SEMI-NAKED BOUQUET CAKE

PREP + COOK TIME 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES (+ COOLING & REFRIGERATION) SERVES 24

EQUIPMENT

30cm round wooden cake board disposable plastic piping bag 2cm plain piping tube straight-sided scraper

2 x deep 20cm round cake pans

BUTTER CAKE

370g butter, softened 3 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups caster sugar

6 eggs

4½ cups self-raising flour 1½ cups milk

PASSIONFRUIT CURD 3 eggs

½ cup (110g) caster sugar 1/3 cup passionfruit pulp 2 tablespoons water 1½ teaspoons finely grated

lemon rind

85g butter, chilled, chopped

BUTTER CREAM

250g butter, softened 3 cups (480g) icing sugar 1/3 cup milk

DECORATIONS

20cm bouquet of organic flowers 1 Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Grease and line bases and sides of two deep 20cm cake pans with baking paper, extending paper 5cm above sides.

2 To make cakes, beat butter, vanilla extract and sugar in bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Transfer mixture to larger bowl; stir in sifted flour and milk, in two batches.

3 Divide cake mixture evenly between prepared pans. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in each centre comes out clean. Stand cakes in pans for 10 minutes, before turning, top-side down, onto wire racks to cool.

4 Make passionfruit curd.

5 Make butter cream.

6 Trim cakes; split cakes in half. Secure one cake layer to cake board with a little butter cream.

7 Fit piping bag with tube. Fill the bag three-quarters full with butter cream. Pipe a ring around the outside edge of the 3 bottom cakes. This forms a ridge to prevent the curd running down the side. Refrigerate until frosting ridges are firm. Divide curd between these three cakes. Stack cakes on each other, finishing with the plain cake. Make sure cakes are evenly placed and straight. 8 Spread top and side of cake with remaining butter cream. Using scraper, scrape excess frosting from side of cake to show some of the “naked” cake beneath.

9 Position organic flowers on top of cake.

PASSIONFRUIT CURD

Combine all ingredients in a medium heatproof bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water (don’t let water touch base of bowl); stir until mixture thickly coats the back of a wooden spoon. Cover, cool; refrigerate.

BUTTER CREAM

Beat the butter in a small narrow bowl with an electric mixer until the butter is as white as possible. (This will result in a whiter butter cream, which will give you better results when colouring it.) Gradually beat in half the sifted icing sugar, then the milk, then the remaining sifted icing sugar. Beat until the butter cream is smooth and spreadable. Keep scraping down the side of the bowl during beating.