I was commissioned to make a baby shower cake for a lady who is expecting a girl. So, naturally, I wanted to go for a very girly, feminine cake that was also sweet and playful. The strawberry whipped cream filling is always a crowd-pleaser and it was the perfect 'baby-pink' for this bake.
The homemade bunting was also very easy to make and added to the style I was trying to achieve. Fresh flowers were also added to the cake for that 'show stopper' look which I felt made the cake feel very feminine.
Ingredients:
Sponge (2 Tiers)
-200g Caster sugar
-200g Softened butter
-4 Eggs
-200g Self-raising flour
-1Tsp Baking powder
-2Tbsp Milk
-1Tsp Vanilla extract
Strawberry Whipped 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
- Pink gel food colouring
Strawberry Puree
-400g Fresh Strawberries
Decoration
-Fresh Flowers
-Stem Floral Tape (green)
-Homemade bunting (2 skewers, cotton string, card, gold sharpie)
- Floral Green Stub Wire
- Half a punnet of fresh strawberries in between the two sponges
Method:
Sponge:
1) Heat the oven to 190C / 170C Fan / Gas 5. Butter two 20cm loose-based 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.
Strawberry Puree:
4) Cut the tops off the strawberries and place into a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
5) Strain the blended strawberries a third at a time through a sieve to remove all of the seeds. Once complete, pour into a small saucepan and bring to a light boil whilst stirring occasionally. Let the strawberry puree lightly boil until the mixture has reduced to a third of its original size. Take off the heat and pour into a bowl and place into the fridge to cool completely.
Internal Fresh Cream Filling:
6) Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, strawberry flavouring and cold strawberry puree. Beat together on a high speed until fully incorporated and smooth.
7) While the mixture is still whipping, slowly pour in the double cream. Once all of the cream is stirred in, mix in the pink food colouring to your desired shade. 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:
8) Place the first sponge tier on a plate and fill your piping bag with the fresh strawberry whipped cream (I used a large round piping nozzle). Around the entire outside-top of the cake, pipe large 'blobs' of the cream. Repeat this process to create a second ring of blobs. Since the inside of the cake will not be seen, simply pipe the rest of the cream in a big swirl to fill the gap.
9) Before adding the second tier, chop a handful of strawberries into small cubes and sprinkle them in the centre of the cake, ensuring not to get too close to the outside 'blobs' you just piped. Once complete, place the second tier on the cake.
10) Spread a thin layer of the strawberry whipped cream on the top of the cake. Then, as before, pipe large blobs around the entire outside-top of the cake. Using a teaspoon, press into each blob and then pull away with the spoon towards the centre of the cake. Continue this method on each of the blobs, ensuring to wipe the spoon clean after every pull. Repeat this step a second time, making a second layer of 'blobs' around the cake.
TIP: For help mastering the technique, watch YouTube videos named Buttercream Petal Cake Tutorial.
11) Using a spatula or a spoon smooth out the centre again so that you cannot see any of the 'pull' marks.
12) Place the cake in the fridge to firm up.
Decoration
13) On the day of presenting the cake, prepare the flowers by cutting the stems of each flower to the length of your little finger. For the thicker stems, insert a piece of floral green stub wire.
14) Cut a relatively long section of floral tape and stretch it. Wrap the entire stem of the flower, ensuring that the stub of the stem is also enclosed. Repeat this process on all of your flowers.
15) Arrange the flowers in a way that is pleasing to the eye and top the cake with your homemade / shop bought bunting.
This cake can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days