I was invited to my beautiful friend Leah's birthday party over the weekend. The theme was glitter and I knew she would be looking super glam, so she needed a glam cake to match!
I decided on a strawberry and vanilla cake which would be covered in meringues, fruit and gold leaf. I didn't find the recipe from one site, but rather, from a large variety of sites since there were so many components! If you wish to bake this cake, I warn you, you will spend hours and hours in the kitchen, but the look on Leah's face when she saw the cake made all the effort worth it!
Ingredients:
Sponge (3 Tiers)
-300g Caster sugar
-300g Softened butter
-6 Eggs
-300g Self-raising flour
-1 and a half Tsp Baking powder
-3Tbsp Milk
-2Tsp Vanilla extract
External Buttercream Icing
-5Tbsp Homemade strawberry puree (see ingredients below)
-1Tbsp Double cream
-1/4Tsp Salt
-1/2Tsp Vanilla extract
-300g Icing sugar
-225g Butter
- Chopped Strawberries (to sprinkle between each sponge)
Internal Fresh Cream Filling
-1 Family pack of full-fat cream cheese
-100g Caster sugar
-1 Tsp Vanilla extract
-450g Double cream
- 4Tbsp Homemade strawberry puree (see ingredients below)
-1 Tsp Strawberry food flavouring
Strawberry Puree
-600g Fresh Strawberries
White Chocolate Drip Ganache
-150g White chocolate
-75g Double cream
Decoration
-Raspberries
-Cherries
-Dried raspberry pieces
-Meringue Kisses (see previous recipe on blog)
-Strawberries
-Gold leaf
Method:
Sponge:
1) Heat the oven to 190C / 170C Fan / Gas 5. Butter three 20cm sandwich tins.
2) In a large bowl, beat all of the cake ingredients together until the batter is smooth and soft.
3) Divide the mixture equally between the tins and smooth the surface with a spatula or spoon, then bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Check to see if the sponge is cooked through by inserting a skewer into the centre of the cake - if it comes out clean the sponge is ready.
3) Turn onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
External Buttercream Icing:
4) Cut up all of the strawberries for the strawberry puree and pulse in a food processor until smooth.
5) Put the puree through a sieve to remove the seeds - I did about a third of the mixture at a time.
6) Pour the strained strawberry puree into a medium saucepan over a low heat. Allow to boil gently while occasionally stirring. Continue boiling until it reduces to at least 1/4 of the original volume. Place the reduced puree into the fridge and make sure it cools fully (it should be thick).
7) In a large bowl, beat the butter until fluffy and no lumps remain. Turn the mixer speed down and carefully beat in half of the icing sugar. Once whisked together, add in the 5 tbsp of cold strawberry puree, vanilla extract and salt. Beat together on a medium speed until combined.
8) Beat the rest of the icing sugar in and add the double cream. Whisk on full speed for a few minutes.
Internal Fresh Cream Filling:
9) Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, strawberry flavouring and strawberry puree. Beat together on a high speed until fully incorporated and smooth.
10) While the mixture is still whipping, slowly pour in the double cream. Stop and scrape the bottom of the bowl a few times while you continue whipping. The cream should hold a stiff peak.
Building the Cake:
11) In order to fix the first sponge to the cake board, place a teaspoon of the buttercream icing onto the board and place the sponge on top.
12) Using a piping bag, pipe the internal fresh cream filling in a thick layer covering the top of the first sponge. Chop up some strawberries and sprinkle them over the fresh cream filling. Repeat with the second layer and place the third layer on top of this. Fill in any gaps on the outside with fresh cream, and smooth the entirety of the cake with a cake with an icing scraper. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
13) Once the cream is cold on the cake, spread the buttercream around the entire cake and again, smooth with an icing scraper. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes -1 hour.
Decoration, Part 1:
14) Once the cake has cooled, using tweezers, carefully place varying sized pieces of gold leave diagonally across the side of the cake.
White Chocolate Drip Ganache:
15) Mix the white chocolate and double cream in a small saucepan until completely melted. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool to room temperature - this will help the effect of the drips. The mixture should be thick, but not thick enough to stop it dripping.
TIP: Add Titanium Dioxide to your chocolate to make it white rather than its natural yellowish colour.
16) Thinly spread the ganache over the top of the cake. To help form the drips, spoon a small amount of the ganache near the outside edge of the cake. Place in the fridge to cool.
Decoration, Part 2:
17) Sprinkle the dried raspberry pieces around the outer edge of the top of the cake.
18) Place the fruit and meringue kisses around the cake wherever you see best.
19) Optional: Insert your happy birthday sign in the centre of the cake.
This cake will last for 3 days if stored covered in the fridge.
Credit to: BBC Good Food, Anges de Sucre, Allrecipes and Just So Tasty
