But what I hadn’t noticed in
So after I admonished myself for being mislead once again by “The Man and Big Business” in my best Dennis Hopper voice (I don’t really talk like that, it just seemed appropriate, unfortunately I strayed into a few lines from Blue Velvet too, I’m so easily distracted….sigh). I read on. After all Knowledge is Power!!
Now I didn’t know if I should be mad at myself or that super huge manufacturer of fruit juices, but in all fairness, I decided I should have know better…..sigh……caveat emptor, let the buyer beware.
So now as I read on it I found out that to get the equivalent of 16 ounces of Pomegranate Juice I would have to buy Ninety (90 , yes it’s not a misprint) 59 ounce bottles of that
Fluffy Light Yellow Cake by James Peterson, Baking
Butter and Flour for the Cake Pans
1 1/4 cup Cake Flour
1 3/4 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3/4 cup Butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup plus 3 Tablespoons Sugar
3 Eggs, separated
2/3 cup Whole Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Cream of Tartar
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9 inch cake pans.
In a bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine.
Cream your butte and 3/4 cup of sugar with the paddle attachment of your mixer then after butter has softened replace the paddle with the whip attachment, and continue mixing for about 5 minutes.
Whisk in the egg yolks one at a time until the mixture is smooth. Add the milk and vanilla, then the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time , Don’t over mix! Transfer this all to a larger bowl.
Whip your egg whites and cream of tarter in your mixer for about 3 minutes until soft peaks form, then beat in the remaining sugar for about 2 minutes until medium peaks form.
Start adding your egg white mixture to your butter mixture in 1/4 at a time until ,fold in with a rubber spatula fully incorporating before adding more, repeat process until all your egg whites have been folded in.
Spread batter into your cake pans dividing evenly, and smooth it out with a spatula.
Bake for about 25-30 minutes in a conventional oven, or until the cake bounces back to the touch, or a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean
Let cool for 5 minutes then turn out onto a cake rack.
I wanted to try making a Pomegranate curd, and I hadn’t quite figured out how I was going to use it, so I started by reducing 32 ounces of POM Wonderful, down to 10 ounces. start on high heat and keep an eye on it, turning it down as it gets close. This will give you a nice concentrated syrup to work with! After it was cooled I then added 2 ounces of Pomegranate Liquor.
Pomegranate Curd (adapted from James Peterson’s Baking)
2 Eggs
2 Egg Yolks
4 tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated Lemon Zest
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
3/4 cup Pomegranate reduction
Add your eggs, egg yolks, sugar, Pomegranate reduction and lemon zest into a heatproof bowl that fits over a saucepan and whisk until well blended. Now place this bowl over a saucepan with an inch of simmering water in it, as the mixture begins to get warm add the butter a little at a time, and whisk the mixture until it thickens, about 5-7 minutes ( do not let this boil).
Allow mixture to cool
Well here is where I had a change of plans….although the mixture was very tasty, it just did not have a very appealing colour. It almost looked brown….so I decided against using just the curd as a filling and used James Peterson’s Passion fruit Mousse as a guide, since it so conveniently was made from a curd……how lucky was that.
Pomegranate Mousse (adapted from James Peterson’s Baking)
4 1/2 teaspoons (1 1/2 packets) powdered unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup water
3 cups of Pomegranate Curd
1 1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tablespoons Sugar
Place the gelatin and water in a small bowl and let it sir for about 10 minutes, or until it has absorbed all the water. Stir the softened gelatin with a fork to get rid of any lumps. Then place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until the gelatin dissolves completely.
You may have to warm up your pomegranate curd if it has cooled too much, it should be warm to add your gelatin mixture into it. Once you warmed up your curd, add in the gelatin mixture and whisk it until it has been well blended. Set this mixture aside and allow to get to room temperature.
Whip your cream to medium peaks ,adding in the sugar as it begins to thicken. Fold your whipped cream into your room temperature curd mixture, just enough to blend, do not over mix or whip it will break!!!
Allow this mixture to chill some, while you prepare your cake.
Take your cooled cake and split each layer into 2 sections, this will give you 4 layers. Begin with the first layer, and use the rest of your pomegranate syrup mixture to brush onto the cake layer. After you have brushed on your Pomegranate syrup you can add a layer of your Pomegranate Mousse.
Spread an even layer of Mousse on top of the cake, using a spatula or knife to make it level to the edges.
