The sweetest sweet-tooth on Bake Off, Liam Charles joins the heat team to share his most delicious home-made treats
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begin to cook on a low to medium heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture becomes a thick, glossy, sweet, sour fruity thing. Pour the cooked fruit into a separate bowl to cool. White chocolate ganache: 3 Pour the double cream into a microwave-safe bowl, then chop the white chocolate and add to the cream. Heat in the microwave for 20 seconds, then stir and heat for another 20 seconds – repeat until the chocolate is fully melted into the cream. Let the ganache cool to room temperature, then stick in the fridge until ready to use. Buttercream frosting: 4 Using a standing mixer, cream the butter and peanut butter until the mixture becomes a light beige colour and fluffy. In a separate bowl, sieve the icing sugar, then begin to add the icing in three intervals between mixing. Your buttercream will be stiff, so to loosen it add the milk and vanilla extract. 5 Carefully remove both sponge layers from the trays and level them with a serrated knife. Place one layer of cake on top of each other and trim the edges. Now cut the cake in half, lengthways – you’ll end up having 4 strips of white chocolate sponge. Using an electric hand mixer, whip the white chocolate ganache until it becomes pale, and has a fluffy consistency. 6 Fill two piping bags – one with the buttercream and the other with the white chocolate ganache. Spread a thin layer of buttercream onto a rectangular cake board, then place your first layer of sponge on top, using more buttercream to create a border around the top of the cake. Now trace around the inside of the border with the white chocolate ganache and, finally, fill the middle with the blackberries. Repeat this process two more times, then with the final layer of sponge, turn it on its face and gently press down. Give your cake a thin layer of buttercream on the edges and on top – this helps lock in the crumbs. Place in the fridge to set for at least an hour. 7 Using an offset palette knife or cake scraper, apply another thin layer of leftover buttercream around the edges and on top. With the melted white chocolate, squiggle in one direction, then in another direction for a criss-cross effect. Finally pipe buttercream kisses along the middle of the cake lengthways, topping each one with a single nut and blackberry, alternatively. Using the crush nuts, coat the bottom of the cake around the edges. Finito.