Cascading cake
The tsunami cake may have started on TikTok, but it’s since taken over the baking world. Here’s what you need to know
ALSO CALLED A “PULL-ME-UP-CAKE”,
the appeal of this trend lies in the way in which the icing cascades down the sides of the cake. How’s it done? Once the cake has been given a crumb coating, a layer of transparent acetate is wrapped tightly around the cake. More icing (the silky, flowing kind) is poured over the top, into the space created by the acetate.
Then toppings are piled on (edible glitter, cocoa powder, sprinkles) and as the camera zooms in, the acetate is pulled up and away, so that a cascade of icing flows down the sides of the cake. It makes for compulsive viewing!
Taking inspiration from the Barbie cakes of our childhood, the Disney princess tsunami cake is a popular subset of this trend. These cakes feature a central character who wears a flowing dress (literally) when the acetate is lifted.
Yet another version is the “pouring” tsunami cake, where a bottle of beer, Nutella or another desirable liquid is suspended above the cake, so that when the acetate is lifted, it looks as if the drink is pouring down the sides.
All of which is why
Abigail Donnelly had to invent her own
SA-style riff for for
TASTETube. Witness the the Peppermint
Crisp tsunami cake!
Why not try it home?
PEPPERMINT CRISP TSUNAMI CAKE
Serves 12
A LITTLE EFFORT GREAT VALUE Preparation: 25 minutes Baking: 1½ hours
butter 340 g sugar 400 g free-range eggs 5 caramel essence 2t vanilla extract 1½ t
Ideal evaporated milk 1 cup flour 360 g, sifted baking powder 1t bicarbonate of soda ½t desiccated coconut 150 g
For the icing: cream 1 cup
Woolworths milk chocolate drops 200 g Caramel Treat 1 x 360 g can
Peppermint Crisp 150 g, crushed
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease 2 x 15 cm cake tins. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, this should take 10 minutes. 2 Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the caramel and vanilla extract. 3 Add the Ideal milk and mix until combined. Fold in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and coconut. 4 Transfer the mixture into the greased cake tins and bake for 25–35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. 5 To make the icing, heat the cream, then pour it over the chocolate drops and stir until the chocolate has melted. Allow to cool slightly. 6 Once the cakes have cooled, sandwich them together using some Caramel Treat. Wrap a piece of acetate around the cake to create a tube, then fill the space created by the acetate with the chocolate ganache and crushed Peppermint Crisp. Release by pulling the acetate up and off the cake.
Watch Abi make this on TASTETube on 28 February.