Pink & White Celebration Cake

I am celebrating my birthday with a gorgeous pink & white cake that I found again in the wonderful little book called ‘Cakes Galore by Valerie Barrett’, I have adapted the recipe a little to suit my taste and requirements. I just fell in love with all the fluffy pink icing and the chequered-board effect of the sponge *so girly*.

To enhance the flavour of the cake I used all butter throughout and added my own touches of raspberry jam with crème de cassis to sandwich the layers of sponge together with the buttercream, then lastly a few pink sugar decorations for that finishing touch. It was my choice to bake my own birthday cake as hubby had spotted a chocolate cake in our local bakers; however, I needed a good excuse to bake this gorgeous cake didn’t I? *giggle*.

Hubby wanted me to cut into my cake *only because he wanted to sing Happy Birthday or was it the lure of a slice of cake?*, this has enabled me to show you not just the outside of the cake but how it looks from the inside! I will try and describe the cake texture and flavours to you. The buttercream flavour hits the pallet before a subtle flavour of raspberries comes through from the seedless raspberry jam and crème de cassis, the texture of the sponge itself is very light and airy, much like when one thinks of huge fluffy billowing clouds. I am very pleased with the outcome of this cake, as one always wonders what it will turn out like the first time. This cake in my opinion is perfect for any female who adores the girly side in her with delightful shades of pink – “pink rocks”!!!!!!

I have company staying over for a few days and I’ll be found in my little kitchen cooking up a storm. I will be calling by to say hello to you all and view your wonderful creations my ‘dear’ blogging friends in a few days :)

My Adapted Recipe for Pink & White Cake

Ingredients
For The Plain sponges
175g (7 oz) softened butter
175g (7 oz) caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk
175g (7 oz) self-raising flour
For The Pink Sponges
175g (7 oz) softened butter
175g (7 oz) caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk
175g (7 oz) self-raising flour
Edible pink paste food colouring
For The Raspberry Jam Glaze
4 tbsp seedless raspberry jam or conserve
2 tbsp crème de cassis
For The Buttercream Icing
500g (1lb 2 oz) softened butter
1kg (2¼ lb) icing sugar, sieved
Edible pink paste food colouring

For Decoration
Pink sugar and pink sugar balls
Pink Candles & holders
Cake board or serving plate

You will also need 2 x 20cm (8 in) sandwich tins, greased with a little butter and base lined with greaseproof paper. You will use these sandwich tins again to bake the pink sponges after the white sponge you will need to prepare them again as above. You will also need a piping bag fitted with a rose nozzle and a pastry brush, also a 12cm and a 2.5cm plain round cookie cutter.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

For The White Sponge.

In a large mixing bowl add the butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy, add the beaten egg a little at a time beating well with each addition until all combined. Next add the vanilla extract and beat in well, gently fold the flour through the mixture until fully incorporated and lastly fold through the milk. Dived the mixture evenly and level the surface with a spatula. Bake in the oven middle shelf for 20 -25 minutes or until firm in the centre with a gentle touch or a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to fully cool.

Wash the sandwich tins up and make sure they are fully cold before preparing them again as above for the pink sponge mixture.

For The Pink Sponge.

In a large mixing bowl add the butter, sugar and edible pink food colouring beating until light and fluffy, add the beaten egg a little at a time beating well with each addition until all combined. Next add the vanilla extract and beat in well, gently fold the flour through the mixture until fully incorporated and lastly fold through the milk. Dived the mixture evenly and level the surface with a spatula. Bake in the oven middle shelf for 20 -25 minutes or until firm in the centre with a gentle touch or a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to fully cool.

For The Raspberry Jam Glaze.

Place the seedless raspberry jam and crème de cassis in a saucepan on a low heat on the stove. Stir the ingredients together until they have combined together then leave aside.

For The Pink Butercream Icing.

Put the butter in a mixing bowl and gradually beat in the icing sugar. Add some edible pink food colouring, mixing well in and leave aside.

To Assemble The Cake.

Place all the sponges on a work surface and using the 12 cm plain round cookie cutter cut out the centre of each sponge, then in the centre of each 12cm circle of sponge cut out 5.5cm of sponge. Carefully lift the central 12cm ring from each cake and replace it with one of the other colour and do the same with the 5.5cm circle of sponge. Place the first layer of sponge on a cake board or serving plate and spread the top of the sponge with the jam then the buttercream. Place an alternative colour sponge on top spreading with jam and buttercream until all four sponges are stacked on top; remember to make sure all sponge cakes are placed alternate for the chequered-board effect.

Spread a little of the buttercream icing over the top of the cake and smooth down with a palate knife. Using a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle fill with buttercream and pipe lines of icing down the sides of the cake until fully covered. Pipe the remaining buttercream icing decoratively in a circle around the centre top of the cake and around the top edge.

Finish off by sprinkling a few pink sugar strands and pink sugar balls onto the decorative piping work around the centre top of the cake and around the top edge.

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