White Mulberry Bizcocho with a Caramelized Cherry Drizzle
White mulberry bizcocho makes the perfect mid-morning or afternoon snack alongside a piping hot cup of coffee or tea. Bizcocho is something of a thing for most Spanish households and you’ll often smell a waft of bizcocho cooking when making afternoon visits to friends or family homes.
Bizcocho is a quick and easy spongecake dessert spared of any decorative detail that you’ll find on other pastries or cakes. It’s typically served straight from the oven in generous slices.
Who can resist a good white mulberry bizcocho? The wafting smell of baked goods draws us in, searching kitchen counters for the still-warm spongecake, it’s hard to resist a slice or two!
Easy Recipe | Spanish | Mediterranean Recipe | One-Pot | Baked | Easy Snack Recipe | Cake Recipe | High in Fiber | White Mulberry Recipe | Made in 45 minutes
Serving:
10 slices
Ready in:
45 minutes
Skill level:
Very easy
Serve with:
Freshly brewed coffee
What you’ll need to make White Mulberry Bizcocho
(makes 1 cake, 12 x 5 inches/30 x 12 cm)
Ingredients
- 1 cup of white mulberries
- 3.5oz/100g of cherries
- 60ml sweet sherry
- 3 eggs
- 2.3 fl. oz/70ml olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 6oz/170g white sugar
- 9oz/250g self-raising flour (or bizcocho flour if you can find it)
- 1 sachet of baking powder (0.6oz/17g)
Equipment needed
- 1 blender
- 1 large bowl
- 1 cake tin around 10-inches by 6-inches
What is Bizcocho?
In Spain, Bizcocho most commonly refers to sponge cake. However, the term bizcocho in greater Europe also describes a wide range of pastries, cookies, and cakes. Generally speaking, our bizcocho is going to be referring to a soft sponge cake that’s usually made as a cake enjoyed with afternoon tea.
Morus alba – White mulberry tree
The Morus alba tree, also known as white mulberry, is a common mulberry and silkworm mulberry. The trees are fast-growing and can easily grow in excess of 20 meters tall. The Morus alba has a lifespan of around 80-90 years, with some species found to survive in excess of 250 years.
The fruit varies from a white color to a deep purple hue. All fruit has a sweet, somewhat tart flavor and the white mulberries are often considered sweeter than the more common purple fruit varieties.
White mulberry benefits
White mulberries have a long history of being used in natural medicine, with the leaves, bark, root, and fruit all used, mainly due to their high nutrient content. Modern studies have also found that white mulberries are associated with a number of health benefits.
Both purple and white mulberries have been found to be high in antioxidants and are anti-inflammatory fighting inflammation and other diseases. Scientific studies have shown white mulberries to be rich in cancer-fighting antioxidants, and help prevent age-related diseases and diabetes.
One ounce (28g) serving of raw white mulberries contains the following;
- Just 90 calories per 1 oz./28g serving
- Protein: 3 grams
- Carbs: 22 grams
- Fiber: 4 grams
- Fat: 0.5 grams
- Vitamin C: 130% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Vitamin A: 2% of the DV
- Iron: 20% of the DV
- Calcium: 8% of the DV
How to clean mulberries
Be very gentle when you wash and handle your mulberries. They are very delicate when ripe and tend to bruise or fall apart if handled incorrectly.
- When washing your white mulberries, fill a large bowl with some fresh water and drop the mulberries into the water.
- Stir gently with a wooden spoon and once washed slowly transfer to a colander to drain the excess water.
- Lay on a flat surface to dry. Do not pat dry as you’ll squish or bruise your mulberries!
Cherries and mulberries
White mulberries like to play tricks on people. They are far more understated than their bright purple cousins, but pack an incredibly sweet punch under their elegant white skin.
One of the reasons white mulberries work so well in cakes is they do not color or stain the cake, instead leaving your bizcocho with a perfect baked white interior that’s perfect for adding a splash of color from other fruit.
Mulberries are also super healthy and offer an ideal substitute for sugar when baking.
We’ve opted to make a caramelized cherry drizzle simply as cherries are in season right now, but other fruits such as raspberries or blueberries are also a great option. Adding a touch of sweet Spanish sherry brings a delicious warmth and sweetness to the caramelized cherry mixture.
White Mulberry Bizcocho with a caramelized cherry drizzle
Equipment
- 1 Blender
- 1 large bowl
- 1 cake tin around 10-inches by 6-inches
Ingredients
- 1 cup of white mulberries
- 3.5 oz/100g of cherries
- 60 ml sweet sherry
- 3 eggs
- 2.3 fl. oz/70ml olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 6 oz/170g white sugar
- 9 oz/250g self-raising flour or bizcocho flour if you can find it
- 1 sachet of baking powder 0.6oz/17g
Instructions
- Prepare the caramelized cherries by adding the brown sugar and around 100ml of water to the pan. Bring to a boil then turn the heat to medium and stir constantly until sugar dissolves. Stir in the sherry.
- Add the cherries to the mixture and simmer for 10 minutes or until cherries are soft. At 10 minutes, remove from heat, add a pinch of salt and stir through.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C while you now prepare the bizcocho mixture.
- Add the oil, sugar, and eggs to a blender.
- Wash the mulberries and add them to the mixture. Blend ingredients until smooth (around 3 minutes).
- Next sieve the self-raising flour and baking powder into a large bowl.
- Slowly add the liquid mixture from the blender to the flour and continue to stir until the mixture and flour are combined.
- Remove the cherries from the heat and strain the mixture. Use the back of a spoon to smush the cherries. Discard the seeds and stems and add the cherry flesh to the caramelized sauce.
- Grease the cake tin with some olive oil. Pour the bizcocho mixture and the caramelized cherry mixture into the tin, allowing the cherry mixture to swirl with the bizcocho mix.
- Bake at 350°F/180°C for around 30-35 minutes (slightly less time for a fan-forced oven).
Video
Mulberry Bizcocho Cooking Tips and FAQs
How long does this bizcocho recipe take to make?
- Prep time:10 minutes
- Cook time: 35 minutes
- Total time: 45 minutes
Can you bake with mulberries?
Yes, mulberries are an excellent ingredient for baked goods such as fruit bread, sponge cakes (bizcocho), muffins, and cakes.
What makes a cake more moist and fluffy?
If you want to make a cake moist, try adding some olive oil to your cake or bizcocho mixture before baking. If you’re looking for a more fluffy cake, use some extra baking powder.
What can you make with mulberries?
Mulberries are great for baking. They can easily be added to cakes, muffins, bizcocho, or mixed into bread.
Mulberries are also excellent when juiced or great when added to fruit salads, or breakfast cereals.
Can you freeze mulberries?
Yes! Mulberries can be easily frozen and thawed as you need them. Use an airtight container and be careful not to overpack the container with berries. Mulberries will last up to 3 months when frozen.
How to store mulberry bizcocho
Once baked, your mulberry bizcocho will store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
