Ingredients

Piskóta

Piskóta is a Hungarian variation on the Gâteau de Savoie, a fat-free sponge with no raising agent. It gets its fluffy texture from eggs whisked to stiff glossy peaks.

• 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 180 grams caster sugar
• 150 grams plain flour
• 30 grams cornflour
• 5 milliliters vanilla extract
• 1 pinch fine salt
• Zest of 1 lemon (set aside to be juiced later)
• 100 milliliters water
• 50 grams caster sugar

Compôte

Nothing fancy here, just a basic compôte. Frozen raspberries are a bit easier to mash, but you can absolutely do this with fresh raspberries too. Use the juice from the lemon you zested for the piskóta.

• 200 grams frozen raspberries
• 50 grams caster sugar
• 5 milliliters lemon juice

Cream/filling

• 175 grams good white chocolate, chopped
• 500 grams mascarpone, taken out 20 minutes before
• 300 milliliters double cream, fridge-cold
• 65 grams icing sugar, sifted
• 5 milliliters vanilla extract
• 250 grams fresh strawberries
• 5 grams caster sugar

Decoration

Buy 400g of strawberries and pick the most beautiful 150 grams for the decoration to go on top of the cake. The rest will be sliced up inside. The apricot jam is not strictly necessary, but will help to keep the strawberries on top looking fresh and shiny.

• 150 grams fresh strawberries
• 75 grams good white chocolate
• 20 grams apricot jam

Steps

Piskóta

If you can do this bit the day before, the piskóta will behave better when you slice it into 4. It’s not strictly required though.

1. Prep the tin: Heat the oven to 150°C (with fan). Line the base of a 22cm springform with baking paper. Do NOT grease the sides because the dough needs to be able to hang on to the sides to pull itself up.
2. Whisk the yolks: Beat the yolks of 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature with two-thirds of 120 grams caster sugar for 4–5 minutes until very pale, thick, and ribbony. Beat in 5 milliliters vanilla extract and the lemon zest.
3. Prep the meringue: In a spotlessly clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with 1 pinch fine salt to soft peaks. Add the remaining 60 grams of caster sugar one tablespoon at a time and whisk to firm, glossy peaks. You’re adding the bare minimum sugar in order to keep the meringue mix as airy as possible (so it can hold the flour).
4. Fold it together: Sift 150 grams plain flour and 30 grams cornflour together. Fold about a third of the meringue mixture into the yolk mixture to loosen it. Then alternate folding in the flour mixture and the rest of the whites in two more additions. Use a metal spoon and a gentle cutting motion. Your goal is to keep as much air in the mixture as possible, because that’s what will help it rise in the oven.
5. Bake: Pour into the tin and smooth the top gently. Bake for around 35 minutes, or until deeply golden, springy in the centre, and a skewer comes out clean. Don’t open the oven for the first 25 minutes or it’ll sink.
6. Cool completely: Run a knife round the edge, release the springform, and cool the cake on a wire rack. If you have chance to leave it overnight here, do, if not, minimum two hours.

Filling and Preparation

1. Make the syrup: Heat 100 milliliters water and 50 grams caster sugar in a small pan, stirring until dissolved. Bring to a brief simmer, then cool.
2. Make the raspberry compôte: Put 200 grams frozen raspberries, 50 grams caster sugar, and 5 milliliters lemon juice in a small saucepan straight from the freezer. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, mashing with a spoon, or until thick and jammy. Cool completely.
3. Macerate the strawberries: Hull and slice 250g of fresh strawberries into 3–4mm slices. Toss with 5 grams caster sugar and a drop of lemon juice. Leave to sit, then drain on kitchen paper before using.
4. Slice the piskóta: Very carefully, with a long, serrated bread knife, slice the piskóta into four discs of equal thickness. Take your time, and turn the cake slowly as you go to make it easier. If you do end up tearing the piskóta, don’t panic. You can glue layers back together with cream. Place your second-best disk on a serving plate.

Preparation

Don’t skip forwards to this step to make the cream in advance. The chocolate in the cream will cause it to set quite hard, and it won’t be easy to manipulate for long. Only start this once everything else is ready, and your remaining pieces are near at hand: the piskóta layers, the compôte, the syrup, the drained, macerated strawberries.

1. Whisk the mascarpone: Take 500 grams of mascarpone out of the fridge and wait 20 minutes. Then whisk once it’s no longer fridge-cold.
2. Melt the white chocolate: While you wait for the mascarpone to soften, melt 175 grams chocolate very gently using a bain-marie. Don’t take it above lukewarm. Once it’s melted, let it cool until it’s lukewarm.
3. Whip the cream: While you wait for the chocolate to melt, in a separate bowl, whip 300 milliliters double cream, fridge-cold to soft peaks.
4. Combine chocolate and mascarpone: Take 2 spoonfuls of mascarpone into the lukewarm chocolate and whisk to combine. This tempers the temperature gap, and helps to avoid the chocolate seizing. Scrape this mixture back into the rest of the mascarpone and whisk smooth. Add 65 grams icing sugar, sifted and 5 milliliters vanilla extract, and whisk briefly to combine.
5. Fold in the cream: Fold the cream into the mascarpone mixture in two additions until you have a thick cream with firm peaks. Stop the moment it holds to avoid the mascarpone splitting.

Assembly

1. Prepare each layer: Starting with the first disk (the second best), brush generously with the cooled syrup. Spread with the mascarpone cream mixture, drizzle the compôte over it, and lay flat slices of macerated strawberry on top. Once done, place the next disc and begin work immediately. The middle disks can be damaged, and glued together with cream, and your best disk should be on top. You should aim to use
   • About a third of the compôte and macerated strawberries in between each layer
   • About a quarter of the syrup (all four discs should be brushed with syrup)
   • About a fifth or a sixth of the cream (to leave enough to cover the sides)
2. Chill to set: Chill the cake for at least 60 minutes (but overnight is also fine) so the cream firms up and the syrup soaks through.
3. Top with strawberries: Halve the reserved strawberries lengthwise and arrange cut-side up on top. Warm apricot jam with a splash of water and brush over the strawberries.
4. Grate white chocolate on top: Chill 75 grams white chocolate bar in the freezer for 20 minutes, then grate it directly over the cake using a microplane or the fine side of a box grater. Hold the bar in baking paper to keep your fingers off it. Best to do this just before serving because the chocolate can soften in the fridge.

Notes

• If you can, make the piskóta a day ahead. It firms up overnight and slices cleanly into four. Wrap in cling film once cool.
• Don’t be lazy with the meringue: egg whites must be at firm, glossy peaks before folding. Under-aeration will destroy the rise.
• Frozen raspberries can go straight into the pan from the freezer without defrosting.