end, roll the cake up with the dish towel, making sure that the towel is rolled into the cake. Allow the cake to rest in this position until completely cooled.
  12. Unroll the cake and spread 1 cup of dulce de leche across the entire sheet cake. Reroll the cake so that it takes the same shape it took before.
  13. Place the cake seam-side down. Spread the remaining ½ cup dulce de leche on the top of the cake roll and sprinkle with coconut.
  14. Cut both ends off of the cake roll to reveal the beautifully spiraled interior. Enjoy!
  15. Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you thought!

Recipe Notes

Recipe copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only. 

Canadian Christmas Fruit Cake

Posted on by The Foreign Fork
Vertical christmas fruit cake

This Christmas Fruit Cake is a wonderful staple in the homes of Canadians during some of their most special days. Packed with dried fruits such as pineapples, cherries, raisins and dates, mixed with pecans and soaked in rum, this recipe tastes unique and delicious. Try it with a cup of tea!

She’s back, ladies and gents!! Aunt Lori is back in the Foreign Fork kitchen today, and she is going to be teaching us how to make traditional Canadian Christmas Fruit Cake. 

Christmas Fruit Cake in Canada is a long-standing tradition in the country. The fun part? The country is hugely divided on it. Many love the fruit cake and the nostalgia that it brings, while others can’t even get themselves to taste it. Still, though, Christmas fruit cake is a must in the homes of many Canadians during the holiday season. 

Aunt Lori’s recipe for Canadian fruit cake features candied cherries, candied pineapple, various other candied fruits, and pecans. The cake is cooked with a water bath so as to keep the dough moist and delicious. 

horizontal christmas fruit cake

Wedding Traditions

Not only is this recipe a great holiday treat, it’s also a Canadian wedding tradition! In Canada, many couples will pass out fruit cake to their guests. They will ask their guests to sleep with the cake under their pillow that night as a token of good luck for the new couple. 

On the couple’s one year wedding anniversary, they will normally eat a slice of their wedding fruit cake in celebration! 

What is In this Canadian Christmas Fruit Cake? 

Butter or margarine
Lemon juice 
Baking powder
Eggs
Granulated sugar
Flour
Seeded raisins
Dates
Mixed candied fruit
Candied cherries (red and green) 
Candied pineapple
Chopped pecans

How Do I Make Canadian Christmas Fruit Cake? 

Rinse the candied fruit with water. Then soak the fruit in rum overnight to remove the stickiness and rehydrate. 

Mix all of the dried fruit in a bowl. Sift one cup of reserved flour over fruit and mix until all of the fruit is coated in flour. 

In a separate, VERY large bowl, cream together butter and eggs. 

Add the lemon juice and beat again. 

Add sugar, flour, and baking powder and beat until creamy and smooth.

Mix all fruit and nuts into the batter by hand. 

Line wax paper into two 10.5”x5” loaf pans and 4 individual loaf pans and divide the batter among them.

Fill a 9×13 pan with water and place it in the bottom of the oven as a “water bath” for the cakes. 

Put the cakes in the oven and bake at 250 degrees for about 2.5 hours, or until a toothpick is removed clean.

Christmas Fruit Cake Pinterest Graphic

How to Store Christmas Fruit Cake

It is vital to know how to store your Christmas fruit cake properly, because it is almost NEVER eaten the same day that it is made. Typically, Christmas fruit cake “ripens” for at least a month before consumption, but some people choose to let their cake rest for up to four months.

To correctly store the Christmas fruit cake, first wrap it very tightly in wax paper. Then, wrap that in aluminum foil, making certain that there are no holes or air pockets.

Keep the cake in your fridge for the desired amount of time. The longer you “ripen” the cake, the more flavor it will have when you finally eat it!

horizontal christmas fruit cake

Christmas Fruit Cake with Rum

You can choose to store your Christmas fruit cake with the process I described above, OR you could take the entire process a step further with “feeding” your cake. 

During the process of feeding your Christmas cake, you periodically soak the cake with more rum (or your alcohol of choice). When it comes time to eat your cake, it will taste distinctly of rum! This process normally takes about a month, but can extend for up to 3 months. 

To begin, first wrap your cake in a rum-soaked cheesecloth. Then follow the previously mentioned steps of wrapping it next in wax paper and, finally, in aluminum foil. Continue to store it in the fridge between “feeding” sessions. 

