F*ck, That's Vegan?! #14

14. "Cake as a Sport"

We've now ventured into a section of F*ck, That’s Delicious that's about some of the great old fashioned ice cream parlors in existence. Bronson shouts out three total, but this week the star is Conditori La Glace, a Copenhagen sweets shop that has been operating since 1870. A cake called the "Sportkage" (it means "sports cake" and their website says it was created for a theater production called "Sports Man") is one of their most popular, and they've been making it since 1891. It's a beautiful, old mess of pastry and ice cream unlike anything you've seen before (unless you have).

A vegan sportskage is something Conditori La Glace probably will never make, but you can! Be warned, you may feel like you've just finished playing a vigorous sport after you make and eat some of this.

Sportskage* Ingredients:

1 macaron base
5-6 cups nougat ice cream
10-12 choux pastry puffs*, dipped in sugar
2 cups vegan whipped cream

Macaron Base:

2 cups almond flour
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup aquafaba
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Nougat (for ice cream):

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped and toasted

Nougat Ice Cream:

2 containers of storebought vegan whipped cream or 4 cans coconut cream, chilled overnight
nougat

Choux Puffs:

1/3 cup vegan butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup + 1 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup water
3/4 cup oat or other non-dairy milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder

*From this recipe by Tofucado

Whipped cream:

2-3 cups storebought vegan whipped cream OR
2 cans coconut cream, chilled overnight
3-4 tbsp powdered sugar
1/4 tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Macaron Base:

Refrigerate the aquafaba for 2 or more hours. Whisk almond flour and powdered sugar together in a bowl. Add chilled aquafaba and cream of tartar to a large bowl. With a hand mixer, whip the aquafaba until stiff peaks form. Fold a third of the almond flour powdered sugar mixture at a time into whipped aquafaba. Spread onto a parchment lined baking sheet in a circular 1/4 inch thick layer at least 9 inches in diameter. Bake for 30 minutes in a 300°F oven. Let cool completely before assembly.

Nougat (for ice cream):

Sprinkle sugar into a heavy bottomed pot and allow to melt (without stirring) one layer at a time over medium-low heat. When all granules have melted and the sugar is a deep golden brown, remove from the heat. Don't be tempted to turn the heat up or rush this!! Mix toasted hazelnuts into melted sugar. Pour out onto a lightly oiled sheet of parchment and let cool completely.

Nougat Ice Cream:

Crush half of your nougat very finely, and the other half slightly more coursely. If you're using canned coconut cream, you'll want to scoop the solids into a bowl, add powdered sugar, and whip with a hand mixer into a whipped cream consistency. Fold nougat into whipped cream in a large bowl. Mold mixture into a dome shape with a spatula. You can put a sheet of parchment into a pie dish and shape the dome on top of this to make transferring the ice cream easier later. Freeze for at least 4-5 hours before attempting to assemble cake.

Choux Puffs:

Use the method in the Tofucado recipe for making the choux pastry. Hand roll the dough into uniform spheres rather than piping for a more "traditional" looking end sportskage than the FTV?! sportskage. It's also easier. Bake at 400°F for about 25 minutes, then allow to cool.

Melt 1/2 cup sugar using the same method you used for the nougat. Carefully dip tops of puffs into melted sugar. Allow to cool and harden. Set aside for assembly.

Whipped cream:

Scoop the solids of the coconut cream into a bowl. Add powdered sugar and vanilla to the bowl. Use a hand mixer to beat into a whipped consistency. Chill for a couple hours to make piping easier during assembly.

Final Assembly:

Transfer macaron base onto wherever you'll be serving the cake. Add ice cream dome to base, cutting extra cookie away. Place 5-6 choux puffs at an equal distance apart around the perimeter of the ice cream dome, about 1 inch from the bottom. Place another ring of choux puffs around the ice cream dome above the first ring, and a final puff on top. Pipe whipped cream decoratively onto cake with the largest flat tip you have (or really whatever), going around the pastry puffs. You can do this as you add puffs to the ice cream dome(which may make decorating easier), or all at once at the end.

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