Apricot Vanilla Layer cake
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 60 minutes plus cooling time
Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Makes 2 cakes, one 20cm/8inch and one 15cm/6inch
- 2 cups caster of superfine sugar
- 250g/8.8ozs. butter, at room temperature
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 3 cups cake flour*
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup buttermilk
- Apricot essence
Apricot Jelly Layer
- 800g/28.3ozs apricots, skinned and pits removed (you can use tinned if they aren't in season)
- 2/3 cup sugar (depending on how sweet the apricots are)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 4 sheets titanium gelatine
For fondant layer
- 500g/1.1lbs. white fondant
- Dusty rose, copper and fuchsia edible food gel
- Copper lustre dust mixed with vodka
For buttercream Layer
- 125g/4ozs. butter, at room temperature
- 4 cups icing sugar
- 6 tablespoons apricot nectar
- 1/8 teaspoon citric acid
To Decorate
- Fresh apricots, leaves, edible gold glitter
Step 1 - First bake the cakes. Line a 20cm and a 15cm springform tin and preheat oven to 160C/320F. Beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for 10 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and then fold in the flour, baking powder, buttermilk and apricot essence until just combined.
Step 2 - Scoop into the prepared tins and bake for 40 minutes (for the 15cm one) and 50-55 minutes for the 20cm one. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then release and allow to cool completely.
Step 3 - While it is baking, make the apricot jelly insert. Place the halved apricots in a saucepan and add 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil and then cook until the apricots are soft and jammy and resemble a puree (add a little more water if you need it). Add the sugar and vanilla and stir and dissolve and then cook off any liquid. Taste, if your apricots are tart you may need some more sugar.
Step 4 - Then soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 3 minutes. Squeeze well and stir in with the apricot puree. Divide the puree in a greased 15cm and a 20cm tin and allow to set in the fridge.
Step 5 - Make the buttercream by whisking the butter, icing sugar, juice and citric acid on low speed at first (to avoid the icing sugar going everywhere) and then increasing to high speed. Whisk for 8 minutes or until fluffy. Remove 1/2 cup of the icing and tint it with the copper food colouring.
Step 6 - Slice the cakes in half horizontally. Place the jelly insert in the centres and place the other half on top. Pipe some buttercream around the cakes. Refrigerate both of them for 30 minutes.
Step 7 - Take the larger one and smooth the buttercream with a cake scraper on the base and sides. Place back in the fridge.
Step 8 - Sprinkle cornflour/fine cornstarch on a clean surface and divide the fondant into four roughly even portions. Leave one white, tint the other ones fuchsia, copper and dusty rose (just one drop will do). Twist them together twice and then roll out the fondant into a large circle. Cover the large cake with the fondant smoothing it out and trimming it with a sharp paring knife. Mix some vodka with edible copper lustre dust and paint patterns on the outside of the cake.
Step 9 - Then take the smaller cake and dab the copper coloured buttercream on the sides. Smooth the sides with a cake scraper. Place this cake on top of the larger cake. Decorate with fresh apricots, leaves and edible gold glitter.