Every week, remove the cake from the fridge and unwrap. Use a skewer to poke holes into the top of the cake about every two inches. The holes should extend halfway down into the cake.

Use a spoon to scoop rum and pour into each hole of the cake. Before re-wrapping, use a pastry brush to brush the remaining rum into the surface of the cake. Rewrap and place in the fridge again. 


Continue this process until the Christmas fruit cake is ready for consumption. As aforementioned, this process can last anywhere from 1-3 months, depending on how strongly you would like your cake to taste of rum.

overhead christmas fruit cake

Why is My Christmas Fruit Cake Crumbly? 

If your Christmas fruit cake is crumbly, you most likely didn’t add enough moisture into the batter/cooking process. Luckily, this recipe is designed to keep your cake beautifully moist. 


First, soaking the fruit in the rum overnight rehydrates it. This means that the cake will not need to pull moisture from the fruit!

Secondly, the water bath ensures that your cake recipe is surrounded by moisture while cooking, therefore keeping your cake wonderfully moist as well. 

If you liked this Christmas fruit cake recipe, be sure to check out these other great dessert recipes as well!:

horizontal christmas fruit cake
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Christmas Fruit Cake

This Christmas Fruit Cake is a wonderful staple in the homes of Canadians during some of their most special days. Packed with dried fruits such as pineapples, cherries, raisins and dates, mixed with pecans and soaked in rum, its taste is unique and delicious. Try it with a cup of tea!

Course baking, Dessert
Cuisine canada, canadian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 2 large cakes, 4 individual loaves

Ingredients

Batter Ingredients

  • 1 lb butter or margarine softened
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 10 eggs beaten lightly
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 cups flour leave one cup reserved

Mix-Ins

  • 2 lbs seeded raisins
  • 2 lbs dates
  • 1 lb mixed candied fruit
  • 1 lb candied cherries red and green
  • ½ lb candied pineapple chopped in slices
  • ½ lb chopped pecans

Instructions

  1. Rinse the candied fruit with water. Then soak the fruit in rum overnight to remove the stickiness and rehydrate.
  2. Mix all of the dried fruit in a bowl. Sift one cup of reserved flour over fruit and mix until all of the fruit is coated in flour.
  3. In a separate, VERY large bowl, cream together butter and eggs.
  4. Add the lemon juice and beat again.
  5. Add sugar, flour, and baking powder and beat until creamy and smooth.
  6. Add all fruit and nuts into the batter and combine by hand.
  7. Line wax paper into two 10.5”x5” loaf pans and 4 individual loaf pans and divide the batter among them.
  8. Fill a 9×13 pan with water and place it in the bottom of the oven as a “water bath” for the cakes.
  9. Put the cakes in the oven and bake at 250 degrees for about 2.5 hours, or until a toothpick is removed clean.

Butter Tart Recipe from Canada

Posted on by The Foreign Fork
stacked butter tarts from butter tart recipe

Butter Tarts are a quintessential Canadian dessert that vaguely resemble the interior of pecan pie. This butter tart recipe can be enjoyed plain or with walnuts, raisins, or chocolate chips. 

When I was talking to my Aunt Lori (a Canadian) about the best Canadian food that I should make for the blog, her immediate response was “butter tarts.” Butter tarts, according to every Canadian I’ve ever talked to, are a Canadian obsession. They rest in the windows of most bakeries in Canada. 

Today my Aunt Lori was kind enough to share her go-to butter tart recipe with us, a beautiful homage to her familial ancestry. The crust recipe comes from one grandmother while the filling recipe comes from her other grandmother. Can you image a recipe better than one that comes from two grandmothers?

The best part about this butter tart recipe is that it can customized however you’d like. From raisin, to walnut, to plain, to pecan chocolate chip, we are making all kinds of butter tarts on the blog today! Keep reading for more info on how to make these delicious treats!

display of baked butter tart recipe

Who Invented the Butter Tart Recipe? 

Butter tarts, if I haven’t mentioned it enough already, are Canadian in origin. In the 1660s, 800 young women moved from France to Quebec, Canada. It is often thought that the butter tart originated from this move…. 

