My Boyfriend Chris turned 28 last month and I wanted him to enjoy a special day as it was his first Birthday spent upside down.
Last year, I set the bar high by organising him not one, but two surprise birthday parties. I made him a cake (check that one out below) booked a 5 star hotel, bought him a massage and sought out his long lost loved ones from all around Blighty to come celebrate the big day. I also managed to keep both events a surprise…not usually my strong point! For example, my mum once decided to make Teddy Bear shaped sandwiches for my Dad as a silly treat for his packed lunch when I was a kid but for some reason even though my excited mum had said “Shhh don’t tell Dad” I still blurted it out as soon as he walked in the room! I may have matured slightly since then but have still managed to tell a friend her boyfriend was going to send her flowers and that my brother got Chris cufflinks for Christmas!
It’s quite hard to keep things under wraps and push the boat out now we have a joint account so I decided I would make him a big fat cake so at least he had some element of surprise on his day.
Mmm cake-isn’t it great stuff? Cakes are usually the first creation you make as a kid…although my earliest memory of cooking is making veggie samosas in my first year at school! I decided to use the basic Victoria
Little tip for all those Hannah Stanton’s out there - please ensure you use sugar and not salt in the cake!
So the bad news is I began my day at to prepare the sweet beast- the good news is Chris could sleep through a hurricane so I knew I’d be OK using the mixer!
I managed to get all three tiers of the cakes cooked in time but had to roughly wrap them in plastic bags, burning my fingers in the process, to take with me to work to get them assembled by the afternoon.
There I stood, in the Kitchen at work, with cream and jam all over my arms and clothes (and my face as I couldn’t resist the odd lick!) trying to create a sugary masterpiece.
I’ll be honest- presentations not my strong point- my food often looks more rustic than modern so this was certainly a challenge- I wanted everything to look even and had to bite my tongue from swearing loudly when it came to the fiddly job of sticking strawberry slices round the cream edges- not a task that suits butter fingers that’s for sure!
Finally I managed to get the result I was hoping for (if you looked at it from far away) and thank God I didn’t drop the blooming thing as it weighed a ton!
Walking it back from work in the Queensland sun was the final challenge as I could see the heart of icing I had drawn lovingly on top begin to melt and snails were zooming past me I was so careful with it! Thankfully my friend Izzy was there to open the doors for me!
Finally I was home and presenting my shocked boyfriend with this ginormous sponge while Izzy threw some balloons in his face and we sang him a pitiful version of Happy Birthday!
I was so thrilled that he loved the cake so much! (Maybe a little too much- I was worried he would take that to bed instead of me) And luckily when the monster slices were cut and the first mouthful was consumed, I breathed a sigh of relief that the sponge was fluffy and the Jam, Cream, White Chocolate Ganache and strawberries complimented it deliciously- even if it was a thousand calories a bite!
Recipe-350g Self Raising Flour
350g Margarine
350g Caster Sugar
6 Large Eggs (beaten)
Tablespoon of Baking Soda
Drops of Vanilla Essence
Large Tub of Strawberry Jam-the best you can get
Double/Thickening Cream- for whipping
2 Punnets Ripe Strawberries
150g White Chocolate
Firstly, grease and line 3 equal size cake tins with baking paper and preheat the oven to about 150c.
Next, Cream together the Margarine and Sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy.
Beat in the Eggs- one at a time so the mixture doesn’t curdle- and add a few drops of the Vanilla Essence.
Fold in the Flour and Baking Soda using a wooden spoon and add a little water if necessary to create a batter with a soft dropping consistency.
Divide the mixture between the 3 cake tins and gently spread out with a spatula.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until the cakes are golden brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, turn out the cakes on a wire rack and carefully remove the baking paper- shoving them in plastic bags to take with you to work is not recommended at this stage!!
Whilst cakes are cooling prepare the Chocolate Ganache by melting 100g of the White Chocolate with a quarter cup of Cream until smooth.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool, stirring the mixture occasionally until Ganache is thick and spreadable.
Take 5-6 of your best Strawberries, cut them in half, place them on a plate far apart and melt the remaining White Chocolate to “swizzle” it over them. Place the plate in the fridge to harden the Chocolate and ensure you lick the leftover melted Chocolate from the bowl!
Chop the remaining strawberries into small thin slices for decorating round the cake.
Finally whip up the Cream in a large bowl with a mixer or by hand (ouch!) until soft peaks appear.
The cakes should have cooled by now, you can then Sandwich the Tiers with a thick layer of Strawberry Jam, a thin layer of Ganache and a thick layer of Whipped Cream.
The worst bit- you will need to stick small slices of strawberry around the cream edges of the cake so you will need to ensure your layer of Whipped Cream has height! (Please see pictures)
To decorate the top of the cake, spread on a final layer of Whipping Cream and place the refrigerated strawberry halves neatly around the edge.
You can always use Writing Icing to create your own little message in the middle if for a Birthday- you may not want to be as cheesy as me and draw a heart though!
A cake not for the faint hearted that’s for sure!
