Year of Disney: Fantasia and AMAZING Blueberry Delight Cake!
It’s time for another Disney meal post- and this one was definitely one of my favorite meals! Both because it was tasty- and because it all turned out so cute!!
Fantasia was tricky, because there are so many different segments- you really could do SO many different things! But I tried to stick with the things that I thought would be most memorable for my kids- or at least the things that really stuck out to me when I was a kid!
I think probably the most memorable part of Fantasia is the Sorcerer’s Apprentice- because it has Mickey! Even in Disneyland, you see people walking around with Mickey Ears and the Sorcerer’s Hat- it’s a pretty iconic piece of Mickey Mouse! So of course I had to incorporate the hat somehow! I decided to do a cute fruit and cheese board using blueberries and thin slices of havarti and gouda. I also used string cheese and pretzel sticks to create little broomsticks and put them all together and I LOVE the final product!
I thought it turned out so cute! And my kids devoured it, of course.
We also served grape juice, as one of my other favorite segments as a child was the Pastoral Symphony, where we get to see unicorns and centaurs and all sorts of magical creatures. They are shown enjoying wine…. and we just decided to stick with good ol’ family friendly Welch’s grape juice ;)
For the actual dinner, we focused on The Rite of Spring- the segment that shows all the dinosaurs! I loved the idea of “Stegosaurus meat” from https://disneymeals.me/category/fantasia/. While we didn’t have actual stegosaurus meat, we just cooked up some delicious steaks and called it “Stegosaurus Steak” and my kids got a real kick out of it. We also served it with a big green salad to satisfy all the herbivore dinosaurs ;). Unfortunately I didn’t get pictures- but they were definitely tasty! My husband said this was his favorite Disney meal by far ;).
For dessert, I had a little bowl of black licorice to represent the big scary black demon from Night on Bald Mountain. He always scared me as a child, but maybe a bowl of tasty licorice would make him less scary?
I also made a Blueberry Delight cake that was SCRUMPTIOUS. It is my husband's new favorite cake. He said this is what he wants on his birthday from now on- he could not get enough of it! It has a vanilla wafer crust, blueberry compote, a homemade ricotta sweet filling, lemon cake layers and blueberry buttercream- a lot of different components, which makes it a lot of work- and oh so tasty!! Here’s a peek of the inside of this deliciousness.
I wanted to finish off our Sorcerer’s Apprentice board with a bucket so I used fondant and food coloring to create a bucket look on our cake- and, not to toot my own horn, but I’m quite pleased with how it turned out!
The blueberry compote was the perfect topping to create a watery effect without using a bunch of food dye. I couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out!
As for the actual movie, this was probably my kids’ least favorite so far- but my 1 year old was glued the entire time, interestingly enough! However, the delicious food definitely made this a memorable night for sure! I’ve included the recipe for the Blueberry Delight cake below- don’t be scared of all the components! Make the compote and ricotta filling a couple days beforehand, bake the cake layers and freeze it, and you can avoid trying to do everything on the same day! But either way, I promise it’s worth it!
Blueberry Delight Cake
Nilla wafer crust, lemon ricotta cake layers, ricotta filling, blueberry compote, and blueberry buttercream. Anthony's new favorite cake!
Serving size: 18
Calories per serving: 1,123
Ingredients:
Calories per serving: 1,123
For the crust:
70 nilla wafer cookies, pulverized into a fine crumb
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter melted
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
For the cake:
3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons , (12 g) baking powder
1 teaspoon , (5.6 g) salt
1 cup (218 g) grapeseed oil
1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
3 eggs room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest from one large lemon)
2 cups (480 g) ricotta cheese, homemade or store bought
For the ricotta/filling:
4 cups (960 g) whole milk
1 1/2 cups (346.5 g) heavy cream
1 teaspoon , (5.6 g) salt
3 tablespoons (43 g) white vinegar
3/4 cup (93.75 g) powdered sugar
1/4 cup (57.75 g) whipping cream
*this makes enough for the filling, if you also want homemade ricotta in the cake layers, double this recipe.
For the blueberry compote:
1 pint fresh or frozen blueberries (2 cups)
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon , (1.3 g) ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup (118 g) water
2 tablespoons (18 g) cornstarch
For the buttercream:
2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
1/2 cup juice of compote try to leave out any of the blueberry chunks
3 tablespoons (42 g) heavy cream
1 teaspoon , (4.2 g) vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Directions:
FOR THE CRUST
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch (or four, 6-inch) cake pans with nonstick spray, line with parchment and spray again. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Mix to coat the crumbs so you're left with a "wet sand" consistency.
Divide the crumbs between the three pans (about 5 ounces in each). Pat firmly into place.
Bake the crusts for 7 minutes.
FOR THE CAKE
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Cream the grapeseed oil and the sugar on medium speed in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for one minute. Stir in the lemon zest.
Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and the ricotta, starting and finishing with the flour. Combine until incorporated.
