Description
This delightful Fruit Lion Cake is a charming and delicious dessert that combines a moist, tender fruit-studded cake with a light and fluffy whipped cream frosting. Adorned with vibrant fruit slices and zesty citrus peel to create a playful lion face, it makes a stunning centerpiece perfect for celebrations or special occasions.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup mixed fruits (e.g., chopped pineapples, strawberries, kiwis, mangos)
Frosting and Decoration
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Orange and lemon zest for garnishing
- Edible eyes or berries for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans to prevent sticking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt ensuring they are evenly combined.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, which usually takes about 3-5 minutes.
- Add Eggs and Flavoring: Beat in the eggs one at a time to the creamed butter mixture, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the vanilla extract.
- Combine Flour Mixture and Buttermilk: Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Mix gently until just combined to maintain tenderness.
- Fold in Fruits: Gently fold in the mixed chopped fruits to the batter, careful not to break up the fruit pieces.
- Fill Cake Pans: Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool Cakes: Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make Whipped Cream Frosting: Whip the heavy cream with honey until soft peaks form for a lightly sweetened frosting.
- Assemble Cakes: Spread a layer of whipped cream on top of one cake layer, then place the second cake on top. Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of whipped cream to seal in crumbs.
- Decorate: Arrange fruit slices around the top edge of the cake to form a lion’s mane, add orange and lemon zest for color, and place edible eyes or berries to form the eyes of the lion.
- Chill: Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes to allow the frosting to set before serving.
Notes
- Ensure the butter is softened for easier creaming with sugar.
- Use fresh, firm fruits to avoid soggy cake texture.
- The cake can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.
- Adjust sweetness in frosting by varying honey amount.
- Decorations can be adapted with seasonal fruits or edible flowers as desired.
- Whipped cream frosting should be kept refrigerated and consumed within 2 days for best freshness.
