If you’re looking for a fairly simple cake to make for a birthday, I recommend the “number cake”. I don’t think it needs any introduction anymore; it’s all the rage online. Today I’m sharing with you the recipe for the vanilla and red berry number cake, which is made up of two layers of pâte sucrée, a vanilla whipped ganache, a red berry confit and fresh fruit.
It’s a simple recipe to make, which can be spread over several days to lighten the workload (I explain a little further down how to organise yourself). I made this recipe (along with another chocolate number cake that I’ll share with you later) 2 weekends in a row and it was a huge hit!
How do I organise myself to make a number cake?
Pâte sucrée likes to rest, so you can make it several days in advance. Once rolled out and cut, the numbers can be frozen. So you could even get started further ahead if needed.
The whipped ganache must be prepared at least the day before assembly, since it needs to rest in the fridge for several hours (but it’s also possible to prepare it 2 days ahead if needed).
As for the red berry confit, it can be prepared several days in advance. Once set, whisk it to make it more fluid and put it in a piping bag for assembly day. It’s even possible to make it well ahead and freeze it. On the day, once thawed, you’ll just need to whisk it before putting it in the piping bag.
How do I get my whipped ganache right?
Whipped ganache contains much more liquid cream than a classic ganache (we add a large part of the cream cold). It needs to be prepared the day before so it can rest in the fridge overnight. The next day, you simply whip it like a chantilly cream. This gives a mousse-like texture, lighter than a classic ganache.
Here are a few tips to get it right:
- It may sound silly, but to make a whipped ganache you’ll need to use cream with at least 30% fat.
- Don’t heat all the liquid cream (only 1/3). Cream that has been heated will have more trouble whipping up (it’s not impossible, but let’s put all the odds in our favour :P).
- Melt the chocolate (or chop it very finely) then pour in the hot cream in 3 additions to get a perfect emulsion. To do this, use a spatula and stir from the centre; you’ll see a core forming, which means the emulsion is coming together properly.
- The whipped ganache must rest in the fridge for several hours (I advise preparing it the day before for the next day). You need to give the chocolate time to crystallise, it’s very important.
- You can put the bowl and the whisks of the mixer in the fridge for 30 minutes before starting (I don’t do it, but it can be a good idea when it’s hot).
- Don’t whip the ganache too fast, there’s no point. Keep an eye on it because it can go very quickly, and if you whip it for too long, it will split. If in doubt, stop the stand mixer and finish whisking by hand.
How does cutting go with pâte sucrée?
It’s one of the questions that comes up most often on Instagram. Rest assured, cutting goes very well, but it’s quite funny because the first number cake I made a few years ago (the chocolate and gianduja number cake) was made not with pâte sucrée but with a hazelnut sponge precisely because I, too, was worried that cutting would be difficult.
For cutting to go smoothly, the number cake must be assembled 12 to 24h before serving. The pâte sucrée, which I nevertheless waterproofed with cocoa butter, will very slightly “soften” on contact with the whipped ganache. Soften may not be the right word (it’s not soft either), but it allows for a clean cut, without crushing the whipped ganache.
A few tips to get my number cake right
A number cake filled with fruit is super indulgent! But sometimes it’s tricky to fit a whole heap of fruit on top of the cake. I advise you to put some fruit inside the number cake, after piping the whipped ganache onto the first base of pâte sucrée. BUT BE CAREFUL, don’t cut your fruit into tiny pieces like I did (I had diced my strawberries into a brunoise). The strawberries will inevitably release their juice (I should have thought of that). I advise you to cut the strawberries only in half.
Second tip: remember to put the number cake in the fridge after making the base so that the whipped ganache sets a little and doesn’t get crushed under the weight of the 2nd layer. I do the same for the 2nd layer. I put the cake in the fridge for a while before arranging all my fruit.
