CARAMELISED WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH BURNT BUTTER ICING
SERVES 12-18
400g good-quality white chocolate, chopped 1 cup thin cream 1½ cups evaporated milk 500g unsalted butter, softened 500g caster sugar 8 eggs 1 tbsp vanilla-bean paste 800g self-raising flour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda Pinch of salt 500ml buttermilk
150g unsalted butter, chopped, softened 1¼ cups (120g) pure icing sugar 600g cream cheese, chopped, softened
1. Preheat oven to 130°C. Place white chocolate in a baking dish. Roast for 10 minutes, then remove and stir. Return to oven and roast, stirring every 5 minutes, for 40 minutes or until dark golden and caramelised (don’t worry if chocolate seizes as it will come back together).
2. Place two-thirds of the roasted chocolate in a saucepan with the cream. Place over medium heat and stir until combined. Add the evaporated milk and set aside to cool. Once the remaining white chocolate has cooled, crumble and set aside.
3. Increase the oven to 160°C. Grease and line base and sides of three 22cm round springform cake pans with baking paper. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until thick and pale. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla-bean paste.
4. Reduce speed to low. Sift the flour, bicarb soda and salt into a bowl. Combine one-third of the flour mixture with the egg mixture, then one-third of the buttermilk. Repeat 2 more times, beating until smooth.
5. Divide batter among pans. Bake, swapping pans halfway, for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool cakes in pans for 15 minutes. Turn onto wire racks to cool. Using a serrated knife, trim cake tops to level. Re-line pans with baking paper. Return cakes to pans. Use a skewer to poke holes in cakes. Pour white chocolate mixture over the cakes. Chill for 2 hours.
6. For the icing, place the butter in a pan over medium heat. Cook until the butter just turns brown then immediately pour into a bowl. Set aside to cool then chill completely. Use electric mixers to beat butter and icing sugar until pale. Add cream cheese and beat for 5 minutes or until thick and fluffy.
7. Place 1 cake on a cake stand and spread with ⅓-cup icing. Top with a cake. Spread with ⅓-cup icing. Finish with a cake. Using a palette knife, spread remaining icing over the top and side of the cake. Sprinkle over the white chocolate crumble. Decorate with flowers (optional).