For all seasons
St. Valentine's cake
For the ganache
610 g white chocolate couting
20 ml rum
200 g butter
For the sponge mixture
100 g butter
250 g sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar
pinch of salt
grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
2 eggs
220 g flour
1 tsp baking powder
160 ml buttermilk
butter for the baking form
1 To make the ganache, melt the coating over a bain-marie and stir in the rum. Beat the butter until light and fluffy, then gradually stir in the coating. Leave the ganache overnight in a cool place.
2 Pre-heat the oven to 200 °C (Gas Mark 6). Grease a heart-shaped cake form (26 cm Ø) with butter. To make the sponge mixture, use the hand mixer to beat the butter with the sugar, vanilla sugar, salt and lemon zest for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs. Mix the flour and cornflour and gradually beat into the mixture with the buttermilk.
3 Spread the mixture in the baking form and bake for approx. 25 minutes, then leave to cool fully. Spread a layer of ganache all over the cake.
For the decoration
ready to roll fondant in red, white and pink
1 Thinly roll out the red fondant and cover the cake with it. Use a modelling former or mould to create strings of pearls with the red fondant (Step 1). Fix these to the top and bottom edge of the cake.
2 Use a modelling mould or punch cutter to create hearts of various sizes with the white fondant (Step 2). Roll the white fondant to make thin white strings. Fix the hearts with the strings to the sides of the cake, partly shaping the strings at the top.
3 For the roses, shape the fondant into balls of different sizes and press each one flat. Arrange each circle slightly offset from the next and press together to form a rose (Step 3). Arrange the roses in a decorative pattern in the centre of the cake.
Tip
Instead of fondant roses, you can also use candied roses for decoration! To make these, lightly beat some egg white and sprinkle some sugar on a plate. Take fresh organic roses by the stalk and dip in the egg white, then turn in the sugar. Leave to dry on baking parchment or a wire cooling rack overnight in a warm place.
St. Valentine's day mini cake
For the sponge mixture
65 g butter, 65 g sugar
2 drops bitter almond flavouring
½ level tsp ground cinnamon
2 small eggs
40 g ground almonds
80 g flour
1 tsp baking powder
25 g chopped white chocolate
For the filling
65 g butter
100 g sifted icing sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 For the sponge mixture, pre-heat the oven to 180 °C (Gas Mark 4), and line the base of a springform tin (12 cm Ø) with baking parchment. Beat the butter until it becomes smooth and gradually beat in the sugar. Add the bitter almond flavouring and cinnamon. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix the almonds, flour and baking powder and beat into the mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate. Fill the baking form with the sponge mixture, smooth over the surface and bake for approx. 15 minutes. Remove from the cake form and leave to cool.
2 For the filling, beat the butter for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the icing sugar with the lemon juice.
3 Use a dessert mould (9 cm Ø) to cut out a base sponge layer and slice this horizontally. Cover the bottom layer with the buttercream (reserving one tablespoon), place the second sponge layer on top and gently press down. Use the reserved buttercream to thinly cover the surface and side of the cake.
For the decoration
ready to roll fondant in white and red
decorative sugar flowers and hearts
1 Thinly roll out the white fondant and cover the mini cake. Roll out the red fondant and use the mini punch cutter to make a red heart to fix onto the cake.
2 Make small pearls from the red and white fondant and stick these around the heart. Decorate the mini cake with the flowers and hearts.
Tip
Making the hearts and flowers yourself is easy - all you need is the right modelling tool. You can also make the pearls with modelling moulds available from specialist cake decoration retailers.