Ingredients & method
5 components · Full recipe
Vanilla whipped ganache (to be started the day before)
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) Valrhona Ivoire 35% white chocolate
- 160 g (5.6 oz) full-fat whipping cream
- 1 organic Madagascar vanilla pod
- 340 g (12 oz) full-fat whipping cream, very cold
- 4 g (0.1 oz) powdered gelatine (= 2 sheets)
- 24 g (0.8 oz) water (to rehydrate the gelatine)
Method
1
Rehydrate the gelatine in the water.
2
Break the white chocolate into pieces in a bowl (you can melt it slightly in a bain-marie or microwave).
3
Heat the 160 g (5.6 oz) of cream with the split and scraped vanilla pod in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Cover and leave to infuse for 15 minutes.
4
Remove the vanilla pod then heat the cream again.
5
Off the heat, add the rehydrated gelatine and stir to combine.
6
Pour one third of the cream over the white chocolate and mix with a spatula to create an emulsion. Then add the second third, then the third, until you have a smooth, even mixture.
7
Add the 340 g (12 oz) of very cold cream and mix again. Blend for a few seconds with an immersion blender to fully homogenise the mixture.
8
Cover with cling film directly on the surface and refrigerate overnight.
Red berry jam (to be made the day before)
Ingredients
- 250 g (8.8 oz) red berry purée
- 25 g (0.9 oz) caster sugar
- 4 g (0.1 oz) NH pectin
Method
1
In a saucepan, gently warm the red berry purée.
2
Add the sugar and NH pectin, pre-mixed together. Bring to the boil and maintain the boil for a few minutes, whisking well.
3
Transfer to a small bowl, cover with cling film directly on the surface and refrigerate for several hours (or overnight).
Sweet shortcrust pastry (to be started 2 days ahead or the day before)
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) butter
- 95 g (3.4 oz) icing sugar
- 30 g (1.1 oz) ground almonds
- 60 g (2.1 oz) egg (one large egg)
- 250 g (8.8 oz) plain flour
- a pinch of fleur de sel
- a knife-tip of organic Madagascar vanilla powder
Method
1
Place the softened butter and icing sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Add the ground almonds, vanilla powder and fleur de sel and mix again.
2
Add the beaten egg and mix with a spatula this time (it will be easier than with the mixer).
3
Finish with the flour and mix with the stand mixer until you get a smooth dough. Do not overwork the dough — bring it together into a ball without pressing too much. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts.
4
Wrap each piece of dough in cling film, shaping into a flat rectangle. Refrigerate overnight.
5
The next day, roll out the dough to 3 mm thickness. Cut out the number 1 using a template (I recommend the templates from the Planète Gâteau blog). Repeat to get a second number 1.
6
Refrigerate overnight (personally, I put them in the freezer). The remaining dough can be frozen for another dessert — it’s always very handy to have sweet pastry in stock in the freezer.
Baking the sweet shortcrust pastry
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 160°C / 325°F.
2
Place the 2 numbers on a tray lined with a Silpain mat. Note: to get the characteristic grid pattern from the Silpain mat, place the numbers upside down — the side that will be visible should be in contact with the mat.
3
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the pastry is golden.
Assembling the vanilla and red berry number cake
Ingredients
- 250 g (8.8 oz) strawberries
- 100 g (3.5 oz) blueberries
- 125 g (4.4 oz) raspberries
- one lime
Method
1
Place the first pastry number on a stand (it will be difficult to move the cake afterwards).
2
Whip the vanilla ganache with a mixer until firm enough to pipe but not over-whipped or it will split. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 16 mm plain round nozzle.
3
Pipe evenly spaced ganache rosettes all around the number. The inside can be filled less neatly — it won’t be visible.
4
Arrange a few raspberries, blueberries and strawberries halved on the ganache. Place the second pastry number on top and press down very gently. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
5
Pipe ganache rosettes onto the second number then decorate with fruit. You can fill the hollows of the raspberries with a little red berry jam for extra indulgence 🙂
6
Zest a lime.
7
Refrigerate until ready to serve (remember to take the cake out about twenty minutes before eating so the whipped ganache is not too firm). I filmed the assembly of this number cake and published it on Instagram — don’t hesitate to watch it if it may help.
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