I’m Loving

Matt Preston shows he's the life of the party… with an epic cake trifle he created for our 18th!

Matt Preston’s epic birthday trifle.

WELL, HAPPY BIRTHDAY delicious.! I’ve been with you for almost all of those 18 years and it’s been a blast, whether travelling to Buenos Aires, Seoul or Madrid in search of culinary gems, writing about things I love (and don’t love so much) or pulling together recipes for features I know would be well-read and well-used, in well-thumbed issues on kitchen shelves all across the land. We’ve had fun – at special dinners and great festivals, such as Noosa Food and Wine, and Melbourne – where we talked, tasted, laughed, and stayed up late, elated to be within our food tribe. We cried, too, when good friends and fellow travellers left us; names that helped shape this magazine and the food of this nation, names like Darren Simpson, Jeremy Strode, Margaret Fulton, Antonio Carluccio and Anthony Bourdain. We mourned the passing of food director, Valli Little, perhaps the most. Valli was a foundation of this magazine and taught us all so much. There have also been the young cooks, photographers, food stylists and writers who got their start, or made their name, in this wonderful magazine. Our current food director, Phoebe Wood, is one of those talents. When Phoebe rang to suggest teaming up to create a birthday cake for the 18th, I baulked at first. She wanted layers – they always want layers – but I am a traditionalist when it to comes to birthday cakes. I want jam-and-cream sponge, chocolate, or possibly coffee, but only two layers. “Why don’t we make a birthday cake trifle?” I suggested with the sort of wide-eyed thinking that usually gets laughed down as soon as it takes flight. But not this time… So, here is our… I mean my, Birthday Cake Trifle. Phoebe told me it had to be 'my', but really it is 'our'. Each layer has been chosen because it has a specific resonance with birthday parties from my past. Read all about the layers of my Birthday Cake Trifle, at delicious.com.au.

BIRTHDAY CAKE TRIFLE

SERVES 10

Begin this recipe 1 day ahead. You will need a 3L-capacity dish.

14 oranges juiced (to make 750ml juice), strained through a fine

sieve, plus zest of 1 orange

1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar

4 titanium-strength gelatine leaves, soaked in cold water for

5 minutes to soften

1 mandarin, segmented 300ml thickened cream 100g sour cream 1/3 cup (40g) pure icing sugar, sifted 300g store-bought chocolate caramel brownie, torn into large pieces Grand Marnier, to drizzle 1/3 cup (45g) toasted slivered almonds Sprinkles, to serve

GANACHE

500g dark (70%) chocolate, finely chopped 2 cups (500ml) pure cream

MOUSSE

400g dark (70%) chocolate, finely chopped 200g each white and milk chocolate, finely chopped 4 eggwhites 1 cup (250ml) thickened cream 1 tsp vanilla extract

CHOCOLATE CRACKLE

200g milk chocolate, finely chopped 80g Coco Pops

For the ganache, place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Place cream in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour hot cream over chocolate and stir to combine until chocolate is smooth. Pour ganache into a 3L-capacity dish and chill for 2-3 hours until set.

Meanwhile for the crackle, grease a large oven tray and line with baking paper. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir chocolate until melted and smooth. Add in the Coco Pops and stir to combine. Place 1 heaped tbs of mixture onto prepared tray and repeat with remaining mixture until all of the mixture is used up. Chill until needed.

Place half of the orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, for 6-8 minutes until sugar has dissolved. Squeeze excess water from gelatine and stir into orange and sugar mixture. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl with remaining 375ml orange juice and mandarin segments. Gently pour over ganache layer and chill for 4-5 hours until set.

To make the cream, place the thickened cream, sour cream and icing sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whisk to stiff peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the mousse, place chocolates and 1 cup (250ml) boiling water in a blender, and whiz until melted and smooth. Add eggwhites and whiz until smooth and combined, then add the cream and vanilla, and whiz to combine. Pour on top of the orange and mandarin jelly and refrigerate for 2-3 hours until set.

Scatter mousse layer with crumbled brownie and drizzle with as much Grand Marnier as you'd like. Spoon over the cream and scatter with almonds and chocolate crackle. Scatter over orange zest and sprinkles to serve.