"You're My Unicorn" Cake
For Rainbow Cake (makes 2x11cm cakes, double quantity for 20cm/8inch cake)
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 1.5 hours plus overnight drying time
Cooking time: 45 minutes
- 165g/5.8ozs. butter, soft
- 165g/5.8ozs. caster or superfine sugar
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 200g/7ozs. cake flour
- 2.5 teaspoons baking powder
- Vanilla extract (you can also use other flavourings, I have a bubblegum flavour that I'm a bit scared to use! :P)
- Pink, red, yellow, blue, green, blue and purple food colourings
To decorate:
- 300g white chocolate
- 100ml cream
- 100g/3.5ozs of white gum paste
- A little pink colouring
- Small skewer
- Edible gold paint mixed with a little vodka to make a paint
- 500g/1.1lbs of white fondant (you won't need this all but it's easier to do with more fondant and you can reuse what you don't use)
- Edible black gel
- Rainbow sour strips
Step 1 - First make the horns and ears. Shape a horn out of gum paste and with a butter knife mark in a swirly pattern. Place a small skewer in the base and allow to dry for an hour. Roll out some white gum paste and cut out ears (I do it freeform with a knife). Then colour the remaining white gum paste a pale pink and cut out some ear centres. Paint the horn with edible gold paint.
Step 2 - Line 2x 11cm round tins on the base and sides and preheat oven to 160C/320F. Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy-about 4 minutes on medium high beater speed. Add in eggs one at a time making sure they are well incorporated between each addition. Then add the flour in two lots on the lowest speed possible stopping as soon as it is mixed. You don't want to overbeat this mixture.
Step 3 - Divide the mixture among six bowls and then mix in the colourings. I realise pink isn't in the rainbow but it is in my rainbow ;) Mix until just combined and then dollop one tablespoon of each colour in the tin. Then keep dolloping tablespoons of batter until it is all used up.
Step 4 - Tap the tins gently on the table to remove large air bubbles and then bake for 45 minutes. If you are making a regular 8inch/20cm cake bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until the centre is springy to the touch. Cool completely and then wrap well in cling film.
Step 5 - Make the ganache. Chop the chocolate finely and place in a large bowl. Heat the cream until almost boiling and then pour over the chocolate. Allow to sit for a minute and then stir. If small pieces of chocolate remain then heat on low heat in the microwave in 30 second burst (30% power) on over a double boiler. Stir until smooth and then allow to cool to room temperature. Cover until ready.
Step 6 - Trim the cakes and then split them into two horizontally and spread a layer of ganache between the layers. Refrigerate the cake to allow the ganache to set. Smooth with a palette knife lightly dipped in room temperature water to smooth and then use a scraper tool. Place back in the fridge until you are ready for it next.
Step 7 - Sprinkle plenty of cornflour on a clean surface. Roll out fondant and then top the cake with this. Trim off the excess folds and discard if they have ganache on them (you can reuse the pieces that don't have any cake or ganache). Buff the edges with a buffer or a square of overhead plastic sheeting.
Step 8 - Place the horn in the centre of the cake and then place the ears. Take a knife and cut a little groove to fit the ears. Place edible wafer flowers, fresh flowers and fairy floss on the top. Draw the eyes with a very fine paintbrush. Affix the rainbow strips with a little water brushed on with a paintbrush.