Now add your next layer and repeat the process until you have added your top layer. You will have three layers of Mousse between the four cake layers.
Now place this into the refrigerator to chill while you make the topping for our cake!
For the topping I got a fresh Pomegranate and prepared the seeds for usage. If you have never prepared a pomegranate before here is a great video telling you how. How to Prepare a Pomegranate.
This is the hardest part of the recipe, now that you have gotten your seeds ready here is the last step.
Pomegranate Topping
6 ounces Pom Wonderful
2 teaspoons gelatin powder
1 ounce Pomegranate Liquor
2 tablespoons Sugar
Seeds of one Pomegranate
Place juice in a small bowl, add the Liquor and Sprinkle gelatin over pomegranate juice and let stand 1 minute to soften gelatin.
Transfer gelatin mixture to a small saucepan. Add sugar and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Pour mixture into a bowl and set bowl in a larger bowl of ice and water bath, stirring mixture gently until it is cold and slightly thickened but not set. Stir in pomegranate seeds and spoon topping onto chilled Mousse cake. Chill cake until topping is set, about 1 hour. This is a great topping for cheesecakes!!
As I finished up the cake, I still had some of my Pomegranate reduction left, and at that moment it came to me. Lemoncello, and Pomegranate with just a few pomegranate seeds splashed in for fun! I decided to call it a Lemoncello Sunrise. Not being accustomed to drinking with lunch, I decided to take one for the team and give it a try…….the words “Nectar of the Gods” slipped from my pomegranate stained lips, and life was good. We will be making more of those later!
Lemoncello Sunrise
1 oz Lemoncello
1 oz Pomegranate reduction or syrup
sprinkle of pomegranate seeds
So there you have it, my version of a Pomegranate Mousse Cake, please let me know if you do make it, I thought it turned out very well. I also gave some to my neighbor to try (since the last thing I needed was a whole cake in the house), and she told me the hint of lemon lightened it up, and it was delicious!
(This yellow cake recipe was much better than my previous attempts at Genoise)
This will be my post at our new online Picnic!! Watch later in the week for all of the Goodies we will be having! This being organized by Louise over at Months of Edible Celebrations!
Pomegranate
Wow! See, this is the difference between someone like me, and someone who has been to culinary school. Quite impressive!
Fan-tas-tic! I love pomegranate (they make a wonderful, fresh juice in Jerusalem) and this cake with it is something else!
That is a thing of beauty, wow
GORGEOUS!! What a breath-taking cake! I hope you submitted this to foodgawker, tastespotting, and photograzing because this cake is SPLENDID.
How was that yellow cake recipe by the way?
Dennis, your pomegranate cake is a wonderful creative use of the Pom juice. Quite lovely.
You out-did yourself, sir! I've actually never had pomegranate anything but I trust that this is delicious.
And it is rather annoying when companies try to hide their products' flaws with the fine print. Trust me, it happens to everyone.
Wait a minute. The cake is beautiful and all and I am very grateful for the recipe, but where's the drink's recipe??? C'mon….don't hold out on us. I want the nectar of the gods, doggonit!
Wow, Chef Dennis! I just have one question. What is your address and could you save me a piece?!! Well, I guess that's two questions.
Best,
Bonnie
Looks tasty
beautiful, such a delicious looking cake…I too would think of sauces first, good thing you're the chef….nice refreshing drink too
Brilliant, Chef Dennis! What a stunning cake, I would just dive into a piece of that! Beautifully, beautifully done
If the cake tastes as fabulous as it looks…get me a fork ;o)
Usually James Peterson has some very reliable recipes…hence, I get the feeling you made the right choice.
About buyer beware…a few years ago I started being more vigelent about what I was purchasing. However, no matter how educated we become…they somehow still manage to pass some sort of fast one.
The better healthier product starts off great and then with our loyalty they slowly start to reduce on quality…very disturbing indeed.
All we can do is our best and hope to do better tomorrow ;o)
Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
BTW…I love to eat fresh Pomegranate ;o)
Flavourful wishes, Claudia
Beautiful, elegant and very delicious cake.
Awesome photos too ♥
oh mee oh my this looks so purrrty and yummy! i've never tasted pomegranate before but by looking at this i kno i'd love it!
What a stunning cake! I am a big fan of pomegranate and love how you adapted that recipe to use it.
gorgeous cake Dennis, and the photos show it off to the max! Theresa
Very well done! Everything looks absolutely perfect, wow! That cake is gorgeous and accompanied by that drink, you've outdone yourself!
