Countries will go crazy over another country's food.It's evident here in the States when we order pizza ro munch or croissants.Even though Jamaica has its' fair share of tasty food, Jamiacans go mad for lychee cake.
New contributor and cookbook author Ramin Ganeshram wrote about this new island classic in yesterday's New York TImes Wednesday Food section. Chinese cuisine has been a part of the Jamaican table since the late 1800's when many came over to work the sugar cane fields not just of Jamaica but also Trinidad and Cuba .Lychee remains one of the ingredients most associated with the descendants of Chinese immigrants. Lychee trees though have a longer history on the island as they were first imported in the 1700's,The fresh fruits aren;t used on the cakes though.According to Virginia Burke, author of Eat Caribbean and Selena Wong who created the recipe, the trees have a fickle bearing cycle which makes them expensive. Also Jamaicans would prefer to eat them fresh out of hand.The fruit itself has a flavor that's sort of a combination of a strawberry and pear with a hint of citrus. They lend the,shelves well to the cake , first created by Ms Wong in 1988. She created a light sponge cake that featured canned lychees and their syrup.It not only became a family hit but a national hit that grew into an obsession.Now every bakery and grocery sells it.
It's an easy cake to replicated.Ms Ganeshram gives the recipe and its; very much a Caribbean cake too.It's a scratch cake with a creamy fruit filling and topped with fruit. Rose water also flavors the cake, which again appears in most island dessert recipes. Every Jamaican has a recipe but they're all secret. Ms.Wong credits her invention with giving her a successful pastry business. Yet any home baker can make it for a lovely summer event .The cake is a vanilla one with lychee syrup added. It's added to the egg yolks while the whites are whipped into thick peaks The syrup can be made on the stove top simmering it and stirring it often until it coats the back of a spoon. The filling is a mix of marscapone cheese, heavy cream, confectioner's sugar and more rose water.The cake is also iced with this and then topped with six to seven freshly peeled lychees, strawberries,kiwi and mandarin slices. Before frosting place the bottom cake layer puffy side down on the plate. Do the opposite with the second layer with the puffy side up,Brush the fruit with the remaining lychee glaze.
Lychee cake is now a classic in Jamaican cuiine.It's a fresh , fruity take on a summery cream cake.it;s the perfect end to a summer party.
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