What's the best cake I've tasted?
Dan Lepard & David Whitehouse's Celebration Wedding Cake:
fluffy, indulgent, sweet, creamy, special, light, understated glory with a hint of coconut.
Red Nose Day is fast approaching over here, and people are generously supporting the quirky, funny and imaginative fund raising ideas that are put before them.
My studio painting partner Lella was keen to host a cake sale at her winebar The Retreat asking friends, family and fellow Suffolk Parade traders to contribute something baked.
And I knew which one I wanted to make. It had to be special enough to sell well.
Obviously I wondered if I had the skills to recreate Dan's wedding cake, but thought "what the heck" & bought the 23 & 25cm cake tins and piping bag for the task. I believed I had every kitchen gadget - well, seemingly not so.
To deliver the cake, Tony had to drive me just 200 meters, whilst I cradled it on my lap, and nestled the coulis between my feet in the foot well.
It was worth the care to see my friend's face. She exclaimed "Gill!" and placed the sweet piece in the centre of the table, saying it deserved a profile.
I returned a couple of hours later to see it hadn't been cut into and was looking most precious.
Lella had sold a quarter to a lady, and upon the buyer's return, was hoping she would be inclined to purchase the entire cake. I thought that unlikely, so cut the quarter out of the cake and reserved it for her.
I also needed to photograph those inside layers.
15 minutes after cutting the cake, not much remained. Lunchtime diners wanted it for their dessert & it flew away.
I sat with Viv for a moment, she's a potter and art school owner, who'd supported the event by eating 6 cakes.
But got little peace as a woman wanted my business card thinking I was a cake maker, and others sought me out to congratulate me on the cake I'd brought.
I confess to indulging in feelings of pride for the remainder of the day. Is that really sinful of me?
David Everitt-Matthias at the Champignon Sauvage round the corner also contributed a Dutche treacle tart with coconut and molasses which I tried. Delightful.
Dan's excellent cake recipe can be found here at his Guardian column.
And this is how I followed his steps over two days:
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| boiled the desiccated coconut & milk |
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| melted the oil and white chocolate |
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| added the 4 eggs and 4 egg yolks into the ingredients mix |
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| folded the 4 egg whites carefully |
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| with a metal spoon |
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| poured into a lined 25cm baking tin |
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| baked till spaghetti skewer comes out clean |
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| trimmed and sliced in half for the buttercream layer |
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| boiled the mascarpone |
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| added sugar, butter and icing sugar |
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| made the raspberry and redcurrant sauce |
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| which you purée and strain |
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| piped the cake |
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| cut the cake |
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| 3 pieces left |
7 comments:
Good Grief! That is a small cake! What a piece of work, wow! And watching it disappear before my eyes like that, so cruel.... and before dinner... poor little me xx
Oh Gill, that looks DIVINE!! What did you need the 23cm cake tin for?
Joanna! Lovely to hear from you.
So sorry to tease you like that - you can return the torment by posting your delicious food pictures at Zebbakes for me to drool over.
XXX
Hi Celia.
Why thank you kindly. I'm taking all the credit at the moment, but as you know well, I just did what the recipe told me to do in effect.
Still, there are plenty of stages to mess up the baking.
I got the 23cm tin for a couple of reasons. I had the grand idea of making it a tier cake - until a cakemaker said I needed to buy pillars to stop the top one sinking into the bottom.
Plus Dan's recipe asks for a 23 or 25cm tin - but I found you needed the 25.
And that biggest reason of all = buy one get one half price! XXX
Drool!! That looks heavenly.Love the piping work,Gill!
Tracey! Lovely to see you again. And thank you.
I was pretty pleased with my piping.
I'll chose a different nozzle next time I think. And have a play around.
Gill, just saw this, looks absolutely professional and delicious. I find that Dan's recipes always work, they are well constructed. You have a done a very professional job of decorating and that slice looks mouth watering!
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