WEEKEND
Top tip To make cake bunting, cut out small diamonds from pretty wrapping paper. Fold each in half to make a triangle. Glue the points of the triangles together, leaving space at the fold. Thread onto string, insert 2 skewers into the cake and secure the bunting in place by tying the string onto the top of each skewer and securing with sticky tape.
Perfect partners N E A P O L I TA N L AY E R CAKE Serves 20 (freeze cakes only) Takes 50 mins, plus cooling Cost per serve 43p 325g strawberries, halved and hulled 300g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 375g caster sugar 3 tsp vanilla extract 1 x 284ml pot buttermilk 3 eggs 375g self-raising flour, sifted 1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 100g dark chocolate, melted 1 x 10g tube pink gel food colour 700g icing sugar 6-7 tbsp milk 20g dark chocolate, grated cake bunting (optional, see tip)
1 Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Grease and line 3 x 18cm round tins. In a blender, purée 100g of the strawberries, then remove the pips by passing through a fine sieve. Set aside. 2 Using an electric hand whisk, beat 180g of the butter until smooth. Add the caster sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy, then beat in half the buttermilk. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well, then fold through the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Stir in the remaining buttermilk. 3 Divide the batter between 3 bowls. Fold the melted chocolate into one bowl, and 1 tsp vanilla extract into the second. Mix the strawberry purée and pink food colour into the third. Pour the batters into the 3 lined tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. 4 To make the buttercream, whisk together the icing sugar, remaining butter, vanilla extract and 6 tbsp milk,
until of a smooth spreading consistency. Add an extra 1 tbsp milk if necessary. 5 Level the sponges using a serrated knife, then sandwich the cakes together by spreading 200g buttercream between each layer, with the chocolate sponge on the base, the vanilla sponge in the middle and the strawberry sponge at the top. 6 Using a knife, coat the cake with the remaining buttercream. Sweep around the cake with a palette knife held at a 45 degree angle to remove the excess icing and reveal the sponge beneath. Decorate with the grated chocolate and remaining strawberries, and add the bunting (see tip). Each serving contains Energy
1952kJ 463kcal xx 23% %
Fat
Saturates
Sugars
Salt
16g 9g 65g 0·4g 22% 45% 72% 7%
of the reference intake. See page 106. Carbohydrate 81g Protein 4g Fibre 1g
Triple Chocolate Curls, £1/30g (£3·33/ 100g). Finish off your cake with a sprinkling of chocolate curls.
finest* Horseradish Sauce, £1·19/170g (70p/ 100g), will add a kick to the mackerel tartlets.
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