These women mostly likely tried to replicate one of their recipes from home: sugar pie. Of course, not all ingredients from France were accessible in Canada, so a variation of sugar pie, AKA the butter tart recipe, was born! 

individual butter tart

What are is this Butter Tart Recipe Made Out Of? 

Pastry: 

All-purpose flour
Salt
Unsalted butter
Lard
Ice Water
Sour Cream

Filling: 

Eggs
Dark brown sugar
Light corn syrup
Butter
Lemon juice
Vanilla 

Add ins (optional): 

Raisins
Walnuts
Pecans
Chocolate chips

How to Make this Butter Tart Recipe 

individual butter tart

Pastry: 

Whisk together flour and salt. 

Add cold butter and lard and then use a pastry cutter to cut them into crumbs.

In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream and ice water. Add into the dough with two more tsp of cold water and knead to combine.

Knead until a ball is formed, flatten (a little) into a disk, and wrap in saran wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

After refrigeration, roll out the dough until it ⅛” thick. Use a 4” cookie cutter to cut out 12 circles.

Place the circles lightly in a muffin tin, and press the edges inward until the pastry circle forms a bowl.

Place in the fridge for another 30 minutes. 

butter tart filling

Filling:

Whisk your eggs in a bowl. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and melted butter and whisk together. 

Add lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat. 

filling butter tart
Don’t be as messy as me…. clean up any drips that fall onto your tin 🙂

Put it Together: 

Spoon filling into pastry so that the pastry cups are ½ full. Also fill cups with add-in options if desired. You will have filling left over. 

Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes until the filling is set and the pastry is golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack. Run a knife around the edges to release the tart. 

tray of baked butter tarts

How to Get Butter Tarts Out Of the Pan?

Aunt Lori gave me very specific instructions for making sure that your butter tarts come out of the pan alright.

First of all, be proactive in your approach. Don’t press the crust into the muffin tin. Instead, lay the dough across the muffin tin and gently push the sides in.

Secondly, be very careful not to get any filling between the crust and the muffin tin when baking. This will adhere the tart to the pan. 

The third most important tip for getting the tart out of the pan is to run a thin knife around the perimeter of the tart before attempting to remove it from the pan. Once the tart starts to spin around in the pan as you move the knife, it is ready to be pulled out! 

Butter tarts on display

Can Butter Tarts Be Left Out? Can Butter Tarts Be Frozen? 

Yes, you can leave your butter tarts in an airtight container on the counter for about two hours. After this, make sure to put your butter tarts in the fridge, for about 5 days. If you’d still like to keep your butter tarts for longer, they can last in the freezer for up to 6 months. Make sure to thaw them completely before enjoying!

That’s all! If you have any more questions for me about this butter tart recipe, drop them in the comments below. And if you make this recipe and like it, you might also like: 

stacked butter tarts from butter tart recipe
5 from 1 vote
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Butter Tart Recipe

Butter Tarts are a quintessential Canadian dessert that vaguely resemble the interior of pecan pie. They are made individually, and can be enjoyed plain or with walnuts, raisins, or chocolate chips.

Course baking, Dessert, pie
Cuisine canada
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Resting Time 1 hour
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

Pastry Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ cup cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
  • ¼ cup lard cut into cubes
  • 2 tbsp ice water plus more if necessary
  • 4 tbsp regular sour cream

Filling Ingredients

  • 2 eggs lightly beaten
  • 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • ¼ cup melted butter
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Chopped walnuts optional
  • Chopped pecans optional
  • Chocolate chips optional
  • Raisins optional

Instructions

Pastry Instructions

  1. Whisk together flour and salt. Add cold cubed butter and lard to flour with salt.
  2. Use a pastry cutter to cut into fine crumbs with some larger pieces and set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together ice cream and sour cream until smooth. Add smooth mixture to “cut” pastry while stirring with a fork.
  4. Add 2 tsp extra ice water to pastry and knead to form a “ragged” dough ball.
  5. Place ball on saran wrap and press into a flat disc shape. Cover completely with saran and refrigerate for 30 minutes. You can refrigerate this dough for up to three days.
  6. Remove disk from refrigerator. On lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to ⅛” thickness. Lightly flour pin as needed.
  7. Using 4” cutter and cut into 12 circles. Do not be afraid to reroll scraps to cut all 12 circles. Fit into 12 muffin cup tins. Refrigerate for 30 more minutes.

