How sweet it is

GET BAKING FOR FULL-FLAVOURED TREATS TO THRILL THE WHOLE FAMILY SERVES 12. PREP 1 HR AND 20 MINS. COOK 55 MINS

ZESTY LEMON & WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKE INGREDIENTS

• 450g (3 cups) self-raising flour, sifted

• 50g (⅓ cup) custard powder, sifted

• 430g (2 cups) caster sugar

• 1 tbsp finely grated lemon rind

• 4 eggs

• 250ml (1 cup) milk

• 150g butter, melted, cooled

• 80ml (⅓ cup) vegetable oil

• 160ml (⅔ cup) fresh lemon juice

• Yellow and purple oil-based food colouring, to tint

• 60ml (¼ cup) boiling water

• 100g (⅓ cup) lemon curd

• 2 x 290g pkt white chocolate melts, melted

• Edible flowers, to decorate

MOCK SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

• 125ml (½ cup) egg whites

• 600g (4 cups) icing sugar mixture

• 500g butter, chopped, at room temperature

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 170C/150C fan-forced. Grease two 20cm round cake pans and line bases with baking paper.

2 Place flour, custard powder and 315g (1½ cups) caster sugar in a bowl. Make a well. Whisk lemon rind, eggs, milk, butter, oil and half the lemon juice in a bowl until combined.

3 Stir the egg mixture into flour mixture until combined. Tint yellow with colouring. Divide between pans. Smooth surface. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Turn onto a rack to cool completely.

4 Meanwhile, combine the boiling water, remaining juice and remaining sugar in a jug. Stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool slightly.

5 To make buttercream, combine egg whites and icing sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure bowl doesn’t touch water). Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes or until hot to the touch. (To test, place a small amount on a saucer and if hot to touch, it’s ready.) Transfer mixture to a stand mixer with whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed for 10 minutes or until almost room temperature. Switch to paddle attachment. On low speed gradually add butter, beating well after each addition and increasing to medium halfway through, until smooth and creamy. (It may curdle, keep beating and it’ll come together). Add vanilla and beat until combined.

6 Trim and level top of each cake and cut in half horizontally. Use a little buttercream to secure 1 cake, cut-side up, to a cake board. Drizzle over a little syrup. Spread over one-third of curd then ½ cup buttercream to cover. Repeat layering cakes, syrup, curd and buttercream, finishing with the final cake, cut-side down. Spread a little buttercream over side and top to cover. Spoon remaining buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm fluted nozzle.

7 Place about ¼ cup melted white chocolate in a small bowl. Tint purple with colouring. Transfer to a small sealable plastic bag.

8 Cut baking paper into two 12 x 38cm strips. Use a spatula to spread remaining chocolate evenly over strips. Snip corner of purple choc bag and drizzle over white chocolate. Working fast, use the back of a spoon to smooth over to create marbled effect. Set aside for a minute. Carefully slide strips onto another paper sheet (to stop strips sticking to bench). Set aside until almost set then cut each strip into 3cm-wide rectangles.

9 Starting from centre, pipe remaining buttercream on top of cake in a circular pattern. Gently press the choc panels to side of cake, overlapping slightly.

Top with flowers.