Sahara Cake
From the very start, this cake captured my attention with its simple yet stunning design. Some people have even called it the "Giraffe Cake." Regardless of the name, this cake is worth making: delicious, soft, tender, distinctive, and visually appealing.
We had ten guests at the table, and none could guess that the orange color was from tomato paste. I deliberately did this to test if anyone could detect its presence. Rest assured, it blends seamlessly with the flavors, and you won't notice it unless you have an acute sense of smell.
I think the rich cream cheese combined with condensed milk could potentially be replaced with sour cream (20-30%) and vanilla. I plan to try this in the future and report back.
The final step includes a picture of the cake cut. It's quite convincing.
Beat egg whites with sugar.
Add 200g melted and cooled butter.
Then add the tomato paste—put it all in for that beautiful orange hue—and mix well.
No worries about the taste changing; it's been tested and proven :)
Add flour and baking powder, then knead the dough.
A soft, non-sticky dough will form—refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the cream:
- Blend the cream and cheese well.
- Add 200g of soft butter and condensed milk and mix well; the blender will do a great job.
- Refrigerate the cream until you're ready to make the layers.
Take the dough from the fridge and divide it into 6-8 pieces, forming them into balls.
Roll each ball with a rolling pin and a bit of flour into sheets about 2 mm thick—aim for the size of your plate, as shown in the picture.
Transfer the dough sheet to a parchment-lined baking tray, cutting it to your desired shape (round or square).
Leave the trimmings on the tray for baking as well; they'll be used for decoration.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10-15 minutes.
Notice that after baking, the dough's color shifts from a deep pink to a lovely orange.
Bake the remaining sheets from the other dough balls in the same way.
Line the sides of the tray with baking paper, place a dough sheet, and generously spread with cream.
Repeat until all sheets are covered in cream, then wrap with plastic wrap and allow the cake to chill and soften.
After cooling, remove the baking paper edges, which were used to keep the tray clean during baking and assembly.
The leftover dough that baked along the way can be finely crumbled with a food processor or by hand.
Generously sprinkle the crumb mixture along the cake edges and about 2 cm upwards.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler, spread it thinly on parchment paper with a brush, and chill for 20-30 minutes.
Once hardened, cut the chocolate into triangles, diamonds, etc.
Arrange the chocolate shapes on the cake.
And here's a slice for you, showcasing its rich taste and beauty. Highly recommended.
Good appetite!
