It seems that there is never a more clear indication that we’re having good weather in the UK than an instagram shot of a #kopparberg in a #beergarden. Personally I find that making daisy chain cake bunting is also an excellent way to get in to the Spring time spirit, but that’s just me.
Not only is Spring upon us, which means lambs, daffodils and lots of chocolate, but April also marks the beginning of rhubarb season. Therefore I decided to come up with a recipe where rhubarb was the flavour of the day. The end result was a lovely, light rhubarb and custard cake, complete with edible flowers and daisy chain bunting.
Prep Time: 2 hours
Serves: 10
Ingredients:
For the Sponge:
300g Stork with butter
300g Caster Sugar
6 Eggs
300g Self raising flour
1 Tsp Vanilla extract
100g Rhubarb
3 Tbsp Custard Powder
For the Icing:
500g Icing Sugar
250g Unsalted Butter
2 Tbsp Custard Powder
300g Rhubarb
Yellow and Pink food colouring
Method:
1.Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350 F/ Gas Mark 4. You need to start by roasting the rhubarb. To do this chop all of your rhubarb in to small chunks, put them in a roasting tin and then coat in 100g of caster sugar. Then roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Once you have done this you can get started on the sponges.
2. Lower the oven temp to 160C/325F/Gas Mark 3 and then grease 3, 6 inch cake tins with cake release or line with baking paper.
3. Cream together the stork, caster sugar, and vanilla extract.
4. Add the eggs, flour and custard powder and mix until just combined.
5. Divide the mix between the 3 cake tins and then take a third of your roasted rhubarb chunks and dot them in the top of the cake mix.
6. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
7. Whilst the cakes cool you can get started on the buttercream icing.
8. Beat the butter with an electric whisk until it is light and fluffy and then add the icing sugar a bit at a time. Keep beating until the icing is smooth and a nice spreadable consistency.
9. Take away half of the buttercream and set to one side.
10. Add 2 tbsp of custard powder and a tiny bit of yellow food colouring to the remaining buttercream and then beat well.
11. To make the rhubarb icing you need to blend the remaining roasted rhubarb until it is a smooth puree. Add the rhubarb puree and a tiny bit of pink food colouring to the buttercream you set aside earlier and then beat well.
12. To assemble the cake sandwich the layers together with the rhubarb buttercream.
13. Cover the cake in the custard buttercream using a palette knife or bench scraper.
14. Dollop bits of the rhubarb buttercream on top of the custard icing and then spread with a palette knife or bench scraper.
15. Top with edible flowers and some jolly bunting.
