Whipped Cream Cake

It's the most wonderful time of the year
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you "Be of good cheer"
It's the most wonderful time of the year
It's the hap-happiest season of all
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
When friends come to call
It's the hap- happiest season of all

- Andy Williams

Have I told you how much I love Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum ?  Everytime I go through the book, I never fail to find something interesting.  This time round, it is the whipped cream cake.  So, what is so interesting about this cake ?  No butter, no oil, just whipping cream !  Before you get all excited and jump up and down for joy, I should qualify that the absence of butter and oil doesn't mean that the cake is fat-free, as whipping cream can be just as fattening as butter and oil !  In fact, the butterfat contained in the heavy cream is more than the butter usually added separately.  Gosh.  But hey, it's the most wonderful time of the year, and that for me, means, a time to celebrate, rejoice and eat ! So, for now I shall take cue from Andy Williams, and deal with the lose-weight-resolution later.  I trust you are also on the same page with me :).

The resulting cake is moist, tender and sort-of creamy with subtle hints of vanilla.  Absolutely heavenly with a cup of coffee. Good thing no additional adornment is required, I can't imagine more cream on this cake.

You will need:
225 g cake flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
350 g cold heavy cream
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
180 g castor sugar

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 190 deg C.  Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round pan, dust it with flour and tap out any excess.  Line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, whip the cream, starting on low speed, gradually raising the speed to medium-high as it thickens, until stiff peaks form.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla until just combined.

On medium-high speed, gradually beat the egg mixture into the cream. The mixture will thicken into mayonnaise consistency. Gradually beat in the sugar. It should take about 30 seconds to incorporate it.

Then add half the flour mixture into the cream and, with a large spatula, stir and fold in the flour until most of it disappears. Add the rest of the flour and continue folding and mixing until all traces of flour have disappeared. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the surface evenly.

Bake the cake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted  into the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. With a small metal spatula, loosen the edges of the cake and invert onto a wire rack.  Invert the cake right side up and cool completely. Lightly dust with icing sugar, if desired.