GUYS I'M OBSESSED WITH THIS CAKE!

Butterfly pea, which also has other names, is a type of flower. In Asia, mainly in Malaysia and Thailand, it is used to dye certain foods or to make drinks. At first, I contemplated making a drink with the butterfly pea powder because it is known that when acid is added to it, it turns the color from blue to a pinkish purple. BUT then I got thinking, what if I wanted to make it into a cake form. I wanted to include the blue, the light purples and dark purples, not just one color (because that's boring as heck). That's when I decided to sift the flour into my lemon chiffon cake, but I had to stop because...there's lemon! It would've changed my whole batter to a purple color, which isn't bad I suppose, but not what I was going for. So here we are, a blue butterfly pea chiffon cake, naturally colored blue, stuffed with delicious fresh blackberries and blueberries & iced with a honey mascarpone whipped cream. I gotta say I went all out on this cake because it's not over. I decided to use the powder to create the decoration on the outside as well. Which I assume you were patiently waiting for me to finally get to.


They're PEARS! Beautifully dyed pears. How freakin' awesome is this powder??? I ate this and didn't have a blue or purple mouth after! Which makes me SO happy because I know my insides are being treated well. Ever since my anxiety, I've watched very closely what I put into my body. I try my best to stay away from artificially colored foods, but eating something really colorful sometimes reminds me of being a kid. Now I can eat this stuff without feeling guilty for it! Plus it's like watching a magic show when you add the lemon juice in and watch it change colors ;) makin' me feel like a magician babbyyy!


The pear idea comes from a very well known baker, Tortik Annushka. If you haven't checked him out, you must! His creations are mind blowingly stunning. I've been eyeing that pear cake for ages. Well I guess you can say I finally got the courage to test it out myself. It's not exactly the same because I do love the transparency of the thinner/less colored slices. They remind me of stained glass windows & the yellowing of the skin on the outside looks just like gold when the light reflects off of it. I'd take this one over a plain colored one any day. Also, I didn't want to waste too many pears, as only the middle section looks "good" for it, so some of my pieces are more round than "pear" shape.


BLUE BUTTERFLY PEA CHIFFON CAKE RECIPE

makes (3) 6in layers


INGREDIENTS

  • 6 large eggs
  • 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
  • 1 1/4 cup cake flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup cup water
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 - 1 tbsp butterfly pea powder (depending on how dark you want your cake to be, I used 1tbsp).


DIRECTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 325°F.
  • Line three 6in pans with parchment paper. Do NOT butter/oil the sides of the pan.
  • Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.
  • In the bowl with the egg yolks, beat in the sugar, salt, water, oil, & vanilla extract.
  • Sift in the flour, baking powder, & butterfly pea powder & beat until smooth.
  • In the bowl with the egg whites, add the cream of tartar & beat until stiff peaks form.
  • Take 1/3 of the egg whites and gently fold it into the egg yolk mixture.
  • Pour the egg yolk mixture into the rest of the egg whites & fold VERY gently. you want to keep the air in the egg whites, but you also want to make sure there are no clumps of egg whites in the final batter.
  • Pour into prepared pans & bake for 35-40 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. The tops should brown a bit, and the cake should spring back when touched.
  • Once out of the oven, cool the cakes upside down. This helps the cake keep its height.
  • Once the cakes have cooled, take a thin knife and run it around the side of the cake pan to loosen it. It should slide right out when flipped over.
  • Level off the cakes If it has domed, and slice each one in half to prepare for decorating (6 layers total).


HONEY MASCARPONE WHIPPED CREAM RECIPE

makes enough to frost a 6in cake


INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 cup mascarpone
  • 2-3 tbsp honey (depends on how sweet you like your frosting)
  • 1 1/3 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

  • In a stand mixer, beat the mascarpone till smooth.
  • Add the honey and beat again till incorporated.
  • Pour in 1 cup heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form. If you over beat, add the 1/3 cup little by little to loosen up the whip & beat again.


DYED PEARS RECIPE


INGREDIENTS

  • 4 Anjou Pears (try to find pears that are even and not too big).
  • 1 1/2 tsp blue butterfly pea powder
  • 1 lemon (juiced)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 cups water


DIRECTIONS

  • With a mandoline slicer, slice the pears thinly and set aside (my oxo mandoline setting was on 2).
  • Heat up the sugar and water in a sauce pan.
  • Once the syrup is boiling, add 1/2 tsp of the butterfly pea powder & whisk it in.
  • Add ~1/4 of your sliced pears into the mixture and simmer till the pears are translucent (~10mins depending on the thickness of your pears).
  • Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 170°F & line a couple of pans with silicone mats or parchment paper (though they might stick a bit more to that). Get a large plate and lay down a couple sheets of paper towel.
  • Once the pears have caught some color & are translucent, take them out carefully and lay them on the paper towels to soak up any extra syrup before transferring to the baking pans.
  • For your second batch, add another 1/2 tsp of the butterfly pea powder to the pan and whisk in, and repeat with the pears.
  • For the third batch, add the last 1/2 tsp of the butterfly pea powder, whisk in, and repeat. Add water a little at a time if the syrup is getting to thick.
  • For the forth batch, pour in the lemon juice and add the pear in & repeat.
  • Once they are all paper towel dried, lay them on the baking sheets & bake for at least 2hrs. They should be dried, but still bendable, not crisp. If they are still wet, keep them in the oven and check on them every 30 mins till they are ready.


ASSEMBLY

what you'll need

  • 3 layers of butterfly pea chiffon cake
  • 1 1/2 cup blackberries (halved)
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • Honey mascarpone whipped cream
  • Dyed & dreid anjou pears

what to do

  • Set the first layer of cake down on a plate or cake board.
  • Frost the first layer with 1/4 cup of whip, and place a mixture of blueberries and blackberries on top.
  • Repeat layering and frosting till all the layers are done.
  • You can frost the remaining whip on the outside or decorate it however you like. I frosted it minimally and stuck it in the fridge as I prepared my dyed pears.
  • Layer on the pears from the top to the bottom, alternating the different shades of pears. I had no trouble sticking them on, but if you do, I'm sure you can make a glue to help them adhere. Keep refrigerated till serving.