Crackle Cake

Crackle Cake is a soft cake with a brittle exterior and a custardy interior. The dish originated in Valuser’rh during the years of its Supremacy, and has since infiltrated Aen, Valdutani, and Kajhtaishi culinary traditions.

Gather:

• Two pounds of Krek fruit.
• Two cups of Coral Wheat Flour
• One Teaspoon of Gelatin
• Three Teaspoons of Salt
• Two Tablespoons of Ground Valu’nut
• (Optional) 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• (Optional) ½ Teaspoon Nutmeg
• One and a Half cups of ‘Dairy’
• Vine Oil to Coat the Mold

To be a proud [Sheljt Family Name], you need to know how to prepare Crackle Cake. It is how we share our triumphs, how to enshrine our memories, and begin new ones. This may be your first [cake] and that is fine, there is no cake to be ashamed of. Unless you’ve ended in a collapsed puddle of mush and syrup, then perhaps start again. Our recipe is simple to make, so you need not fear starting from scratch.

As long as our home still stands, there will be Krek along its walls. Collect, clean, crack, and process the materials through a pestle and sieve over a bowl until you have the soft flesh left in the sieve and sweet sticky juices in the bowl. Set the juice aside for now.

Before you begin your base, ensure you have your ingredients measured and with you. You must act with discipline, lest you wind up with an inedible paste. When you have your flour, spices, and cream ready, begin by placing the flesh and a splash of the juice into a fresh bowl.

Now you must whisk— a traditional labor that precedes any wonderful event. This whisking will keep your flesh and juices from hardening, so it can incorporate into your base. Add the ingredients a dash at a time; A splash of flour, spices, salt, and cream, repeat until you are empty handed and left with the custard-like substance.

While still whisking, prepare your mold. Spray it down with heated water, and layer with vine oil to prevent sticking. Set the mold down on a thick cut of paper and pour in your base. Set it aside and let it harden for at least two hours.

Enough time to prepare our Crackle Creme.

Take two/thirds of your juice and place in a large bowl, stir to break up any hardening structure. Add your sweet cream and spices and begin to whisk with gusto. Try not to make a mess, but you are aiming to create a white syrup-consistency paste that will be serving as your medium. Near the end of your mix, add your salt and continue stirring until incorporated.

Let all elements restin a cool temperature. By the time the base has hardened in its two hours, the syrup should have expanded by about a third, and is ready to be applied.

Begin by sliding your mold off of your base, and drizzle the final layer of your juice across the top. Spread it with a flat knife until the entire surface is covered in a glassy sheen.

You can now begin applying your Crackle Creme. With the same flat knife, scoop and quickly sculpt the foam to your base, feel free to add flairs if you feel they can be used for your memory.

After another half-hour to an hour, you may now begin carving your memory with the [family] carving set. Take as much time as you need, and do not rush it. A [cake] is only as good as the passion of the baker.

Once carved, let the Crackle Cream harden for an hour or two. As tempting as it is, do not test the Cream! The risk of a cracked crust is too great!

Finally it is time to enjoy, with a drink, and with good company.

Please remember the number one rule of baking Crackle Cake - "A Crackle Cake can only taste as sweet as the joy that lies within the soul of the baker. An unhappy Baker, will produce an unhappy cake."

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Sides and Toppings

Crackle Cream and base can both be made from a variety of flavors and ingredients, as the [name] has a mild enough flavor to pair with sweet, tart, and savory profiles alike, but it is important to leave enough of the base [fruit] juice to allow both to harden properly.

Traditions

Single Serve

The saving grace of every tired parent and ad hoc party. With how easy it is to make at home, just about every family has its flourishes and traditions around it—whether it’s Crackle Cake served hot with a scoop of marblemelon gelato atop, or as a filling folded into dough.

“If you go out for traditional Valuser’ran dining, and they don’t have a house Crackle Cake. Leave.”

Family Style

Crackle Cake is served standalone with people considered friends, it serves as a toast, or an appetizer. The first crack of the hardened shell is done by the guest of honor or the family leadership figure.

The 'cake' is eaten by everyone grabbing their own piece from the first crack. The foam gives way beneath the fingers if squeezed with any strength, the exterior shell of the cake is like hardened chocolate, and it yields a firm, buttery custard-like filling within.

Plant

Crackle Cake is created from the Krek fruit, a common fruiting vine native to Jhoutai that grows up the sides of buildings. The bulbs become fragrant and ripe, where the weight snaps them from the vine.

Krek bulbs then roll down the vine towards the ground, slowed by the sticky syrup it extrudes. As it rolls down, it grows sweeter and sweeter until it is harvested. By that time, the outer shell has hardened like an egg, requiring a quick whack on a hard surface to break.