Recently, I was talking with my sister who lives in Norway, and, as usual, the conversation turned to food. She had found a recipe in my mother's papers called The Everything Cake. I can clearly remember this cake from my childhood. It was a wild mashup of Ritz crackers, peanuts, chocolate, strawberries, and eggs—I guess that’s where it got its name. It’s really fun to eat and not hard to make. I hope you enjoy baking it as much as I do.
SERVES 8
3 eggs, whites and yolks separated
1 cup sugar
32 Ritz crackers, crushed
1 cup unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped + extra for topping
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
5 1/2 tablespoons butter
3 1/2 ounces good-quality chocolate, grated + extra for topping
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup strawberries, hulled and chopped
fresh mint
- Preheat oven to 350oF. Butter a 9-inch, round springform pan.
- In a mixer or by hand, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the sugar a little bit at a time until you get stiff peaks.
- Fold gently the crackers, peanuts, vanilla, and baking powder into the egg whites.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared springform pan.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat.
- Melt the chocolate and 2 tablespoons of sugar, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the egg yolks, one at a time. Mix well in between each yolk.
- Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.
- In a mixer or by hand, with heavy cream and remaining sugar, make whipped cream.
- To assemble, place the cake on a serving plate and top with chocolate cream and whipped cream. Sprinkle with peanuts and grated chocolate. Decorate with sliced strawberries and sprigs of fresh mint.
- Keep the cake in the fridge until serving time.
TIP:

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