This Paradise Cake is the copycat version of Italian “Kinder Paradiso”, a popular chilled vanilla slice.
Made with a perfectly fluffy vanilla-flavored sponge cake filled with sweet cream, honey, vanilla, and orange blossom, this combo is nothing short of heavenly!
Paradise Cake
This Paradise Cake is the copycat version of Italian “Kinder Paradiso”, an insanely popular and very much loved chilled vanilla slice filled with cream and honey, made by Ferrero (yes, the Nutella guy).
Why this recipe works:
- Cloud-quality sponge cake. When I say “cloud-quality”, I’m trying to convey to you just how incredibly fluffy this sponge cake is. It goes beyond regular “fluffy”, it’s so airy and light that you have to be incredibly gentle when handling it!
- Heavenly flavor. There’s a reason this vanilla slice is sold under the name “Paradise”: its flavor is nothing short of blissful thanks to a combo of honey, vanilla, orange blossom, and sweet cream.
- Exact copycat but fluffier. Ferrero never revealed the formula and combinations of extracts used in their vanilla slice to keep other brands from copying it but after years of trying, I was able the same exact flavor with an even fluffier sponge cake! Let me brag lol.
- Make-ahead! This is a great dessert for special occasions as you can prep part of the filling ahead of time!
Wait… is there more than one Paradise Cake?
Yes, there are 2 types of Paradise Cake in Italy.
There’s this one and then there’s an older recipe (traditional Paradise Cake) which is basically just a tall sponge cake flavored with lemon zest and dusted with powdered sugar. Good but not my kind of cake. It’s VERY simple, there’s no filling or frosting.
Ingredients for Italian Paradise Cake
Eggs. These are the key ingredients when it comes to sponge cake so make sure you’re using fresh eggs at room temperature. You want to separate the whites from the yolks, making sure the whites have no yolks in them whatsoever or they won’t beat.
Sugar for sweetening, use white granulated sugar.
Cornstarch. This ingredient is very important so do not substitute it, it’s there to absorb some of the moisture of the egg whites and stabilize the foamy texture.
All-purpose flour for structure.
Baking powder for an extra lift.
Vanilla extract for flavor. Make sure you’re using high-quality vanilla extract for best flavor. Clear would be recommended but regular will also work.
Milk for the thickened milk for the filling. Now, what the hell is thickened milk, right? Thickened milk is basically milk cooked with cornstarch until thickened for a deep milk flavor and a thick custard-like texture. It’s similar to Lebanese Ashta cream, for reference. Do not substitute with condensed milk, it’s not the same.
Honey. This is another essential ingredient for this cake so make sure you use a high-quality honey with good flavor (not too strong though). Liquid or hard, the texture doesn’t matter.
Heavy cream. Make sure it’s cold or it won’t whip.
Powdered sugar for sweetening the cream and for dusting.
How to make Paradise Cake
STEP ONE: Make the thickened milk. This can be done 1 day ahead of time. In a small saucepan, add the milk and cornstarch. Mix until the cornstarch has dissolved and place over medium-low heat.
Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. The texture should be similar to custard. Once it has thickened, turn off the heat and stir in the honey, vanilla extract, and orange blossom water. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure it’s touching the cream, and allow to come down to room temperature. Meanwhile, make the cake.
STEP TWO: Preheat the oven to 320F (160C). Line the bottom of an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter.
STEP THREE: Beat the egg whites. In a medium bowl, combine the cornstarch, flour, and baking powder, and set aside. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand-mixer, add the egg whites and beat until frothy and white, add in half of the sugar and beat until stiff peaks start forming.
STEP FOUR: Make the sponge cake batter. In a separate bowl, add the yolks, the remaining sugar, and the vanilla extract and beat until foamy and pale in color. Sift in about 1/3 of the dry ingredients and use a spatula to fold them into the batter. Once the batter begins to dry up, fold in about 1/3 of the egg whites. Keep alternating dry ingredients and egg whites until you run out of both and have a smooth fluffy batter.
STEP FIVE: Bake. Gently pour the batter into your prepared cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or up to 40-45 minutes. Your sponge cake is ready when it’s tall with a light brown top, doesn’t jiggle, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out dry.
