Cherry Ripe Snow Beanie Cake
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 60 minutes
Cooking time: 0 minutes
- 2x sponge cakes (around 460g/16ozs.), around 16cms/6.4inches
- 1 litre/35.2flozs. pure or thickened cream
- 1/2 cup icing or powdered sugar
- 3 teaspoons gelatine powder
- 4 tablespoons water
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons cherry jam
- A few drops pink food colouring
- Coconut flavouring
For Buttercream Cake Decoration
- 375g/13.3ozs. butter, softened
- 190g/6.7ozs. caster or superfine sugar
- 115ml/4flozs. room temperature water
- Red food colouring gel
- Piping Tips #233 and 845
Step 1 - Line a 2 litre/70flozs. pudding basin with a layer of cling film with a few inches overhang. Slice the two sponge cakes in half horizontally making four rounds of sponge. Gently press one round into the bottom of the lined pudding tin. Slice 1.5 halves of cake into inch thick pieces and line the sides of the tin-you'll have one intact round and one half of a round which will all be used up.
Step 2 - Sprinkle the gelatine powder on top of a microwave proof bowl of the water. Heat in the microwave on high for 20 seconds. Allow to cool a little but not set. Whip the cream in a beater with the icing sugar and then whip in the gelatine liquid and whip until spreadable.
Step 3 - Divide the whipped cream into three bowls. One bowl should have about half of the whipped cream and divided the remaining two quarters into the other two bowls. Sift the cocoa powder into the largest quantity and mix. Mix the jam and pink colouring in another one and the coconut extract into the third.
Step 4 - Spoon in the chocolate cream first spreading it around the sides and base. Then spread the pink cream and then finish with the coconut filling. Place the final round of sponge cake on top and close with the cling film. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours until the gelatine has set.
Step 5 - Make the buttercream. Using a beater attachment whip the butter on a low speed (3 out of 10) until it turns white (about 5 minutes). Add the sugar and water in two lots starting slowly and then increasing to speed 3 out of 10. Whip for 8-10 minutes until you can't feel any sugar crystals between your fingers.
Step 6 - Place the bombe on a serving plate and remove from the tin and cling film. Spread the buttercream around the bombe covering all the sides. Refrigerate. Then crumble the remaining 1/2 slice of sponge cake with a 3-4 tablespoons of buttercream and shape into a ball for the pom pom. Refrigerate this too.
Step 7 - Fit the #845 flower piping tip in a piping bag and place the white buttercream inside the bag. Pipe individual flowers leaving two rows of stars for red buttercream. When you've finished with your white buttercream place back into the mixer and beat in the red colouring. Place the cake pom pom on top of the cake.
Step 8 - Wash, clean and dry the #845 piping tip in a piping bag and fill with some red buttercream. Pipe two rows of flowers. Then fit another piping bag with the #233 tip and add some red buttercream and pipe around the pom pom (this tip can take some practise and always clean the tips as you go if the buttercream clumps together). Place the cake in the fridge to set the buttercream and then cover with clingfilm and store in the fridge.