Iceberg showstopper
Go the extra mile this Christmas and make this spectacular cake that really has the wow factor!
Serves 20 • Ready in 2 hrs, plus chilling For the cake: 225g self-raising flour 300g light brown sugar 90g cocoa powder 1tbsp mixed spice 1tsp baking powder 125ml sunflower oil 2 eggs 225ml whole milk 225ml hot brewed coffee For the buttercream: 3 egg whites 250g caster sugar 300g unsalted butter, softened 1tsp vanilla 4tbsp winter berry jam For the jelly: 3 x 12g sachets gelatine 750ml flavoured water (we used Volvic Touch of Fruit) Blue food colouring You will need: 2 x 15cm cake tins, greased and lined 23cm loose-bottomed cake tin, inside edges lightly oiled For the penguins: 45g black sugar paste 15g white sugar paste 7g orange sugar paste 1
For the cake, mix all the ingredients, except the coffee, in a bowl until smooth. Slowly stir in the coffee – the mix will be very liquid. Pour into the 2 lined cake tins and bake in the centre of the oven for 50 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
2 For the buttercream, heat the egg whites, sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until the sugar has completely dissolved. Whisk constantly so the egg whites don’t scramble, then remove from the heat. Using a stand mixer or electric whisk, whip the whites until it becomes a meringue, and the sides of the bowl are cool to the touch. Add the butter, bit by bit, and whisk until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla at the end.
3 For the jelly, add the gelatine to a small bowl and pour over 100ml of the water, mix well and leave to bloom for 5 mins. Melt the bloomed gelatine in the microwave until it has just melted and add this to the rest of the water. Colour with the blue food colouring – a little goes a long way – and leave at room temperature until required.
4 To build the cake, slice each sponge in half horizontally and layer with the jam and buttercream. Chill until firm. Using a serrated knife, carve the cake into an iceberg, by cutting from the sides and adding to the top – the only rule here is don’t go too tall, so let your artistic side take over. Coat the cake in a layer of buttercream (this will be messy and full of crumbs), then chill. Once firm enough, transfer to the base of the loose-bottomed cake tin and give the cake a final coat of buttercream, smoothing it with a palette knife. Chill again.
5 Carefully lower the base into the loose-bottomed tin and fill with the jelly. If your tin isn’t watertight, add 2 layers of cling film on the outside and secure with sticky tape. Chill for at least 4 hrs, but ideally overnight.
6 Make your penguin(s) – the size and how many is up to you. Divide the black paste in half, roll one half into a teardrop shape and divide the other half in 3. Create 2 more teardrop shapes, but this time flatten them down – these will become the flippers. Pinch 2 tiny pieces from the last piece and roll into balls for the eyes. Pinch 2 small pieces of the white paste and roll into balls for the eyes, flatten, and roll the rest into a teardrop, flattening, like the flippers. Divide the orange paste in three, create 2 teardrops for the feet, and pinch the other into a diamond shape with the thumbs and index fingers. Secure everything together using a small paintbrush and a little water. Attach the white at the front first, followed by the flippers. Stand it up and stick on the feet, making 2 indents. Stick the flat white rounds onto the head, followed by the beak. Add the small black dots and finish with a little royal icing on each. Secure the head and leave to firm up. 7 Once set, unmould the cake and serve on a cake stand.
Per serving: 355 cals, 19g fat, 9g sat fat, 42g carbs
TIP Turn any offcuts into cake pops or cake truffles