This weekend our daughters celebrated their fourteenth birthday. As always we marked the occasion with home-made birthday cake. This year I revisited Annabel Langbein’s dreamy Strawberry Cloud Cake, the subject of one of my earliest posts. Refashioned into mini cloud cakes with rich chocolate bottoms, they made a much appreciated and easy compromise between competing requests for an ice cream cake and chocolate torte.
Deceptively easy to prepare, these little cloud cakes are nothing more than a confection of well-beaten egg whites, fruit and sugar spooned onto a rich chocolate biscuit crumb base. Chilled in the freezer until set. A very easy, prepare ahead, set and forget dessert.
Amassed on a serving platter, each of these gorgeous little beauties adorned with raspberries and a single candle, these made a delightful substitute for a more conventional birthday cake. Simple. Stylish. Sophisticated.
Mini Strawberry Cloud Cakes With Chocolate Bottoms and Fresh Raspberries
Adapted from a recipe by Annabel Langbein in The Free Range Cook
Makes 6 cakes
For the Base
250g packet Chocolate Ripple Biscuits
100g butter
GREASE and line the base of six 10cm round springform cake tins with baking paper. This makes it easier to lift the cakes out later.
PLACE broken biscuits into a food processor and process until roughly crushed.
ADD butter and continue to process until evenly moistened.
PRESS biscuit crumbs into the base of the prepared tins in a thin even layer.
REFRIGERATE while you prepare the filling.
For the Filling
3 egg whites, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced
juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
PLACE egg whites, sugar, sliced strawberries, lemon juice and vanilla in the clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high speed for about 6-8 minutes until the mixture is very thick and fluffy and the sugar has dissolved. To test whether it is ready, rub a bit of the mixture between your fingers. You should not feel any gritty sugar. If you do, beat a little longer.
SPOON the filling over the chilled bases, smooth the top, cover with a sheet of baking paper and freeze for at least 4 hours. The cake will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month.
To Serve
1 punnet raspberries
CAREFULLY release cakes from their tins, place on serving platters. garnish with fresh raspberries and serve immediately.
The Paddington Foodie 
Would love the recipe please so that I can adapt it, thank you
The original recipe was posted at https://thepaddingtonfoodie.com/2012/10/16/luscious-and-light-strawberry-cloud-cake-with-raspberries/. For the mini chocolate bottom version just scroll down to the bottom of the page.
My mum gave me Annabel Langbein’s ‘Eat Fresh: Cooking Through the Seasons’ a few years ago and everything I’ve made from it has been delicious. Happy birthday to your daughters, their birthday cake looks so pretty and delicious 🙂
Thank you. I’ll have to look that cookbook up. I’ve always loved Annabel’s style. Her recipes are simple but stunning.
Wow! Looks so pretty! 🙂
Thanks. The girls loved them. So pink and frivolous with no fancy cake decorating involved.
i celebrated my birthday too! This cake is gorgeous… happy birthday to your girls.
Happy birthday. Hope you had a wonderful day.
Looks delicious and festive! Happy birthday to your daughters!
Thanks so much.
The cakes look lovely! Happy birthday to your daughters!
Thanks Francesca. Birthdays are always about the cake in our house.
These are beautiful! Happy Birthday to your girls!
They had a wonderful day and are thrilled by all the kind birthday wishes on the blog. Thank you!
Gorgeous! They turned out beautifully:)
The mixture finally did come together after a lot of beating. Despite the awful humidity. I’m trying this with mangoes next.