Vanilla Strawberry Birthday Cake

A community recipe by ReneK

Not tested or verified by Nigella.com

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Introduction

I made this BEAUTIFUL rose-decorated cake on my Mom's 80th birthday - she loves her garden so I thought this would be such a lovely cake to celebrate her birthday. The decorating takes some time but is well worth it at the end. The cake was enjoyed equally by young and old.

Ingredients

Serves: Makes 1 large cake

Metric Cups

For the Hot Milk Vanilla Sponge Cake

150 grams butter
250 millilitres milk
10 millilitres vanilla essence
450 grams cake flour
25 millilitres baking powder
1 millilitre salt
5 large eggs (jumbo sized, at room temperature)
375 grams caster sugar

For the Strawberry Yoghurt Mousse

80 grams strawberry jelly
125 millilitres boiling water
500 millilitres fresh cream
500 millilitres strawberry yoghurt

For the Decoration

300 grams white chocolate (best quality)
100 grams pink chocolate (strawberry flavoured)
20 edible roses (light pink, half open)

For the Hot Milk Vanilla Sponge Cake

5⅓ ounces butter
9 fluid ounces milk
fluid ounce vanilla essence
15⅞ ounces cake flour
1 fluid ounce baking powder
fluid ounce salt
5 large eggs (jumbo sized, at room temperature)
13¼ ounces superfine sugar

For the Strawberry Yoghurt Mousse

2⅚ ounces strawberry jell-o
4 fluid ounces boiling water
18 fluid ounces fresh cream
18 fluid ounces strawberry yoghurt

For the Decoration

10⅗ ounces white chocolate (best quality)
3½ ounces pink chocolate (strawberry flavoured)
20 edible roses (light pink, half open)

Method

Vanilla Strawberry Birthday Cake is a community recipe submitted by ReneK and has not been tested by Nigella.com so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 180C

Grease and line 2 x 30cm spring-form baking tins.

To make the sponge cake, combine the butter and milk and heat to melt the butter.

Allow to cool until lukewarm. Stir in the vanilla essence. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, at least 3 times. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and castor sugar until the ribbon stage.

Sift dry ingredients over the egg mixture and fold in lightly alternating with the lukewarm milk mixture.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tins and bake for 30 minutes.

Test with a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake. When cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before removing the cake from the tins.

Place the cakes on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Make the strawberry mousse whilst waiting for the cake to cool down.

Dissolve the jelly in the boiling water. Add about 3 ice cubes to cool the mixture instantly, making it ready for use immediately.

Beat the fresh cream until the soft peak stage.

Fold in the yoghurt and jelly using a large metal spoon and place in the refrigerator.

Cut each sponge diagonally in half to give you 4 sponge layers to work with.

Place the first layer on a serving plate and cover with strawberry mousse, followed by another layer of sponge and mousse.

Continue alternating mousse and sponge layers until all have been used, ending with a layer of mousse on top.

You might have to refrigerate the cake in between layers to prevent the whole creation sliding into alternative shapes and designs.

Smooth the sides of the cake and refrigerate until set.

To make the chocolate decoration, cut the baking paper to the cake size.

Melt the strawberry chocolate in the microwave on high, for 30-second intervals or melt over a pot of boiling hot water.

Swirl the strawberry chocolate onto the baking paper in thin streams using a teaspoon.

Let it cool slightly.

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave on high, for 30-second intervals or melt over a pot of boiling hot water.

Now spread the baking paper strips with white chocolate. Work fast and confidently as you wrap these chocolate collars along the sides of the heart cake.

When the chocolate has set, remove the baking paper collars.

Decorate the cake with fresh, light pink roses (cut stems just short enough to push into cake) push a crystal pin in centre of every other rose.