Physalis Salted Caramel & Chocolate Cake

Updated: May 2, 2023

Physalis, you might also know them as ground cherries, husk cherries, cape gooseberries, Inca berries, Chinese lanterns, uchuva, poha berries, golden berries or husk tomatoes to name a few (I could go on, there are plenty more). Anyways, this experiment started when I saw a paper box of the fruit at the store and got flashbacks to all of the Great British Baking Show cakes that were decorated with them. I was eager to try it.

Upon tasting a few, I was surprised by it's resemblance of a tomato. I did some research on typical flavor pairings for the fruit and found it to be commonly served dipped in chocolate. No way that would work, I thought. But sure enough, after popping a square of dark chocolate and half a physalis in my mouth: I was won over. The physalis is acidic, tart and sweet at the same time which pairs brilliantly with the richness and bitterness of chocolate. I wanted to have a very rounded out flavor, the chocolate-physalis combo was lacking a certain sweet creaminess, also a touch of salt. Logically, thats where the salted caramel cheesecake layer comes in ;)

Further research led me to learn more about the physalis; like they are considered a superfood due to their sizable amount of Vitamin C, which aids your body in the wound-healing process, absorbing iron and antioxidants, and boosts your immune system. They have a steroid in them called withanolides which prevent inflammatory conditions and maybe even cancer. AND, not only do they have lots of calcium, also dietary fiber, vitamin B3 which can increase joint mobility, and vitamin A (good for eye health). In addition to which, although there is yet to be 'scientific evidence', physalis is known as la fruta del amor in Costa Rica due to its "high aphrodisiac properties" (capability for sexual desire stimulation). So, I suppose you can just go ahead and take your pick for the reason why to eat this fruit 😁

Ingredients (serves 10 - 12)

for the chocolate sponge

140g oat milk (sub with other plant milks)

1 tsp vinegar

35g oil

25g melted chocolate

100g vegan yogurt

100g flour

80g sugar

40g cocoa powder

1 tsp espresso powder *(optional)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

for the caramel

100g sugar

20g water

40g vegan butter

60g vegan milk

30g soy sauce (sub with salt to taste)

for the cheesecake

200g cashews, soaked over night or in boiling water for 1 hour

80g coconut oil

53g vegan white chocolate

250g vegan yogurt*

2 Tbs lemon juice

the caramel sauce from above (reserve a few tablespoons of it to top with)

physalis fruit to top with

*the type I used was a sweetened vanilla yogurt, so you may need to add more sugar if you use a plain yogurt

Instructions

1. Grease a loaf pan and preheat the oven to 180°C. Make the sponge by combining the wet ingredients in a large bowl, then combining the dry in a medium bowl. Dump the dry ingredients into the wet and whisk just until a smooth batter forms. Bake it for 30 minutes or until it springs back to the touch.

2. Cool the cake and make the caramel in the meantime.

3. Combine the sugar and water in a medium sized saucepan, cook on medium heat until the sugar begins to turn amber in color. Don't stir because that can cause the sugar to crystallize. Once it is amber, remove from the heat and carefully stir in the butter (it was sputter and bubble). Then, stir in the milk and soy sauce until smooth. Set aside to cool.