Tools

Stand Mixers
Mixer Attachments

Ingredients

For the decorative brushstrokes:

• 340g candy melts, white
• Edible food colouring dusts (as needed)

For the cake:

• 340g margarine, room temperature
• 340g caster sugar 
• 5 eggs 
• 340g self-raising flour 
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 lemons, zest
• 2 tsp vanilla extract 
•  a pinch of salt 

For the buttercream:

•  300g unsalted butter, cubed and room temperature
• 750g icing sugar 
•  2 tbsp milk 
•  1 tsp vanilla extract 
•  ¼ tsp salt 
•  1 tbsp raspberry jam 
•  A few drops pink food colouring 

For the cake filling and decoration:

• 60g lemon curd 
• 40g freeze dried raspberries

Method

Total Time:1 hour 10 minutes, plus refrigeration & decorating time.

Method:

• Grease and line three 7inch sandwich tins and place a silicone mat or acetate sheet onto a baking tray.
• To prepare the decorative chocolate brushstrokes, attach the EasyWarm bowl to your Chef. Add the candy melts to the bowl, fit the creaming beater and the splash guard. Select the 'chocolate melting' pre-set, press Start.
• Remove the creaming beater from the Chef, leave the bowl fitted to the machine to keep warm. Working quickly add a few spoonsful of melted chocolate to a small bowl.
• Add some of the coloured dust to the small bowl and stir well. Working quickly use a right-angled spatula to spread ‘brushstroke’ shapes onto the silicone mat/acetate sheet.
• Repeat this process with other colours, leaving some white, reserve the leftover melted chocolate. Allow to set at room temperature until completely solid.
• To make the cake, start by pre-heating the oven to 180ºC.
• Attach the 5L mixing bowl to the machine and fit the K-Beater.
• Add the margarine, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, zest, vanilla and salt, fit the splash guard. Select the ‘sponge cake’ pre-set, press Start.
• Once the pre-set has completed, remove the bowl and K-Beater from the machine.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the three tins. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes, the cake is done when it looks golden brown and springs back when pressed lightly with a finger.
• Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Then, remove from the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Whilst the cakes are cooling, clean and attach the EasyWarm bowl to your Chef. Add the butter, icing sugar, milk, vanilla, salt, jam and food colouring, fit the creaming beater and splash guard
• Start your Chef on min speed and mix for 30 seconds
• Gradually increase the speed to max until light and fluffy. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag.
• Use a cake leveller or bread knife to level each sponge layer. Spread a small amount of buttercream onto the cake board, place one of the sponge layers onto the board, uncut side down. Press down gently to help it sick to the board.
• Cut the tip of the piping bag open, pipe a layer of the buttercream onto the sponge layer. Use a right-angled spatula to smooth the top of the buttercream. Pipe a ring of buttercream approximately ¼ inch in from the edge of the sponge, this will contain the curd layer.
• Add one third of the lemon curd into the middle of the ring of buttercream, spread the curd out to the buttercream ring.
• Place the next sponge layer on top, uncut side down. Press down gently with the palms of your hands held flat to ensure the cake remains level. Repeat the buttercream and curd layering process as before.
• Finish by placing the final sponge layer on top cut side down so that the flat uncut edge faces uppermost. Press down gently with the palms of your hands held flat to ensure the cake remains level.
• Completely cover the sides and top of the cake in the buttercream, use a cake scraper or right-angled spatula to get a smooth finish-reserve any un-used buttercream for gluing the brushstrokes onto the side of the cake later.
• Reserve a handful of the freeze dried raspberries in a small bowl, to be used for decorating the top of the cake.
• Place the remaining raspberries in a medium bowl, roughly crush the raspberries, keep them coarse rather than finely ground.
• Decorate the bottom third of the sides of the cake with the crushed raspberries as well as adding some to the top of the cake. Add the reserved handful of whole raspberries to the top of the cake also.
• Refrigerate the cake for 20minutes.
• To finish, carefully remove the chocolate brushstrokes from the silicone mat/acetate, add them to one side of the cake starting at the top edge and working down to the base, overlapping as you go.
• Add some of the brushstroke decorations to the top of the cake. Add the flowers to the cake.
• To serve, cut into slices and serve with fresh raspberries and enjoy with a glass of prosecco.

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