MY LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS CELEBRATION CAKE

CHALLENGING My design for The Language Of Flowers celebration cake is based on William and Kate’s wedding cake. It is a much simpler single-tier version, which you can make using traditional fruit cake as the royal couple had (see recipe overleaf) or this delicious orange blossom and pistachio sponge below, which is a light, modern version very popular with young couples. The lily of the valley, rose, daisies, ivy leaf and forget-me-nots all featured on Kate’s cake. I have simplified the methods and added a little colour so you can make your very own Language Of Flowers cake for a special occasion.

Serves 8

For the orange blossom cake

175g (6oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 100g (3½oz) shelled unsalted pistachios

70g (2½oz) self-raising flour

1tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

200g (7oz) golden caster sugar Zest of 1 orange, finely grated

4 eggs, lightly beaten

70g (2½oz) ground almonds

1-2tsp orange flower water, to taste (different brands vary in strength)

For the syrup

Juice of 1 orange

45g (1½oz) golden caster sugar

1tbsp orange flower water, to taste 3tbsp apricot jam, warmed and sieved

For the buttercream

150g (5½oz) unsalted butter, softened

250g (9oz) icing sugar, sifted

Zest of 1 orange, finely grated

To cover the cake

1kg (2lb 4oz) white sugar paste Icing sugar, for dusting

To make the flowers and leaves

250g (9oz) white sugar paste 250g (9oz) flower paste, such as Renshaw’s

Icing sugar, to dust

Food colour paste in pink, green, yellow, blue

White vegetable fat, such as Trex 60g (2¼oz) royal icing sugar

Pot of tiny edible pearls

Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. Lightly butter a 20cm x 7cm deep, round loose-bottomed tin, and line with baking parchment.

Scatter the pistachios onto a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 3-5 minutes, shaking once and watching all the time to make sure they don’t burn. Allow to cool, then grind finely in a food processor.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Then in an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and zest until very light and fluffy – about 5 minutes – and slowly add the eggs, adding 1tbsp of the flour mixture to prevent curdling.

Fold in the almonds and pistachios, the remaining flour mixture and the orange flower water, to taste. Scrape the batter into the tin and bake for 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Meanwhile, make the syrup. Tip the orange juice, sugar and orange flower water into a small pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until it has reduced to about 60ml. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, prick it all over with a fine skewer or cocktail stick and evenly drizzle the syrup over the cake. Leave to cool in the tin, then turn out onto the cake drum and level with a serrated knife if necessary. Cut the cake in half horizontally. Stir a drop of orange flower water into the jam, to taste. Spread the apricot jam all over both halves of the cake and sandwich together.

To make the buttercream, beat the butter, icing sugar and orange zest for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy. Spread all over the top and sides of the cake, then chill for

10 minutes.

Knead the sugar paste until pliable, dust your work surface with icing sugar and roll out the paste to a circle about 5mm thick and slightly larger than the diameter of the cake and sides. Lift with both hands (or roll loosely around a rolling pin – see marzipan pictures overleaf) and carefully place over the cake; the sugar paste needs to cover all sides, but not the bottom.

Smooth down with your hands, working quickly before it dries out. Smooth away any creases (see picture, left) and cut away the excess. Leave overnight at room temperature to dry out until you are ready to decorate with your leaves and flowers.

Left: The eighttier Language Of Flowers cake that my team and I made for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. It features 17 different types of flowers and leaves