Festive Cream Cake

Description
Serves 8 -10



Ingredients
Cake:


 * 5 eggs
 * 3/4 cup sugar (180 ml)
 * 1 tsp. baking powder (5 ml)
 * 1/2 cup corn starch (125 ml)
 * 1 cup all-purpose flour (250 ml)

Filling:


 * 2 cups pureed sweetened apricots (500 ml)
 * 2 cups whipping cream (500 ml)
 * 1 tbsp. sugar (15 ml)
 * 1 tsp. vanilla (5 ml)

Marzipan:


 * 1 package, 100 g, ground almonds, sifted
 * 1 tbsp. wine or water

Directions
Cake:

Cut wax paper to fit an 20cm round spring form pan. Have eggs at room temperature. Beat eggs until light. Gradually add sugar and continue beating. Sift flour, baking powder, and corn starch and gently fold into eggs. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 190C for 20 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Finish cooling.

Filling:

Whip cream with sugar and vanilla. Split cake in two layers. Spread half of the apricot puree on the bottom layer, and spread half of the whipped cream on top, repeat for second layer. Roll out marzipan, cover the top of the cake. Use an icing bag and decorate top and sides with remaining whipped cream. Garnish with apricot halves.

Marzipan:

1 package, 100 g, ground almonds, sifted. Measure ground almonds after it has been sifted and add an equal amount of sifted icing sugar. Moisten with 1 tbsp. wine. Add a few more drops of liquid if necessary. Dust working surface with sifted icing sugar and roll out. Transfer the marzipan onto the cake, trim edges and remove any dry icing sugar with a brush dipped in cold water. Decorate with red frosted grapes. Dip grapes in fork-beaten egg whites, roll in sugar and dry on wax paper.