Book Cake

The “Book Cake” is a decorated cake that takes the shape of an open book. The base can be a simple sponge cake, a butter cake or a chocolate cake, depending on personal taste. Here is how to proceed to make a basic version with sponge cake.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 200 g of sugar
• 200 g of flour
• 1 sachet of baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• Icing sugar (for dusting)
• Pastry cream or jam for the filling

For the decoration:

• White and colored fondant
• Edible marker or gel food coloring

Preparation

1. Start by separating the yolks from the whites.
2. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff and set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk the yolks with the sugar until you have a light and fluffy mixture.
4. Gradually add the sifted flour to the yolk mixture, alternating it with the whisked egg whites, gently mixing from the bottom up to not deflate the mixture.
5. Add the baking powder and mix gently again.
6. Pour the batter into a book-shaped baking pan or alternatively into a rectangular pan which you will later cut into a book shape.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
8. Once baked, allow the sponge cake to cool and cut it horizontally to create two layers.
9. Fill with the pastry cream or the jam of your choice and overlay the two layers.
10. Cover the cake with the fondant, shaping it to look like book pages. Here you can get creative with the decoration, using the edible marker to draw lines and write a text as if it were a real book page.

Trivia

The “Book Cake” is often used to celebrate special events such as graduations, anniversaries, or birthdays, where the “title” of the book can be customized and dedicated to the honoree. Each pastry chef has a unique style in decorating these cakes, making each “Book Cake” a one-of-a-kind work of art.