Raspberry Ripple Cake

Today is my friend's birthday. I wanted to make an extra special birthday cake for her which we celebrated at the weekend. Warning this is a slightly long, rambly post but it was quite an effort making this cake!

I was really excited to receive my new book The Boy Who Bakes by Edd Kimber and decided I would make something from it. The first recipe is 'my ultimate chocolate cake' and I thought can't go wrong with a chocolate cake and it looks amazing so this is what I will make. Then I turn the page and see raspberry ripple cake. I got really excited and decided that I would make this instead.

Part 1 - the sponge went well. It rose beautifully and I could tell it was going to be light and moist. This recipe requires you to separate your eggs and fold in the egg whites at the end. 

Part 2 - frosting. Disaster part 1! This is my first time making essentially what is a cooked buttercream frosting where you have to whip the egg whites then add boiling sugar syrup and continue whipping. I'm not sure where I went wrong as the frosting turned out lumpy and almost curdled? Or like the fat had separated? I don't know how else to describe it. I used fresh eggs from the market and I tested the eggs for freshness before using. Does anyone have any idea/suggestions/tips about this? 

However the next morning, I kept whipping the frosting and the white chocolate frosting became nice and smooth but the raspberry half remained slightly lumpy.

Part 3 - decoration -Disaster part 2 - I ambitiously planned to make a sugar collar after seeing it on Lorraine Pascale's baking show on BBC. Sadly, it didn't quite work and yet Lorraine made it look so easy on TV! It didn't really set and as I was running late I decided not to wait and just bring the cake as it was. I piped some jam on top to have some sort of decoration. Sometimes less is more, right?

Fortunately, the cake itself turned out well. Everyone loved it including the birthday girl. It was a really light and moist sponge and I loved the jam between the layers. The frosting was not too sweet and quite smooth. I will definitely make this cake again but probably only for a special occasion as it was quite an effort and when I've left myself enough time. On the plus side, no one has been taken ill after eating this cake! 

If you're still reading, thank you for staying with me till the end. It really does end well :) To depart from tradition, I will not be posting the recipe on my blog as I think it would be nice to support Edd Kimber by buying the book and I can definitely recommend it. Don't let my attempt put you off, its not the recipe, it's the baker! Look out for more baking with recipes from the boy who bakes. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLOTTE!! 

sponge 

 cooking the sugar syrup for the frosting using my new thermometer 

 spreading jam between the layers 

 my 3 tiered cake 

 you can just see the raspberry frosting below- its supposed to be swirled for the raspberry ripple effect but I really didn't like the texture or look of the raspberry frosting so decided to cover it up. 

 I love the layers! 

 My attempt at 'graffiti collar' for the cake. Perhaps I didn't boil it to the right temperature or just needed to wait for it to set. 

Lemon Meringue Kisses

I first saw these on one of my favourite blogs Joy the Baker and immediately bookmarked it.  I finally got round to making them and decided it would make an excellent birthday gift for my friend P along with some lovely homemade truffles. Next post will be the birthday cake as requested by the birthday girl. Apologies for being a bit slow with blogging lately. 

These meringue kisses really taste like a dream. Unforunately, I only got to try 1/2 of one as I didn't make enough. I have to admit they were very difficult to give away as I wanted to eat them all! 

The meringue was crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.  This is the first time I've made my own lemon curd and I'm wondering why I've never made it before. It's really easy to make and tastes really refreshing and goes well sandwiched between 2 perfect little bites of meringue.

As before, I placed them in a really cute box which I also got from paperchase and finished it with a bow. The birthday girl was extremely pleased :) Happy birthday again P! 

 whip egg whites until stiff 

 pipe little stars. Some of them look a little messy! 

 cooking the lemon curd 

 almost there...

 voila! 

 cooked meringues 

 aren't they cute? 

 I love this box! 

For the meringue

2 large egg whites

pinch of salt

150g sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Preheat oven to 90C. 
• Line 2 baking sheets with greaseproof paper. 
• Whisk egg whites in an electric mixer until foamy.
• Add salt and increase speed to medium-high.
• Slowly sprinkle in the sugar.
• Continue to beat eggs until they become thick, glossy and hold stiff peaks.
• Fold in lemon zest and vanilla extract.
• Spoon into piping bag.
• Pipe little stars as shown using a star tip onto the baking sheets. 
• Using the back of a spoon, flatten out half of the stars, making them as flat as possible (for the bottom) but not necessarily making them larger. 
• Bake for 2 hours until they are no longer sticky. 
• Store in an airtight container. 

For the lemon curd

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

115g sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

pinch of salt

85g butter

• Place a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl and set aside.
• In a medium pot, whisk together the lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks and pinch of salt.
• Place the pot over a medium-low heat and add the butter.
• Stir the mixture with a whisk.  You may want to use a spatula to scrape down the edges. 
• Cook the curd until the butter is melted and the mixture is the thickness of warm hot fudge. 
• Remove from the heat and immediately pour into the fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl. 
• Press through the sieve leaving any cooked egg bits in the strainer. 
• Place curd in a sterilised jar and store in the fridge. 

To make lemon meringue kisses

• Place 1 teaspoon of lemon curd on a 'flat' star and top with another similar sized star. 
• Serve immediately if possible.