Spring gateau
For the sponge mixture
160 g butter
12 eggs
400 g sugar
pinch of salt
360 g flour
140 g cornflour
butter for the baking form
For the filling
360 g cream cheese
300 g butter
30 g icing sugar
360 g lemon curd
grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
3 tbsp lemon marmalade, as a glaze
1 Pre-heat the oven to 180 °C (Gas Mark 4). Grease a springform tin (26 cm Ø) with butter.
2 For the sponge mixture, melt the butter. Beat the eggs with the sugar and salt until they become foamy. Gradually add the flour and cornflour to the egg mixture. Stir in the melted butter. Fill the cake form with the mixture and bake for 50-60 minutes. Then, leave to cool in the cake form.
3 For the filling, beat the crème cheese for a short while and gradually beat in the butter. Add the icing sugar, lemon curd and lemon zest and mix everything to a cream cheese coating.
4 Slice the cake base horizontally in two tiers. Gently heat the lemon marmalade in a saucepan. Spread a fine layer of marmalade over each of the sponge tiers and then coat with the cream cheese icing. Join the sponge tiers and spread the remainder of the cream over the side of the cake.
For the decoration
ready to roll fondant in blue, mid-green, orange, black, light green, white, yellow and dark green
black icing pen
decorative flowers
1 Thinly roll out the blue fondant and cover the cake with it. To make the orange-coloured flowers, roll out the mid-green fondant and cut out the leaves using a leaf punch cutter. Use a toothpick to score veins onto the leaves. Shape the leaf stalks using the rest of the mid-green fondant.
2 Roll out the orange fondant and cut out the flowers using a punch cutter (Step 1). Shape the inside of the flowers using the black fondant and place them on the flower petals (Step 2).
3 To make the daisies, make thin stems using the light green fondant. Roll out the white fondant and cut out the daisies with a punch cutter. Shape the middle of the flower with the yellow fondant and position in the middle of the flower.
4 Put the orange-coloured flowers and daisies together and arrange on top of the cake. Roll out a long strip of dark green fondant and shape grass using the frill tool. Fix the grass around the bottom edge of the cake.
5 Roll out the white fondant and use a punch cutter to create the butterflies. Shape the orange and black fondant to thin rolls, cut into small sections and shape ladybirds out of them (Step 3). Use the black icing pen to paint dots on the figures. Decorate the cake with the butterflies, ladybirds and decorative flowers.
Easter basket
For the sponge mixture
8 eggs
300 g sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar
pinch of salt
200 g flour
200 g cornflour
2 tsp baking powder
butter for the baking mould
For the filling
6 sheets gelatine
600 g mascarpone
800 ml cream
100 g sugar
1 Pre-heat the oven to 180 °C (Gas Mark 4). Grease a baking mould (25 × 35 cm) with butter and place on a baking tray lined with parchment.
2 For the sponge mixture, beat the eggs with 8 tablespoons of lukewarm water until they become frothy. Mix the sugar with the vanilla sugar and salt and gradually beat into the egg mass. Mix the flour and cornflour and gradually add to the egg mixture. Pour the mixture into the baking mould, smooth over the surface and bake for 20-30 minutes. Leave to cool fully.
3 For the filling, soak the gelatine as per the packet instructions and then dissolve over a gentle heat. Mix with a little mascarpone and stir this into the rest of the mascarpone. Whip the cream with the sugar until it thickens.
4 Trim the sides of the cake on a slant to create a basket shape. Then, slice the cake in half horizontally. Spread mascarpone over the lower tier, then return the top tier and coat the cake all over with the mascarpone.
For the decoration
ready to roll fondant in brown, green, white, pink, black and other colours
1 For the basket, thinly roll out the brown fondant and use a modelling mould to make the impression of the woven basket structure (Step 1). Cover the sides of the cake with it.
2 To make the handle, shape a long sausage out of the brown fondant and wind around thick craft modelling wire (Step 2).
3 To make the grass, press green fondant through a garlic press and cover the surface of the cake with clumps of fondant grass! Firmly attach the handle to the top of the cake with the wire.
4 Shape an Easter bunny with brown fondant (Step 3). Create the face, paws and ears from the white, pink and black fondant. Position the Easter bunny on top of the cake. Make...
