Raspberry, White Chocolate and Green Tea Magic Cake

I'm gonna get straight to it, what's so magic about this cake...I can tell you're all dying to know. The magic is all in the baking since it's actually made of the very usual suspects of eggs, sugar, flour, butter and milk.

If you read on to the method of this recipe, you'll notice that it involves whisking egg whites until they're stiff and then gently incorporating with a whisk into a very wet mixture. YES! A Whisk! I know this goes against what every chef or cookbook will tell you, but it's the correct method with this recipe because folding it in with a metal spoon/spatula simply won't do much or equally it will take you hours and to be honest, you do want to still be left with large white lumps at the end, that's where the science behind this begins. 

In fact, I had to go against a lot of my baking instincts with this recipe. At the end of the baking time given in the recipe, the cake should still have a slight wobble, which will set when it is chilled. So testing a cake with a skewer will not help here, you need the centre to still be wet. But, be warned... The upper layer – the genoise sponge – should be well baked and golden. (In hindsight, I probably could have left this one in the oven slightly longer, you can tell by looking at my layering in the photo, the genoise top layer is hard to decipher.) 

You should be left with a cake 'like' dessert (take note of the 'like' simile!) which divides itself due to being such a wet mixture, into three layers, each with its own texture.... 1. the base of the cake is dense and moist, similarly to that of a retro blancmange. 2. a light delicate cream forms in the middle, this one with a layer of raspberries which rise to the middle during cooking. 3. the top layer is a lovely light Genoise sponge like I have mentioned above. 

I did quite a bit of research on these so called magic cakes but I don't think they're very well known in the baking community. This one rule kept popping up though, the tin size is paramount! In an article written by The Telegraph, it says that the tin should correspond "exactly to the quantity of ingredients in the recipe. If your tin is too small, you might not be able to pour all your beaten egg whites on top, resulting in a Genoise layer that is too thin. Conversely, if your tin is too big, each layer will be too thin and it will be difficult to tell them apart." 
It's important that you're also patient (if you can wait) for the best results, especially when it comes to the chilling, as it should be left alone in the fridge in its tin for 2 hours. AT LEAST! It will be easier to turn out and the chilling allows for flavours to develop so they can get to know one another. 
It's not like a usual cake, storing it in the fridge for upto a few days is absolutely fine, it won't dry out and I actually think it tastes better with days. 

This recipe is an adaption from the book by Christelle Huet-Gomez, titled 'Magic Cakes'. Her recipe calls for matcha tea. But, we all know by now that students are on a very restricted budget...one that definitely doesn't permit me the purchase of this pricey green powder. So, with this in mind, I have created a cheaper but just as delicious alternative which substitutes the matcha for normal (still quality) green tea bags. It doesn't emit that lovely vivid green colour unlike matcha, sadly, therefore in addition I had to add some natural green food colouring to compensate. If you would prefer to leave that out though, you can, as it is simply there for aesthetic purposes. 

Raspberry, White  Chocolate  and   Green  Tea  Magic  Cake

  Makes enough to fill an 2lb loaf tin. 

Ingredients:

For the magic cake: 4 good quality green tea bags 500ml (17 fl oz) milk  4 eggs, separated 150 g (3/4 cup) caster (superfine) sugar 1 tbsp water 125 g (1 stick) butter 100 g (3/4 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour pinch of salt 150g frozen raspberries
For the white chocolate ganache: 150g (1 cup) white chocolate 70ml (2 1/4 fl oz) double (whipping) cream 
For the topping: 85g (2/3 cup) frozen raspberries

Method

Place the teabags to infuse with the milk in a small metal saucepan and heat until it reaches simmering point. Remove from the heat and leave for 10 minutes. Squeeze out excess from the bags and leave to cool completely before incorporating. 
Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas 2. Grease, line the base and sides of the loaf tin with parchment paper. 
Separate the eggs, leaving the whites for later. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and water until the mixture whitens. Melt the butter and pour it into the mixture. Then add the flour, salt and beat for a few minutes more. Add the cooled, infused milk bit by bit, whisking constantly.
Beat the egg whites until stiff in a separate bowl and, using a whisk, gently incorporate them into the wet batter. There will be some lumps remaining. 
Arrange the raspberries in the bottom of the greased loaf tin and pour the batter on top. The raspberries will rise into the middle of the cake during baking. Smooth the surface of the batter with the blade of a knife and bake in the oven for 50 minutes. When the cake comes out of the oven it will wobble slightly.
Before turning it out, leave it to set in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. 
To make the white chocolate ganache, melt the chocolate, then away from the heat, pour in the cream. Whisk until well combined, smooth and thick. Chill in the fridge for about 1 hour. The ganache may set too hard, if so, remove from the fridge and leave at room temperature when it looks thick enough to spread over the cake without dripping down the sides. 
To rectify an almost solid set ganache, simmer some water in a pan and hold the bowl of ganache over the simmering pan without it touching the water. Keep stirring until the ganache starts to loosen. At this point quickly remove from the heat and keep beating, the initial heat from the bowl will continue to melt it slightly. 
Once the cake has chilled, turn it out from the tin and remove the parchment paper. Place onto a serving board. Smooth over the ganache. Decorate with more raspberries by defrosting them in the microwave until they are soft and have started to create juices, then spoon over with the natural coulis.