The cake will rise a lot and slightly deflate once it comes out of the oven, it’s okay. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then run a butter knife along the sides of the cake to release it from the pan and invert it onto a clean dish lined with parchment paper.
STEP SIX: Make the whipped cream. Once the thickened milk has cooled down, make the whipped cream. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand-mixer, add the cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract and beat until soft peaks start forming. Use a spatula to fold in the thickened milk until smooth.
STEP SEVEN: Assemble the cake. Trim the sides of the cake for a cleaner look then slice the sponge cake in half. Work very gently as this sponge cake is particularly fluffy. Add dollops of filling to the bottom layer of the cake and spread it out into an even layer. Top with the top layer.
STEP EIGHT: Chill covered in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
STEP NINE: Slice and dust. Slice into 6 portions and dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes, I actually recommend it as part of the filling needs to cool down to room temperature before it can be used.
Day 1: Make the thickened milk (step 5), cover as instructed and store in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 days.
Day 2: Bake and serve (step 2 through step 9), make, bake, and assemble the cake. Allow the assembled cake to chill for 1-2 hours before slicing, dusting with powdered sugar and serving!
How do you store Paradise Cake?
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Keep in mind that the powdered sugar will melt and the filling may deflate a bit overtime. While the cake will still be delicious, it may not be as pretty as on day 1.
HAPPY BAKING!! I hope you’ll love this Italian Paradise Cake Recipe or Homemade Kinder Paradise Recipe as much as I do!
PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ if you make it! Your comments make my day!! You can also tag me on Instagram @itsdamnspicy 🌈💘
More dreamy recipes you’ll love:
- Viral Vanilla Swiss Roll
- White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake
- Tropical Mango Crepe Cake
- Strawberry Swiss Roll
Paradise Cake
Ingredients
For The Sponge Cake
- 4 egg whites (room temperature)
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (125 g) white granulated sugar (divided)
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/4 cups + 2 tbsp (75 g) cornstarch
- 3 tbsp (25 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp (5 g) baking powder
For The Filling
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) full-fat milk
- 2 tbsp (15 g) cornstarch
- 1 tbsp (20 g) honey
- 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp orange blossom water (you can add more but you shouldn't really be able to taste the orange blossom, it's more for the overall flavor)
- 3/4 cups (185 ml) heavy cream (cold)
- Powdered sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- Make the thickened milk. This can be done 1 day ahead of time. In a small saucepan, add the milk and cornstarch. Mix until the cornstarch has dissolved and place over medium-low heat.Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. The texture should be similar to custard. Once it has thickened, turn off the heat and stir in the honey, vanilla extract, and orange blossom water. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure it’s touching the cream, and allow to come down to room temperature. Meanwhile, make the cake.
- Preheat the oven to 320F (160C). Line the bottom of an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter.
- Beat the egg whites. In a medium bowl, combine the cornstarch, flour, and baking powder, and set aside. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand-mixer, add the egg whites and beat until frothy and white, add in half of the sugar and beat until stiff peaks start forming.
- Make the sponge cake batter. In a separate bowl, add the yolks, the remaining sugar, and the vanilla extract and beat until foamy and pale in color. Sift in about 1/3 of the dry ingredients and use a spatula to fold them into the batter. Once the batter begins to dry up, fold in about 1/3 of the egg whites. Keep alternating dry ingredients and egg whites until you run out of both and have a smooth fluffy batter.
- Bake. Gently pour the batter into your prepared cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or up to 40-45 minutes. Your sponge cake is ready when it’s tall with a light brown top, doesn’t jiggle, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out dry.The cake will rise a lot and slightly deflate once it comes out of the oven, it’s okay. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then run a butter knife along the sides of the cake to release it from the pan and invert it onto a clean dish lined with parchment paper.
- Make the whipped cream. Once the thickened milk has cooled down, make the whipped cream. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand-mixer, add the cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract and beat until soft peaks start forming. Use a spatula to fold in the thickened milk until smooth.
- Assemble the cake. Trim the sides of the cake for a cleaner look then slice the sponge cake in half. Work very gently as this sponge cake is particularly fluffy. Add dollops of filling to the bottom layer of the cake and spread it out into an even layer. Top with the top layer.
- Chill covered in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
- Slice and dust. Slice into 6 portions and dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Notes
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