White Velvet Cake

A soft and fluffy American cake that uses the reverse creaming method to help it rise and only incorporates egg whites to keep the cake as pale in colour as possible. We’ve made a Swiss meringue buttercream here instead of the classical ermine frosting.

Hands-on time 1hr 30min, plus cooling and chilling. Cooking time about 50min. Serves 20

FOR THE CAKES

225g unsalted butter, cubed and just softened, plus extra to grease 300g plain flour

1tsp baking powder

½tsp bicarbonate of soda 300g caster sugar

250g Greek-style yogurt 1tbsp vanilla bean paste

6 medium egg whites

FOR THE SHARDS

300g white chocolate, chopped

FOR THE MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

100g white chocolate, roughly chopped

6 medium egg whites 250g caster sugar

300g unsalted butter, cubed and just softened

Lindt Lindor White Chocolate truffles, to decorate, optional

1 Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5. Grease 2 x 20.5cm round springform tins and line with baking parchment.

2 For the cakes, using a freestanding mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, 200g of the caster sugar and ¾tsp fine sea salt. With the motor on low speed, add the butter piece by piece, followed by ½ the yogurt, until combined. Add the remaining yogurt and the vanilla. Increase the speed to high and mix for 4min, until silky and fluffy.

3 In a separate bowl, using a handheld whisk, beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Gradually beat in remaining 100g caster sugar, beating back up to stiff peaks after each addition. Using a large metal spoon, fold the egg whites into the cake batter in 3 additions, being careful to keep in as much air as possible.

4 Divide batter evenly between the lined tins. Bake for 35-40min, or until risen and golden on top. Leave to cool in tins for 10min, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5 For the shards, line a rough 20.5cm square tin with baking parchment. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Once melted, pour into the lined tin, tilting to spread to an even layer. Chill to set.

6 For the meringue buttercream, melt the white chocolate as above. Set aside to cool. In a separate large heatproof bowl set over the pan of barely simmering water, using a handheld electric whisk, beat the egg whites and sugar until mixture is warm to the touch and the sugar has dissolved, about 5min.

7 Scrape egg white mixture into the bowl of a freestanding mixer (fitted with the whisk attachment) or continue with the bowl off the heat and the handheld electric whisk. Beat on high speed for 10min, or until the meringue is thick and the outside of the bowl is completely cool. Gradually add butter, 1 piece at a time, beating well after each addition (it might look curdled but keep beating and it will come together). Once all the butter has been added, beat on medium-high speed for 4min. Add cooled white chocolate and beat again until smooth.

8 To assemble, slice cooled cakes in ½ horizontally. Sandwich the halves and cakes back together with generous layers of buttercream. Scantly cover the top and sides of the cake with some of the remaining buttercream, smoothing with a palette knife to finish. Chill for 30min to firm up.

9 Once firm, use most of the remaining buttercream to generously ice the top and sides as smoothly as possible. Chill again for 30min.

10 To decorate, slice the set white chocolate into shards and arrange on the sides or top of the cake, along with the Lindor balls, if using. Serve in slices.

PER SERVING (without shards or balls) 413cals, 5g protein, 25g fat (16g saturates), 43g carbs (31g total sugars), 1g fibre

TO STORE Remove shards if on top, loosely cover and chill for up to 2 days (the cake will firm up slightly). Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.