Light Vanilla Cake

Ingredients

The Cakes
0.5 cup Flour
0.25 teaspoon Baking powder
5 egg whites at room temp
Pulp scaped from 1/5 a Vanilla Bean
0.5 cup Sugar
5.5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled

The Marmalade
1.25 cups strawberries hulled
1 cup raspberry
0.25 cup blackberry Halved
0.25 cup blueberry halved
0.25 cup Sugar
0.5 teaspoon Powdered Pectin .
Grated zest and juice of 0.25 of a lime .
0.5 Moist, Plump Vanilla Bean

Methods

The Cakes:

• Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350oF. Butter the insides of six 2 ½ by 1 ½ inch high ring moulds, 4 ounce disposable aluminium cups, or 4-ounce muffing tins, dust them with flour, and tap out the excess.
• Place the moulds or cups on a baking sheet (line the sheet with parchment if you’re using the ring moulds) and keep close at hand.
• Sift the flour and baking powder together and reserve.
• Put the egg whites and vanilla bean pulp in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
• Beat the whites on low speed until they are broken up and foamy.
• Increase the speed to medium-high an continue to whip until the whites form soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar and whip until the whites form firm, glossy peaks.
• Spoon out a little of the whipped whites into a small bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
• Using a large flexible rubber spatula, fold the flour into the whites in two to three additions.
• When the flour is incorporated, fold in the egg white and butter mixture. Immediately spoon the batter into the prepared moulds.
• Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until a knife plunged into the centre of the cakes comes out clean. The cakes should be golden brown and springy to the touch, and they should pull away just a bit from the sides of the moulds, or unmould the cakes and transfer them to a rack to cool to room temperature.

The Marmalade:

• Dice ¼ cup of the strawberries. Cut ¼ cup of the raspberries in half. Gently mix these berries with the blackberries and blueberries, and set aside.
• Slice each of the remaining strawberries into 8 to 12 pieces, depending on their size, and toss the slices along with the remaining ¾ cup raspberries, the sugar, pectin and lime zest and juice into a medium saucepan.
• Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise in half and, using the back of the knife, scrape the pulp out of the pod; toss the pulp and the pod into the pot.
• Gently stir, then set aside for 5 minutes.
• Place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally and always gently, just until the berries begin to render their juices, about 5 minutes.
• Increase the heat to medium and continue to cook and stir until the raspberries lose their shape and the strawberry slices are soft but still intact, about 8 minutes.
• Turn the marmalade into a bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal, and cool to room temperature.
• When the marmalade is cool, remove and discard the vanilla bean and fold in the reserved fresh berries. (The marmalade can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Use it at room temperature or slightly chilled.)

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