SNAKEY BIRTHDAY CAKEY

David wowed the judges during week 1 of the current series with this spectacular snake cake. The netting from a bag of shop-bought citrus fruit provides the perfect template for the scaly skin. YOU WILL NEED 6- or 12-hole muffin tray, lined with 2 cupcake cases,

2 x 23cm round, deep, springform cake tins, greased then base-lined with baking paper, a large piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle, a 5cm round cutter, cocktail sticks, a cake-decorating paintbrush, the netting from a bag of citrus fruit

HaNDs-ON 3 hours

BakE 45 mins Serves 16 For the sponge l 300ml (½pt) boiling water

l 100g (3½oz) 70% dark chocolate, very finely chopped l 1tsp bicarbonate of soda

l 200g (7oz) unsalted butter, softened

l 350g (12oz) golden caster sugar l 250g (9oz) condensed milk l 20 drops of orange oil

l Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed orange

l 2tbsp glycerine

l 4 large eggs, beaten

l 400g (14oz) extra-fine sponge flour

l 4tsp baking powder

l 50g (1¾oz) cocoa

l ½tsp fine salt For the fondant icing l 85ml (3fl oz) chilled water

l 24g (1oz) gelatine powder l 200g (7oz) liquid glucose l 4tbsp glycerine

l 1.35kg (3lb) icing sugar, sifted l Light green food-colouring gel l Dark green food-colouring gel l Red food-colouring gel

l Yellow food-colouring gel For the chocolate meringue buttercream l 150g (5½oz) 70% dark chocolate l 4 large egg whites

l 220g (7¾oz) caster sugar

l 160g (5¾oz) unsalted butter, diced, softened For the crisped-rice sculpture l 25g (1oz) unsalted butter

l 100g (3½oz) white marshmallows l 75g (2¾oz) crisped rice cereal To decorate l 1 packet snake sweets l Pink edible lustre spray l Gold edible lustre spray Heat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/ gas 4. For the sponge, pour the boiling water into a jug, add the chocolate and stir to melt, then stir in the bicarbonate of soda.

Beat the butter, sugar, condensed milk, orange oil and orange zest in a stand mixer fitted with the beater, on medium speed for 1 minute, until smooth. With the mixer still running, add the glycerine and eggs, and mix until well combined.

In a separate bowl, sift togeth her the flour, baking powder, cocoa anda salt. With the mixer on medium, , add half the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture, and mix until combined, then add the watery chocolate mixture, then the remaining flour mixture and combine for 1-2 minutes to a smooth batter.

Fill the two cupcake cases three-quarters full, then divide the remaining batter evenly between the two cake tins. Bake the cupcakes for 25-30 minutes and the cakes for 40-45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the fondant, pour the cold water into a small bowl, then sprinkle over the gelatine and leave for 3 minutes, until it blooms (swells and softens).

In a small pan, simmer the glucose for 30 seconds, then add the gelatine and glycerine, stirring until dissolved. Tip the icing sugar into a bowl and pour in the glucose mixture. Mix with a spatula, then bring everything together with your hands and knead it gently to a smooth fondant. Wrap the icing in clingfilm and set aside.

For the chocolate meringue buttercream, melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Place the egg whites and sugar in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour the mixture into a stand mixer fitted with a whisk and whisk to a thick, glossy meringue. Whisk in the cooled, melted chocolate, then add the butter, little by little, and whisk to a smooth, fluffy buttercream. Spoon half the mixture into the piping bag and set aside.

To assemble, carve the round cakes to become the main body of the snake, sitting one on top of the other. Using the 5cm round cutter, cut out the centre of the cake, leaving a hole in the middle. Sandwich the cakes together with some of the buttercream in the bowl, then cover in a thin layer of buttercream (called a crumb coat) and chill for 20 minutes.

Hollow out the two cupcakes and fill them with snake sweets. Stick them together with some of the buttercream in the bowl, then carve them to make an egg shape. Cover in a crumb coat and chill for 20 minutes.

For the crisped-rice sculpture, place the butter and marshmallows in a pan over a low heat, stirring until melted. Remove from the heat, stir in the crisped rice and mix until coated. Chill to a moulding consistency (about 30 minutes).

Once mouldable, wet your hands and use some of the crisped rice to shape a little tail that sticks up, and the remainder to create a head shape that fits to the top of the cake. Place the pieces on a plate and chill to firm up.

Remove the cake from the fridge and use a cocktail stick to secure the tail to the bottom end of the snake shape, then pipe the buttercream all over the cake. Smooth over with a palette knife and chill again for 20 minutes.

While the cake is chilling, colour two-thirds of the fondant light green. On a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, roll out two-thirds of the green fondant to a large circle, big enough to cover the cake, reserving the remaining green fondant for the head.

Carefully cover the cake with the circle of green fondant, moulding it between the two cakes to form the coils. Using a cake-decorating paintbrush with some watereddown green food colouring, paint along the creases of the snake coils to make a shadow.

Lay the citrus-bag netting over the cake and spray the fondant with pink and gold lustre spray to create a scale effect.

Roll out half the remaining white

fondant and use this to cover the cupcake ‘egg’. Use the netting again as a template and spray with gold lustre spray. Using the white fondant trimmings, shape the snake’s teeth – mould them around the tips of a few cocktail sticks and pinch the ends to create the points.

Roll out the remaining green fondant and use this to cover the snake’s head.

Colour half the remaining white fondant dark green and the other half red, reserving a marble- sized piece of white fondant to colour yellow.

Roll out the dark green fondant and cut out pieces for around the eyes and for the collar. Make two eyes out of a little bit of red and yellow fondant and stick them in place with water, then add the green pieces round the eyes.

Roll out the remaining red fondant and use this to line the inside of the mouth, keeping a little back to make the tongue. Insert cocktail sticks halfway into the back of the head and attach the head to the main cake, then use water to stick on the fondant collar pieces to hide the join.

Insert the teeth into the snake’s head, then make a red tongue with the reserved red fondant and stick it in the mouth. . Fill the inside coil of the cake with the remaining buttercream and place the egg on top.