You have outdone yourself with this lovely cake, who knew pomegranate juice could lead to this???!!!I guess in the right hands anything is possible,truly beautiful cake Chef!
They ribbed us off!!! we'd better starting reading the label and ingredients!
Beautiful Pom cake Dennis! The color is wonderful too, and i'm positive the taste is marvelous.
You never cease to amaze me with your creativity & beautiful pictures! I bet that cake is delicious.
I learned about the juice scam when my twins were babies-I never gave it much thought before that.
Oh Dennis, OH DENNIS! Standing ovation here- clap, clap, clap!!! Brilliant adaptation- this will be served here as soon as I can find fresh poms
xoxo Pattie
What a beautiful cake! It makes me very hungry! Yummy! You are quite an artist!
If this gorgeous cake is an example of you "not being a very experienced baker," I'm 35 again. (35 was a wonderful year:) Stupendous, Dennis. I've never been able to warm up to Pomegranate but after reading this post, it could just be that I've been drinking the "imitation" stuff.
Is this cake your goodie for the Picnic Game? I hope, I hope. Although, I'm not sure it would make it to the blanket without it being devoured.
Thank you so much for sharing, Dennis.
P.S. Whenever you have your letter P dish ready, send it on over to acalenda [at] gmail [dot] com. Wait until you see what's on the menu!!!
Beautiful! That looks so yummy, and I love that you also made a little drink to pair with it.
This cake is absolutely beautiful. I want a piece! WOW!! And the cocktail looks good, too!
Wow, that is SOME cake, I need to try this.I've been hearing about this POM stuff like crazy! Thanks!
I love that you used POM to make a curd.
AMAZING!! And the photography is stunning! Good work!
WOW! Very nice layered cake! Beautiful!
Thanks for checking out my blog…. I would have never ever thought of pomegrante with cake… yummm. What a beauty of a cake… almost too good to neat…. well not really
Thanks for sharing.
What a cool looking cake! Photographs so well. I would never even think to use pomegranates in baking!
Oh my goodness! This is gorgeous! What a wonderful idea for a cake!
Oh, dear. This cake gives me the shakes! I have access to plenty of pom juice, but NO POM SEEDS in NC this time of year. What am I going to do!?! Maybe I can order them!
Wow – that cake is downright gorgeous! Interesting info about the "Pomengranate" juice too – who knew? That Pomegranate Sunrise look very refreshing & perfect for Summer – can't wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!
If you put that cake in front of me, I would probably devour the entire thing. It's a work of culinary art and I want some nowww.
wow, your cake looks amazing!!! also, i can hardly believe the facts on pomegranate-blueberry juice!
Your post makes me want to look twice at all the juices I buy. I hate marketing trying to trick me all the time! This cake, on the other hand, is something I am fairly certain I would not hate. It looks delicious and presents so well!
What a beautiful cake! I made pomegranate cupcakes with my POM juice and had the same issue with the brown color. I ended up using a few drops of food coloring. Your presentation is gorgeous!
Such a beautiful layered cake! you make it look so easy.
Wow, what a gorgeous-looking cake!!
Beautiful layered cake, wonderfully presented, and the Lemoncello Sunrise…awesome! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
OMG What an absolutely fantastic cake! Yes, you really have to check ingredients because often companies mislead the consumer! Thanks for dropping by because now I have found your great blog.
This looks amazing! I am excited to have found your blog. I love food and cooking, and blog about the two topics regularly.
Carly, Australia
the cake look so beautiful and must b yummy too!
Denis, You have done it again. A stunning and creative cake made with a lot of joy and love. I love pom juice, and I can only imagine how divine my first, mousse-filled bite would be. Thanks for sharing!
Gorgeous and mouthwatering!
You know we get lovely pomegarnate in season and I have never thought to make a cake with it, since I never seen pomegranate in a cake except as garnish or something.
I'm quite impressed.
I am reading a book that has been pointing out many such 'trick' advertising. Glad you found the good stuff to replace with.
That cake is divine! I am staring now for a piece.
WOW!
and I think I can bake…..
hugs
ana
Oh wow this looks so amazingly good, your layers are perfect, its making me want a slice hehe!
this looks amazing! absolutely gorgeous! great post!
That is stunning and brilliant!!
