I finally convinced Susan to share one of her secret cake recipes with my amazing readers. I have been wanting to make the cake ever since I visited her in Toronto. I remember I ate 3 generous slices and the cake kept me wanting more, so consider the warning so dangerous to keep around!!
You can make it in a Charlotte pan; the presentation is different, you will even end up with a quite different taste as well, though the ingredients are the same, that’s why I separated the recipes in two different posts. Here is what looks like using a Charlotte pan. Check the recipe.
Susie’s Red Fruit Cake
I am thrilled to introduce you to my adorable sister, Susan, the queen of cake, as we call her among our family members. A lady with many skills…She had grown up to be a baker and a crochet artist. A few years ago she enrolled in college and studied business and now she is running a successful cake-baking business from home; she makes decadent cakes and has received rave reviews and numerous compliments from clients – I have always been amazed by her artistic ability! Today we are fortunate here on “Hadia’s Lebanese Cuisine” to post one of her amazing cakes, a red fruit cake dressed with a strawberry glaze and decorated with whipped cream!! watch the video to see some of Susan’s creations and now without further ado let’s know more about Susan!
- What is it that made you interested in cake making and have you ever had any formal training or are you self-taught?
Susan: Growing up, I had always loved watching my mum bake cakes and had always been interested in trying new recipes. I think that this love for baking and cooking runs in the family. Looking back at my mum, grandma and even my great grandma, I saw and felt the effort and love they put into every dish they made. I have had no formal training for baking or cooking. I did take a buttercream cake-decorating class, which I enjoyed so much. This helped me with the kinds of cakes I usually bake.
- What is the key to a perfect cake?
Susan: The key is patience; starting with choosing your ingredients, following the recipe and the time spent preparing. But not to forget the most important factor, which is: loving the process and whom you are baking for.
- Name your favorite cake you think people should know more about it.
Susan: My favourite cake is the honey cake. I have been baking this cake for many years now. I still remember the first time I was introduced to it by a lovely friend of mine. Yet, every time I bake it and sample it, I get the same satisfaction I felt the first time. You can never get enough of it! The combination of flavours in this cake is out of this world!
- How long have you been living in Canada and what brought you to Toronto?
Susan: I immigrated to Canada with my family in year 2000. We did move back and forth since then but in year 2012 we decided to stay for good. That is when we decided to reside in Toronto where we thought would be a great place for our boys to finish up their school and university. Toronto is a great city to live in; the diversity that you see here is superb. It is like a mosaic!
- Do you like to travel and which are your favorite countries?
Susan: I love travelling around the world and I love learning about different cultures. To be honest I do not have a favourite! I enjoyed every country I visited so far. Every country has its own charm that you cannot find anywhere else. Lebanon is the closest to my heart though!
- Who has inspired you most, creatively?
Susan: I would say my mum is my biggest inspiration. She is a great cook and a perfectionist in the kitchen.
- Do you have a large number of cookbooks and who is your favorite writer?
Susan: I do have a large variety of cook books but the one I use most is Hadia, Lebanese Style Recipes (no bias)
I love Anna Olson so much too!
- As a hardworking woman, how do you divide your time between catering and home duties?
Susan: Planning is the key! When there is a will, there’s a way, right?
- How long have you been catering?
Susan: I have been doing it for 4 years
- When outside the kitchen how do you spend your time?
Susan: When outside the kitchen, which is not so much time, I like to spend time with family and friends.
- What can we expect from Susan in the future?
Susan: I hope to increase my exposure and bake more. Maybe one day I will have my own bakery.
A few quick questions!
- For a romantic cake I would want to eat…strawberry shortcake
- Your favorite dish to cook…moloukiah
- A cuisine you can live on….Lebanese
- An ingredient you can’t live without…spices
- Everything tastes better with….olive oil
- Your favorite meal of the day…breakfast
- Your favorite food city….Toronto
- Favorite restaurant in Toronto and why…Istanbul Kabab House. The food is great and authentic!
- Your favorite chef…Anna Olson
Contact Susan Zebib:
- +1 647 631 2002
- susanzebib@gmail.com
Here I used a ring cake pan, with a bit different method in terms of presentation and taste.
Now back to the cake! The cake is fruity, tender, moist, decadent, generously covered with a homemade strawberry glaze and dolloped with lazy whipped cream. One of the best ways to show someone how much you care about is by baking them a beautiful homemade gift, keep it or Valentine’s day, it is the best way to say” I love you”!
About the fruit glaze: the sweet and tart fruit glaze here is the thing that takes the cake to another level of flavo. In a small saucepan combine together the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, use a wooden spoon to break down the fruits, reduce heat to low, simmer for 20 minutes, until you have a thick syrup.
To whip the cream: With a hand or stand mixer, whip the heavy cream and sugar on medium speed until peaks form, it takes about 3-4 minutes. Refrigerate immediately.
When the cake has finished cooking, convert it directly on a flat serving dish. Directly drizzle the strawberry glaze all over the cake, covering the top and sides, the key is to add the strawberry glaze while the cake is still hot. Return the cake to the ring cake pan, allowing the cake to absorb the strawberry glaze! Keep aside for 10 minutes, then convert to a flat serving plate. Set aside to completely cool down.
The cake is ready to be dressed up with whipped cream and strawberries.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure cake ingredients are at room temperature for best results.
- The frozen berries added to the cake batter need to be coated with flour to prevent them from sinking to the bottom.
- Coat the cake with the strawberry glaze while the cake is hot. You need to return it to the ring pan to enclose the glaze, making it easier for the cake to absorb the glaze.