Evenly distribute the batter among the three cake pans on top of the crusts (about 15-16 ounces of batter in each pan) and bake for 25 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Let cool in pans 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in your refrigerator overnight or freezer for longer.
FOR THE RICOTTA/FILLING
FOR THE RICOTTA (best to make ahead of time): Combine the whole milk, cream and salt in a large pot over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and let boil, while stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
Once the mixture has boiled for a few minutes, turn the heat off and add the vinegar. Give the mixture a stir and then let it sit for about 5 minutes. You'll see the mixture start to separate into thick parts and thin parts.
Place a mesh strainer over a large bowl and then place a damp cheese cloth over the mesh strainer. Pour the milk mixture over the cheese cloth. Let the mixture strain for about an hour. Discard the liquid in the bowl and pour the ricotta in a bowl to chill until ready to use. Can be made ahead of time and store in the fridge for about 3 to 5 days.
FOR THE FILLING: Combine the powdered sugar and whipping cream. Beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipping cream into 2 cups of the homemade ricotta.
FOR THE COMPOTE
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Heat to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the blueberries to burst and the liquid to thicken. It should coat your spoon well.
This is best made ahead of time and can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple weeks.
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed for about two minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the sifted powdered sugar until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix for another minute.
Add the blueberry filling, vanilla, salt and heavy cream (one tablespoon at a time). Once the cream is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat the frosting for five minutes. It should get lighter in texture and color.
Use a spoon to mix the frosting by hand, which will push out the air pockets created by the electric mixer.
ASSEMBLY
Place the first cake layer, top side up, on a cake board or cake plate. Using a piping bag, pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of the cake.
Fill the cake with 1/2 to 3/4 cup ricotta filling, followed by 1/2 cup blueberry compote.
Place the second cake layer on top and repeat step two.
Place the final cake layer on top and apply a thin layer of buttercream around the entire. Freeze the cake for about 10 minutes to set crumb coat.
Finish frosting the cake with the remaining buttercream and top with blueberry compote.
See above picture tutorial for more details.
Source: scakebycourtney.com
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch (or four, 6-inch) cake pans with nonstick spray, line with parchment and spray again. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Mix to coat the crumbs so you're left with a "wet sand" consistency.
Divide the crumbs between the three pans (about 5 ounces in each). Pat firmly into place.
Bake the crusts for 7 minutes.
FOR THE CAKE
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Cream the grapeseed oil and the sugar on medium speed in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for one minute. Stir in the lemon zest.
Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and the ricotta, starting and finishing with the flour. Combine until incorporated.
Evenly distribute the batter among the three cake pans on top of the crusts (about 15-16 ounces of batter in each pan) and bake for 25 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Let cool in pans 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in your refrigerator overnight or freezer for longer.
FOR THE RICOTTA/FILLING
FOR THE RICOTTA (best to make ahead of time): Combine the whole milk, cream and salt in a large pot over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and let boil, while stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
Once the mixture has boiled for a few minutes, turn the heat off and add the vinegar. Give the mixture a stir and then let it sit for about 5 minutes. You'll see the mixture start to separate into thick parts and thin parts.
Place a mesh strainer over a large bowl and then place a damp cheese cloth over the mesh strainer. Pour the milk mixture over the cheese cloth. Let the mixture strain for about an hour. Discard the liquid in the bowl and pour the ricotta in a bowl to chill until ready to use. Can be made ahead of time and store in the fridge for about 3 to 5 days.
FOR THE FILLING: Combine the powdered sugar and whipping cream. Beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipping cream into 2 cups of the homemade ricotta.
FOR THE COMPOTE
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Heat to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the blueberries to burst and the liquid to thicken. It should coat your spoon well.
This is best made ahead of time and can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple weeks.
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed for about two minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the sifted powdered sugar until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix for another minute.
Add the blueberry filling, vanilla, salt and heavy cream (one tablespoon at a time). Once the cream is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat the frosting for five minutes. It should get lighter in texture and color.
Use a spoon to mix the frosting by hand, which will push out the air pockets created by the electric mixer.
ASSEMBLY
Place the first cake layer, top side up, on a cake board or cake plate. Using a piping bag, pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of the cake.
Fill the cake with 1/2 to 3/4 cup ricotta filling, followed by 1/2 cup blueberry compote.
Place the second cake layer on top and repeat step two.
Place the final cake layer on top and apply a thin layer of buttercream around the entire. Freeze the cake for about 10 minutes to set crumb coat.
Finish frosting the cake with the remaining buttercream and top with blueberry compote.
See above picture tutorial for more details.
Source: scakebycourtney.com
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Source:
- https://cakebycourtney.com/blueberry-delight-cake/
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/gameraboy/49731224987/
- https://disneymeals.me/category/fantasia/
- https://lemonbabydesigns.blogspot.com/2015/03/disney-inspired-dinner-movie-fantasia.html
Camille Hoffmann
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! camille@dvo.com