The cake looks gorgeous! I want to just cut off a chunk and have it right now.. is that bad at 6am?
I love pomegranate, it's got such a wonderful flavor.
I'm crazy about pomegranate and your cake looks absolutely delicious. And also the limoncello, great for warm summer days. Have a great day. Michael
This is one of the most fabulous looking desserts I have ever seen! For not being much of a baker, you sure did well! All of a sudden I find myself craving POM juice!
WOW, that cake is GORGEOUS!! WOuld it be too difficult for a baking beginner to make?
That cake just looks too beautiful to eat! Those pomegranate seeds always remind me of ruby gem stones.
WOW! Next Food Network Star last night had a pomegranate glaze, but this looks soo much better! Nice job and thanks for sharing
What a gorgeous cake!
It is beautiful!!! And I'm just going to eat more than my share because it is good for you too, right??? And oh how I love lemoncello!
Very nicely done, Dennis. Cheers!
okay, that looks perfect. gorgeous, refreshingly tangy no doubt… look at those layers!!
thanks for sharing! love your photos.
I'm not a baker, and so I'd never try this. But I sure would love to have a taste.
I do make my own limoncello. But that's a lot easier.
Thanks for dropping by my blog last week.
Oh wow! You should be really proud of this; it's gorgeous! Thank you for your comment on my blog.
Oh Em Gee!! pomegranate must be one of my favorite flavors ever. this looks incredible – the layers of mousse and cake are mouthwatering. and i love the punny titles!
So the cake looks beautiful and all, but the Lemoncello pomegranate drink has me weak in the knees. Two of my favorite things!
Chef Dennis,
You have outdone yourself with this cake! It's gorgeous! Bravo!
-Brian
http://www.athoughtforfood.net
oh, my god! This cake is very tall!
This drink seems very thirst-quenching and good!
THis looks delicious!! Pomegranates are soooo good!!
I left you two awards on my blog!! Thanks for all the support and love!!
http://shamrockandshenanigans.blogspot.com/2010/06/chili-spaghetti-some-awards.html
Aricka
Oh Chef, this looks wonderful!! and we LOVE POM, it's a staple on my grocery list–smoothie for my teenage sons every night!!
anne
http://www.anniebakes.net
dennis – i want to personally thank you for following mangiabella, and i absolutely ADORE your blog – I am your newest follower
– I am a relatively new blogger (hence only having 7 posts so far) but much more coming down the pipeline, much more recipes and inspirational thoughts – i just posted a very simple eggplant parm n pesto quesadilla today, and hope to post a stuffed french toast later this week, but as i said much more coming, would love to have you return and share your thoughts with me – i'm off to enjoy more of your scrumptious blog – have a wonderful week!
You have really out done yourself with this cake. It looks absolutely amazing.
It is amazing how diluted some juices are and how much of the nutritional benefits you actually get.
Wow, beautiful cake…love the idea of pomegranate, not only adds color but flavor as well. By the way the lemoncello drink looks delicious…perfect for the Summer
Good Lord, Dennis this is the most amazing cake I've EVER seen. I'm kinda speechless (which is rare for me…)
Awesome! And isn't pomegranate juice great?
Jax x
Both that cake and the lemoncello sunrise look fantastic!
What a lovely cake~wishin I had a bowl of the Pomegranate Mousse right about now.
I have not made anything out of pomegranates… yet. Thank you for the recipes and inspiration.
OOOOOOH my God! I love eating pomgranate but this way is even better. The cake looks delicious and it is gorgeous . The drink is beautiful too, I love the color of these creations.
Thanks for this blog
This is simply gorgeous. great job and thanks for the heads up on the pom juice.
wow wow wonderful cake first class
What a stunning cake! I bet it tastes wonderful. The addition of the cocktail is perfect.
The most beautiful cake I ever saw in a while. It actually brought tears to my eyes..tears of sadness that I can't have a wedge of this right now..to cheer me up ofcourse!
Oh my goodness! That is a work of art! It sounds and looks amazing. Your really deserve that wonderful sounding drink you made:)
Thanks for sharing this incredible recipe.
One word …GORGEOUS !!! I so want to make this after seeing yours. I will! Thanks for sharing the recipe. Beautiful cake!
Your cake looks absolutely fab, Dennis. And if you could pass me a glass of that Lemoncello Sunrise, cheers, make mine a large one.
Thank you for stopping by my humble abode, I hope you'll drop in again.
