Strawberry Savarin

Happy birthday to my mom! I'm sad that I cannot be home for a proper celebration, but I did bake a cake for her before I came back to school after New Year's. It was on a complete whim and I bought everything the day of. I am so thankful that I got the last ring mold Target had left and that it was even on sale! My mom was preparing for New Year's dinner the same day as we were having people over for dinner, so I had to work in the dining room. It wasn't hard to keep it hidden from her as the cake is covered for most of the time for it to rise before going into the oven for just 20 minutes. She obviously knew that I was making something, but at least she didn't know what it was! :)



I've never had a savarin before, but I love it. My parents also really like this cake, a plus! It fits perfectly to their tastes. I know it wasn't a traditional birthday cake, but I knew that my mom would enjoy something like this more than a sweet cake with lots of sugary sweet frosting.

Here is what Country Living said about the savarin: Savarin, named after the French politician and gastronome Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, is a buttery, yeast-leavened cake that is often baked in a ring mold or Bundt pan. It is a variation on the rum-soaked, raisin-stuffed dessert known as baba au rum that was created by a French pastry chef in the mid-nineteenth century. A Savarin can be served dressed with dollops of whipped cream and decorated with fresh fruit, dusted with confectioners' sugar, or sauced with strawberry-rhubarb sauce, as we've done here.

I decided not to go for the Strawberry-Rhubarb Syrup recipe they provided. Rather, I looked at the jar of strawberry preserves in our fridge and decided to water it down. Pouring it over a slice of cake and letting the cake absorb the syrup made it taste great. It adds a bit of sweetness to the cake, which really has no sweetness on its own. For those who would like the Strawberry-Rhubarb Syrup recipe, click here.



See, whimsical ol' me didn't even think to buy candles, so I put 5 candles a bit taller than the other 7 to indicate 57! Haha.

Strawberry Savarin
From Great Cakes by Country Living

- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 1/4 tsp (1 envelope) active dry yeast
- 1 tsp + 2 tbsp sugar
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 quart fresh strawberries
- Powdered sugar (optional)
- Strawberry jam or preserves

1. Combine the water, yeast, and 1 tsp sugar in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, 2 tbsp sugar, and salt. Add the yeast mixture and eggs. With a wooden spoon, beat the flour mixture for 5 minutes. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it sit in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours until doubled in size.
3. With a wooden spoon, beat butter into dough and spoon into ring mold. Cover with the towel again and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.
4. Bake at 375F for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and firm. Let the cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and unmold onto wire rack. Let it cool for 15 minutes.
5. Place the savarin on a cake plate. Fill the center with strawberries and dust the top with powdered sugar. Serve with syrup.