D-shaped Cream Tart with white chocolate mousse

On every social media, when searching for Cream Tart, you will find some pretty amazing looking cakes. They are cut into numbers or letters and even shapes and are also known as “Number Cake” or “Letter / Alphabet Cake”.

This unique twist on the traditional cakes is actually not new. It’s been around for years, but lately has become very popular on Instagram and especially in Adi Klinghofer’s feed, a talented Israeli baker (@adikosh123). Check her out as her desserts are pure art. Simply WOW! The Cream Tart is made of delicious cookie layers filled with your choice of frosting (filling) and, of course, always topped with edible flowers, herbs, fresh berries, small pieces of chocolate, candies, meringues and macarons, etc.

When I fist saw one of these cakes, I fell in love instantly. How could anyone not to! They look perfect, aren’t they?! But I must say that I was also curious to try it and see if the taste is right up there with the look. And as Dragos’ birthday was coming, I decided to make it for this occasion. I think they are perfect as birthdays cakes. At the beginning, I wanted to make 2 cakes cut into numbers representing his age, however due to lack of space in the refrigerator I decided to make a single one, but shaped as letter D from his name.

So, I did a bit of research on pinterest and found a few recipes to inspire me. At last, I decided to make a simple shortcrust pastry for the cookie layers and a white chocolate lime mousse for the filling. Of course, you can make this with a sponge layer instead of the cookie layer. But, please believe me, you will notice the difference. Although, the cookie layers will absorb most of the moist out of the cream, becoming somehow soft on the inside, they are still crisp enough to hold its shape and texture.

Ingredients for Cream Tart:

Ingredients for the cookie layers:

3 cups cake flour
226 g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
From these quantities I got 3 big D cookie layers and 3 heart shaped cookie layers (10 cmm)

Ingredients for the white chocolate mousse:

750 ml 38% cream (or higher percentage of fat)
400 g white chocolate (chopped)
5 gelatin sheets
grated zest from 2 limes

To decorate:

Flowers and herbs
berries
meringues and macarons
chocolate, candies, or anything else you want

How to make the cookie layers:

Sift together flour and baking powder into a medium bowl. Then whisk well and set aside.
Place the sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat using an electric mixer until smooth. Add in the egg and vanilla and beat few more seconds until well combined.
Turn the mixer speed down to low and start adding the flour mixture. Be careful, it will be a bit messy. Add a little at a time, mixing well before adding more. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl from time to time. Mix just until the dough comes together and the flour has been incorporated. It should feel soft but not sticky
Using your hands, form the dough into a ball and wrap it in cling film, then press down into a disk.
Place it into the refrigerator for few minutes, 10-15 minutes before rolling.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170°C and set aside 2 baking trays.
Remove the dough from refrigerator, cut a piece and roll it out between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Roll it thin (0.5 cm thick) and use your own template to cut it into desired shape. You can make your own template or you can print out large letters, numbers or geometric and fun shapes.
Transfer to a baking tray: I move the paper together with my cookie on the baking paper as it’s much easier. If you have enough space for 2 layers in the tray, then cut another shape and place it next to the first one leaving a bit of space between them.
Bake one tray at a time in the middle of the preheated oven, for aprox. 10 minutes until golden brown (don’t under-bake it if you want the layers crisp).
When ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking tray for few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. Start all over again for the rest of the layers.

For the white chocolate mousse:

Firstly, soak the gelatin sheets in cold/iced water for about 20 minutes.
Take out softened gelatin and using your hands squeeze out as much water as you can.
Next, pour the cream into a saucepan and heat it just until the boiling point. Remove from heat and add the gelatin to the cream and whisk well until completely dissolved.
Pour the cream mixture over the chopped white chocolate a little at a time and whisk until everything is mixed.
Cover the mixture with cling film and refrigerate for at least 6 hours (or overnight).
When is set, remove it from the refrigerator.
Using an electric hand mixer whip the cream (be careful not to separate) and add the lime zest. Put it in a piping bag with a round piping tip.

To assemble Cream Tart:

Place the first cookie layer on the plate, then pipe your filling over it.
Cover the entire surface and then place the cake into the refrigerator for few minutes to allow to harden a bit.
Gently place the second layer on top and repeat until the layer is completely covered with filling. Refrigerate and continue with the last layer.
Refrigerate before decorating it.
And now the final step: start adding the your favourite toppings, like candies, chocolate and berries.
And you’re done: the Cream Tart cake is ready. Enjoy!

See more desserts here

A rainbow of tastes