The mousse looks delicious… And what can I say about that cake?!?! Wow!
Beautiful layered cake…
Holy Cow! You did do amazing things with the POM!!
I made a pomegranate syrup one time with the POM I got, just put some in a sauce pan and reduce and serve over vanilla ice cream or on pancakes, it's amazing!
Great pictures too!
Almost too pretty to eat. Almost. Love the drink too!
This is beautiful… Definitely trying it out soon…
Thanks chef!
PS: Added you to my blogroll
Wow… this maybe the most beautiful cake I've ever seen. I love the recipe and tempt to try it. Thanks so much for sharing this.
Dennis, this is the most amazing post. I love the cake-so beautiful, and, as I'm sure you know, the photography is incredible.
I have some pomegranate juice from Pom Wonderful too that I need to do something with-I have a mental block on it right now. I don't know why…
I know it's not going to end up being this grand though. Really wonderful, Dennis. I mean it…
Looks great! Thanks for stopping by my blog. One question: you mention butter in the instructions for the curd recipe, but there's no measurement. How much should I use?
Thanks!
thanks for catching that Julie
4 Tablespoons of Butter!
My pomegranate juice is reducing as we speak!
Oh, my, that cake is gorgeous. Plus the pomegranate curd, and that lovely limoncello drink. Thanks so much for all the inspiration!
This is gorgeous mousse cake, and the lemoncello pomegranate, lovely.
oh MY GOODNESS! it looks amazing!!!!!!!absolutely beautiful
Dennis, that is one beautiful cake! If lemoncello is involved…I'm on it!
What a gorgeous cake! I am in awe!
Wow! That cake is beautiful and what a fabulous way to use your POM juice. Very impressive!
That is an amazing sounding cake!! I love pomegranate, and you've used it beautifully here. Stunning!
That's absolutely gorgeous! I'm not even hoping to repeat this grand baking project in my kitchen, but I can at least look and admire!
That cake takes my breath away! It's truly stunning. The drink doesn't look too be either
Gorgeous! What a great double, really triple, use of pomegranates!
Hello,
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Just fantastic!
love love love this Chef. i wish i could go to a culinary school and prepare good food and take wonderful pictures like you do
OMG..this cake is absolutely stunning!! This is a must try for a former cake building fanatic. I sort of lost my way in the land of pastry..lol
oh my this looks fabulous – perfect treat for summer……if only it wasn't so cold in Australia at the moment!!
That looks almost too beautiful to eat. Sounds amazing and your pictures are wonderful!
Good Morning Dennis! Your cake looks incredible. Congrats on the pic on foodgawker
We just bought our first bottle of limincello so that's on the list to experiment with this week. Best, Kate
This is one show-stopping cake! I'll have to bookmark this for Christmas time. Then, I'll have to shore up my nerves to get brave enough to make it.
Holy smokes, now that's a good looking cake!
~ingrid
Beautiful shots!
I have a bottle of POM in the fridge that I've been trying to utilize in a recipe for the past few days. Thanks for the inspiration!
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I had to scroll about 20 minutes to leave a comment so I know I'm not the only one to think so!
Hey I just finished eating a huge slice of your delicious Pom mousse cake. DIVINE! I made this dessert for our Christmas dinner and everyone loved it. Thank you for sharing your recipes with us
Thanks for letting me know, I happy to hear that you enjoyed the cake!
It looks very pretty but I would never be able to eat it with all those seeds!!! on top. Your recipe for the mouse is great I can’t wait to try it.
great!!!!!!!!!!
Actually, while the cake looks and seems great, I have a problem here – you left out ingredients in your list on some recipes, at least on the ones using pomegranates. In the curd recipe, you left outthe lliquor, the seeds in the glaze – at least some general amount would be handy, and the drink looks like you added milk or cream (if you didn’t, it would help if you mentioned the best way to get the layer effect for us klutzes out there). If you would check and correct the recipes, it would be helpful. I would have more confidence in the complete presentation if you confirmed nothing else was missing, like from the cake recipe, for example.
hi
thanks for stopping by and pointing out I left out the seeds from the glaze, it is the seeds of one pomegranate. As for the others there is no liquor in the curd, the liquor is in the Pom reduction and the amounts are as stated. There is no dairy in the drink, its simply as stated in the recipe. Other than the amount of pomegranate seeds there is nothing missing from the recipes.
have a nice day.
Dennis