Filling Instructions

  1. Beat eggs. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and melted butter and whisk together.
  2. Add vanilla and lemon juice and beat. Set aside.

Assembly Instructions

  1. Remove tart tin from refrigerator after 30 minutes. Add add-ins to pastry cups if desired. Spoon filling into each tart contained until each tart is ½-¾ full.
  2. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes until filling is set and pastry is a little golden brown.
  3. Remove from oven and place tart pan on an elevated wire cooling rack.
  4. Run thin knife around edges to release tart. Allow to completely cool approximately 30 minutes before removing tarts from tin.
  5. Store in airtight container for a few days. You can freeze your butter tarts for up to 6 months.
  6. Enjoy! Write a review on this post letting me know what you thought.

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting from Belize

Posted on by The Foreign Fork
Banana Cake from Belize

This is my very favorite banana cake recipe, complete with an incredible cream cheese frosting. Flavored with a (perfect) overload of bananas, cinnamon, and buttermilk, this banana cake is almost like a combination of cake and banana bread. And boy, oh boy, are you gonna want to try it.

I eat, on average, probably about 6 bananas a week. It’s very rare for me to start a work day without a banana for breakfast, and when I’m hungry and craving something sweet on the weekends, a banana and peanut butter is my snack of choice. Bananas are a gift from the Good Lord… truly. They’re perfect portable snacks, complete with their own all-natural packaging! Nature is genius, I tell ya.

Banana Cake in America vs. Belize

Because of my love for bananas, I obviously love all banana baked goods as well. Banana bread… or banana muffins… can’t forget about banana cake. God, I love banana cake. And I especially love this treat when it comes with cream cheese frosting.

Banana cake is a little different in America than it is in Belize. In America, this treat is more of a cake-y texture; It’s light and fluffy. This texture is achieved by adding only a few bananas and quite a bit of flour to the recipe. The less bananas in the recipe, the less moisture in the batter, and the fluffier the cake!

Belizean Banana Cake

In Belize, the recipe is very different. Most recipes that I found for the Belizean version had around 6 bananas in the recipe, and not very much flour. Belizean banana cake is very dense, even denser than banana bread! It’s flat and moist and the banana taste is very prominent!

Both have their perks, right? I love a good light, fluffy cake, but I also love a great banana flavor. So naturally, I took the middle route. My banana cake had four bananas in the recipe, making it lighter than the Belizean version but still with the great banana flavor! The texture is comparable to a banana bread, but in a sheet form.

The Cream Cheese Frosting

And the cream cheese frosting….. Oooooh baby that cream cheese frosting makes all the difference in the world. I got the frosting recipe from my very favorite source: Sally’s Baking Addiction. It’s fluffy and creamy and honestly, the best part of any recipe that its a part of.

Have I convinced you to try it yet? YES?!?!? Oh good. Because the recipe is posted below. When you try it, post a photo on Facebook and Instagram so that I can see (make sure to tag @TheForeignFork or hashtag #TheForeignFork). And leave a comment, as always, so that I know how it was. Don’t forget to tune in on Sunday for a GREAT Belizean street food recipe, garnaches.

Banana Cake from Belize
5 from 1 vote
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Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (Belize)

This is my very favorite banana cake recipe flavored with a (perfect) overload of bananas and cinnamon and an indescribable cream cheese frosting.

Course Dessert
Cuisine Belize
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 18 servings

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 4 large ripe bananas
  • 8 tbs 1 stick margarine or butter, melted
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ cup buttermilk
  • 2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp salt

For the Frosting:

  • 8 oz full fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1 stick unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ⅛ tsp salt

Instructions

Make the Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Stir in melted butter.
  3. Use an electric mixer to add eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and buttermilk.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  5. Add dry mixture into the wet mixture, and mix until combined and then for 1 ½ minutes.
  6. Grease a 9×13 pan and pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 30 minutes, remove from oven and cover top with aluminum foil. Continue baking for another 20 minutes.

Make the Frosting:

  1. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter and cream cheese on high speed until smooth and creamy.
  2. Add in 3 cups powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds to combine, then switch to high speed and beat for two minutes.
  3. Once the cake is cooled, spread the frosting on the cake, top with banana slices, and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Cake recipe copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only.

 

Frosting recipe comes from Sally’s Baking Addiction