Heaven & HELL cake

TODAY: Special celebration cakes

IN WEEKEND Magazine on Saturday, we marked ten years of Britain’s favourite baking show with recipes from the new Great British Bake Off book. Today, we have a fabulous selection of showstoppers from The Big Book Of Amazing Cakes, dreamed up by contestants past and present. From indulgent chocolate gateaux to a boozy Christmas cake, they’ll impress your guests at any special occasion. JOhn’s magnificent creation from series 3 is altogether divine — with lemon and coconut cakes representing heaven and the deeply indulgent chocolate cake representing hell.

HANDS-ON: 2½ hours BAKE: 1¾ hours

You will need: 25cm round, deep cake tin, greased, then base- lined with baking paper 5cm round mini- cake tins x 12, greased Medium piping bag fitted with a jam nozzle 30cm cake card 2 medium piping bags, each fitted with a medium star nozzle Sugar thermometer 6 straws or dowels 15cm cake card Kitchen blowtorch Small piping bag fitted with a small writing nozzle Sheet of baking paper

2 strips baking paper, 35 x 8cm each.

FOR THE HELL CAKE

60g cocoa powder 230ml hot water 9 large eggs, separated 155ml sunflower oil 2½ tsp vanilla paste 450g golden caster sugar 1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 1½ tsp fine salt

Finely grated zest of 2 large unwaxed oranges

320g plain flour, sifted FOR THE GANACHE & FILLING 300ml double cream 400g 54% dark chocolate, finely chopped 6 tbsp cherry jam FOR THE MIRROR GLAZE 4 tbsp chilled water 2 platinum-grade gelatine leaves 200g caster sugar 2 tbsp golden syrup 150g cocoa powder, sifted 120ml double cream TO DECORATE

200g 54% dark chocolate

FOR THE HEAVEN CAKES

3 large eggs, separated 60ml sunflower oil 90ml chilled water 1 tsp vanilla paste 125g golden caster sugar Finely grated zest of 1 large unwaxed lemon 165g plain flour, sifted ½ tsp baking powder Pinch of salt 150g lemon curd

FOR THE MERINGUE TOPPING

2 egg whites 100g caster sugar ¼ tsp cream of tartar ¼ tsp vanilla paste 100g desiccated coconut 5 sheets edible gold leaf

TO MAKE THE HELL CAKE

HEaT the oven to 170c/fan 150c/325f/ gas 3. Combine the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth. Set aside to cool a little. Place the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and, using a wooden spoon, stir in the oil, vanilla, caster sugar, bicarbonate of soda, salt and orange zest. Stir in the cooled cocoa mixture, then add the flour, beating until smooth.

Whisk the egg whites in the clean, grease-free bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, to stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the mixture, then spoon into the lined 25cm tin. Level the top and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

TO MAKE THE HEAVEN CAKES

PLaCE the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and, using a balloon whisk, mix in the oil, water, vanilla, caster sugar, lemon zest, flour, baking powder and salt.

Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks in the clean, grease-free bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Fold the egg whites into the mixture, then divide it equally between the mini tins. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until pale golden brown and just firm. Leave to cool in the tins for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Then, level the tops.

Spoon the lemon curd into the piping bag fitted with the jam nozzle and ‘inject’ each small cake with lemon curd.

FOR THE HELL GANACHE

Pour the cream into a medium pan over a medium heat and bring just to the boil. remove from the heat, add the chocolate and leave to stand for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. Leave to cool until thick.

Cut the chocolate cake in half horizontally. Spread the bottom half with the cherry jam and a little of the ganache, then top with the other cake half. Turn the whole cake upside down onto the large cake card. Spread the top and sides with a thin layer of ganache, then chill for at least 10 minutes, or until set.

repeat with a second, thicker coat of ganache as neatly as possible. Chill again for 15 minutes more until set. Put the rest of the ganache in a medium piping bag

fitted with a medium star nozzle and chill until thick enough to pipe.

FOR THE HELL MIRROR GLAZE

PUT the cold water in a shallow bowl, add the gelatine and soak for 5 minutes. Boil the sugar in 100ml of water in a pan over a high heat for about 3 minutes, to dissolve. Leave to cool for 1 minute then, using a balloon whisk, stir in the syrup and cocoa until smooth. Squeeze out the gelatine and add to the glaze, followed by the cream. Whisk until smooth. Place the chilled cake on a wire rack set over a tray to catch drips, pour the glaze over the cake and spread to cover.

TO DECORATE THE HELL CAKE

To decoraTe the Hell cake, temper the chocolate (see below), place a little in the small piping bag with writing nozzle and pipe ‘Tartarus’ (the pit beneath Hades!) onto a sheet of baking paper. Leave to set. Spread the remaining chocolate thinly onto the strips of baking paper. cool until set, then break into shards and arrange around the cake. Place the ‘Tartarus’ on top of the cake, then pipe remaining ganache around the base.

FOR THE HEAVEN MERINGUE

PLace the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk for 3-4 minutes, until it reaches 48c/118f on a sugar thermometer. remove from the pan and whisk until the mixture cools and forms stiff, shiny peaks. Whisk in the vanilla.

cover the top and sides of each mini cake with meringue and roll in coconut. Stack the cakes on the small cake card in a circle, seven cakes on the base, then four and then one on top. Hold in place with straws or dowel. Place the remaining meringue in the final medium piping bag fitted with a medium star nozzle.

Put the small card on top of the chocolate cake and pipe meringue swirls over the base to cover it. Brown the piped meringue with a blowtorch. decorate with gold leaf flakes.