- Susie believes that a Charlotte pan yields a better looking cake. I have provided you with both methods, using a ring cake pan and a Charlotte pan. The cake pan you choose can greatly impact the end result of the cake. After testing, I would say I like them both.
- The cake keeps and gets better after a day which makes it a fantastic time saver if you are entertaining. Bake the cake, coat with the strawberry glaze, leave it to cool down, cover it with cling film then refrigerate. Bring to room temperature the next day, and assemble the cake with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
Susie’s Red Fruit Cake
Description
Equipment
- ring cake pan
Ingredients
Cake:
- 6 eggs
- ¾ cup oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour for the cake
- 2 heaped tablespoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup yogurt
- ½ cup flour to coat the fruits
- 2 cups frozen fruits cherries, raspberries, blueberries, don’t omit the cherries, they highlight the flavors
The stawberry glaze
- 4 cups frozen strawberries
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the whipped cream:
- 3 cups heavy cream preferably cold for better results
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- Fresh strawberries for garnish
Instructions
Strat making the strawberry glaze:
- In a saucepan over high heat, place the frozen strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Use a wooden spoon to break down the fruits and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes until you have a thick syrup. Set aside.
To make the cake batter:
- Preheat oven to 190° C/ 375°F. Place a rack in the center of the oven.
- Sift together the flour and baking powder.
- Butter a large ring cake pan and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
- Beat the oil and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed about 1 minute.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Stir in the yogurt and vanilla, beat for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the flour mixture and stir until well combined.
- Coat the frozen fruits with flour, and fold them in the cake batter. Pour the batter into the prepared ring cake pan.
- Set the ring cake pan in a large deep pan. Fill the large deep pan with 2 inches of hot water.
- Bake about 50-55 minutes, or until you insert a toothpick in the center of the cake and it comes out clean.
- Convert the cake directly on a flat serving dish. Drizzle the strawberry glaze all over the cake, covering the top and sides. Return the cake to the ring cake pan, allowing the strawberry glaze to penetrate the cake from all its sides. Keep aside for 10 minutes, then convert to a flat serving plate. Set aside to completely cool down.
In the meantime, make the whipped cream:
- With a hand or stand mixer, whip the heavy cream and sugar on medium speed until peaks form, it takes about 3-4 minutes. Refrigerate immediately.
- Cover the cake with whipped cream and strawberries right upon serving. Delicious!!
Notes
More Strawberry Recipes:
- Strawberry Tiramisu
- Eggless Strawberry Mousse
- Fraisier
- Jello and Mascarpone Parfait
- Strawberry Muffins
17 Comments
My gosh this sounds like a fantastic cake! I’ll bet it’s delicious.
Soooo many berries! It looks and sounds absolutely fantastic.
This is such a beautiful cake!! I love how incredibly moist it is!! Makes me yearn for springtime!!
The cake looks perfect and fabulous to bake for a special day. Yes, it is definitely the best fruit cake. Lovely!!
Well the cake is in the oven. I bought a Charlotte pan just for this cake and there was too much batter for the pan. Expensive mistake. So I transferred the batter to a regular bundt pan. The batter is growing so I’m happy that i switched pans. I’ll give an update when the cake is finished.
So after the 55 minutes and the toothpick coming out clean, I did everything as instructed and the cake was not done in several places. I had to put the cake back in the pan and of course because of the raw batter it became very uneven. So i put it back in the oven for 15 minutes more without the pan of water and it was done. Some things to be told I think are that in anticipation of applying the glaze, I poured it on the cake as directed inside my clean large sink because it will spread out all over the place. I put it back into the pan for 10 minutes and then turned it out again. It looks good. Except for the lopsidedness of the cake but who cares this time. I’m frosting tomorrow after I refrigerate the cake and will update again on the flavor. I’m not using whipped cream to frost or serve so it wont be droopy. I will use a cream cheese frosting whipped with heavy cream and Grand Marnier.
So after the 55 minutes and the toothpick coming out clean, I did everything as instructed and the cake was not done in several places. I had to put the cake back in the pan and of course because of the raw batter it became very uneven. So i put it back in the oven for 15 minutes more without the pan of water and it was done. Some things to be told I think are that in anticipation of applying the glaze, I poured it on the cake as directed inside my clean large sink because it will spread out all over the place. I put it back into the pan for 10 minutes and then turned it out again. It looks good. Except for the lopsidedness of the cake but who cares this time. I’m frosting tomorrow after I refrigerate the cake and will update again on the flavor. I’m not using whipped cream to frost or serve so it wont be droopy. I will use a cream cheese frosting whipped with heavy cream and Grand Marnier.
Update. This cake was challenging because of the issue with the pan and batter not all being done when the toothpick came out clean. That said, I just decorated the cake this morning with a delicious frosting that I mentioned prior, topped it with the strawberries, and I think it is a show stopper. The prettiest cake that I ever made I think for sure. I’m giving it to my wonderful friend for her anniversary gift. I really hope the batter baked up as it should have and is as delicious as it looks. I will definitely try to make this again.
I was the very fortunate daughter of the friend to receive the anniversary cake. And it was DELICIOUS! A lovely combination of sweet and fruity. I wish I could share a photo of the cake. It was beautiful! A little dense, but I didn’t mind. Additionally, the frosting was perfect. This dessert really would be something served at the higher tier restaurant in Disney World’s Epcot France. Thank you to the actual creator and to the one that inspired the recipe!
Thank you for your reply Susan! And your review Anna! I’ll try again and maybe if I have too much batter, Ill just be prepared to have another cakepan ready.