Pink Champagne Cake
This cake was the result of searching for a cake recipe which involved champagne, and finding nothing suitable. A friend of mines 30th was coming up, and she had just graduated from the prestigous Champagne Academy, so I wanted to personalise the cake for her... but everywhere I looked I came up with nothing. So I played around using Nigella basic recipes and after a disaster, where I added champagne to the cake pre-baking, I came up with this! It is made at the drop of a hat, and I may as well start wearing t=shirts with "will i bring a cake?" I say it that many times.
The icing is what makes this cake, it tastes divine, if the rose wine color is too twee for you - use white sparkling wine instead - its as nice!
You'll need
Two sponge sandwiches (see recipe in comments)
250ml fresh whipped cream
500g Icing Sugar
Fresh strawberries (a handful chopped small for the middle is enough and two large ones for the top)
Approx one large glass of Rose sparkling wine (or pink champagne if you are feeling extravagant)
When your cake is cooling on a wire rack, skewer it with a knife a few times on both sandwiches and using a spoon trickle the wine all across the sponge. You want it damp-ish. It doesn't really matter if you end up soaking it, its nicer if you don't but it won't be ruined if you add too much.
Now for the icing...
Pour some of the glass of sparkling wine into a bowl and sieve some icing sugar into it until you have a thick icing that will plop easily off a spoon, if it pours its too thin - add more sugar, if it forms peaks its too thick - add more wine!
To assemble the cake
Line your chosen plate with a sheet of greaseproof and place one of the sponges on it, then stir the chopped strawberries through the whipped cream and spread across the cake, nice and thick. Add the other sponge on top.
Now plop some of the icing onto the top of the cake, it should start to spread out. If its the perfect consistency it will just hit the edge and creep over (as in the picture). Add more icing if it stops short, you can help it along with a wet spoon. If it looks like its going to pour over you can stop it in its tracks by sieving icing sugar straight onto the top, it sets the icing.
Pop it into the fridge until you need it and then slide the greaseproof out from under it, or just fold it under - or leave it, unless you're sure you can slide it, I have two really large wurstof spatulas that i use to lift the cake.
Just before serving, slice the two large strawberries in half and arrange on top.
YUM!
1 comment:
I use Nigella Lawson birthday cake recipe, but use any white sponge mix if you prefer...
(You'll need 2 sandwich tins, lined and greased)
Preheat oven to 180 degrees/gas mark 4
250g plain flour
1.5 tsp baking soda, 0.5 tsp bic. of soda, 0.25 tsp salt
200ml buttermilk
1.5 tsp vanilla extract (essence is fine)
125g soft unsalted butter
200g caster sugar (use golden if you can find it)
3 large organic eggs
Sift flour, baking powder, soda, salt into a bowl. Pour your buttermilk and vanilla into a measuring jug and stir together. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on a minimum speed until it is fluffy (if you can still see the sugar grains its not mixed enough and will curdle the eggs) Now with the mixer beating away (have a helper if its handheld) add the eggs one by one, I always add a tablespoon or two of the flour mix after each egg which helps stop potential curdling.
Then add a small amount of buttermilk, then some of the flour mix, more buttermilk, flour and on and on until its all mixed, if it starts curdling bung in more of the flour straightaway.
Pour into the tins and bake for about 35 minutes, the cake will be golden and coming away from the sides of the tins when its ready. A skewer inserted should be clean.
Post a Comment