Summer birthday cake
- Vegetarian
- Energy Kcal 431
- Carbohydrates g 39.1
- of which sugars g 30.7
- Protein g 8.6
- Fats g 26.7
- of which saturated fat g 15.26
- Fiber g 2.1
- Cholesterol mg 145
- Sodium mg 172
- Difficulty: Average
- Prep time: 60 min
- Cook time: 60 min
- Serving: 10
- Cost: Average
- Note + cooling time for the base
PRESENTATION
When you think of a summer birthday cake, you've gotta imagine a blend of fresh fruit, creamy fillings, and a show-stopping look. I mean, really, it is all about that first impression. In Italy, especially when it's warm out, folks crave cakes that feel light and refreshing yet packed with flavor. This cake totally nails it with two layers of super tender chocolate pan di Spagna. It's like a sponge cake, but better, filled with a cold cherry cream that melts—seriously good—in your mouth. In places like Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy, there's a big focus on seasonal fruit, so expect to see juicy berries and ripe cherries on top. And look, the key is using the ripest fruit—think strawberries, raspberries, and cherries—for that extra sweet look and taste. It's got the wow factor you want in a summer birthday cake. Plus, the flavors are cool and light, perfect for a hot day.
And here's the thing, unlike those heavy winter cakes, this one’s made for backyard bashes, family get-togethers, or any chill gathering where you want something special that won’t weigh you down. Some people say it’s kinda like trendy cream tarts or a twist on classic fruit birthday cakes you see on Italian food blogs. Which is great. But this one shines for its freshness and style. An awesome easy summer cake recipe keeps it simple—no tricky steps, just quality stuff and a bit of attention to layering. You'll end up with a moist and cool dessert, packed with a tangy fruit kick, and honestly, it's the kinda treat that has everyone going for seconds. Those into summer party desserts or folks searching for fresh seasonal cake flavors will get why this cake’s a fave. Whether you’re on the hunt for more refreshing cake ideas or just want something festive and fun, this cake hits the right notes for a real Italian-style birthday bash. Can't go wrong.
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INGREDIENTS
- Ingredients for the base (for a 9-inch diameter cake pan)
- Dark chocolate 3.35 oz (95 g)
- Eggs 4 - medium
- Butter 4 tbsp (60 g)
- Sugar 0.6 cup (120 g)
- Type 00 flour ½ cup (65 g)
- Cornstarch 4 ½ tbsp (35 g)
- Baking powder 2 ½ tsp (10 g)
- for the cream
- Cream cheese 1.67 cups (400 g)
- Fresh liquid cream 0.85 cup (200 g)
- Powdered sugar 0.7 cup (80 g)
- Cherries 1 ½ cup (200 g)
How to prepare Summer birthday cake
To prepare the summer birthday cake, start with the base. Coarsely chop the dark chocolate with a knife 1 and place it in a double boiler over a saucepan with water for bain-marie cooking 2, ensuring that the bottom of the double boiler does not touch the water beneath. As soon as the chocolate is completely melted, add the butter 3.
Stir with a spatula until the butter is well absorbed 4. Once completely melted, let it cool slightly (it should not cool too much); stir occasionally and make sure no lumps form. Meanwhile, separate the egg yolks from the whites: for this recipe, you will need 145 g of egg whites and 72 g of yolks (about those of 4 medium eggs). Take the yolks and pour them into a stand mixer fitted with a whisk and add 60 g of granulated sugar (half of the total dose) 5, then whip everything until you get a light and frothy mixture. At this point, pour the now lukewarm chocolate mixture into the stand mixer bowl 6
whip until you get a smooth batter 7. In a separate bowl, sift the flour 8, cornstarch 9, and baking powder.
Add them little by little with a spoon to the batter 10, keeping the mixer on low speed, until you get a smooth and compact mixture 11. At this point, start whipping the egg whites until stiff peaks form, adding the remaining sugar (the other 60 g) only when they start to be light and frothy 12.
Once the egg whites are whipped to stiff peaks 13, incorporate them into the chocolate batter a little at a time: initially add a couple of tablespoons and quickly stir to soften the chocolate mass (if necessary, you can use a whisk at this stage) 14, then continue incorporating the remaining egg whites, this time carefully folding from bottom to top with a spatula to avoid deflating it. Continue this way until you get a smooth, lump-free, and frothy mixture 15.
Butter and flour a 9-inch diameter cake pan and pour the batter you prepared into it (16-17). Bake the cake in a preheated static oven at 320°F for 50 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: pit 200 g of cherries with the appropriate tool 18 or cut them in half with a knife and remove the pit.
Transfer the pitted cherries to a mixer 19, blend them until you get a smooth puree 20, which you will strain with a fine mesh sieve: this will result in a rather liquid mixture 21.
Now pour the cream cheese into a bowl, work it with the whisks gradually adding the powdered sugar 22, then pour the fresh liquid cream in a stream 23 while continuing to whip. Once all the cream is incorporated, add half of the strained cherry puree 24;
you will get a soft cream with a uniform color 25. The remaining cherry puree will be used to moisten the cake base later. After the 50 minutes of baking, perform the toothpick test to check if the cake is done, then remove it from the oven 26 and let it cool at room temperature, then gently unmold it; it will take about 2 hours to cool. If you want to speed up the process, let it rest in the pan for at least 30 minutes once removed from the oven. After that, gently unmold the cake onto a cooling rack 27 to cool faster.
Once cool, transfer it to a cutting board and cut it in half (28-29). Place the base disk on a serving plate, moisten it with the leftover cherry puree 30,
fill with 1/3 of the cream 31, then cover with the other disk 32 and decorate with almost all the remaining cream, useful for covering the surface well, smoothing with a spatula 33,
and the sides, always using a spatula 34. With the remaining cream, you can spread on the surface to create a more scenic wavy pattern (35-36).
Finish by garnishing half of the cake's surface with mixed berries, cherries, and mint leaves (37-38). The summer birthday cake is ready to be enjoyed 39!