06/07/2024

White Chocolate Celebration Cake with Raspberry Crush

This stunning celebration cake is my go-to recipe for many family festivities and can be easily adapted to different flavours as explained below.

Makes:

1 x 25cm round or square celebration cake

Prep Time: 1 hour (plus overnight refrigeration for ganache)

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE & CURLS
  • 300ml bottle thickened cream
  • 750g white chocolate melts
  • SPONGE CAKE
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups caster sugar
  • 1 cup plain flour
  • 1/2 cup cornflour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 cup Galliano or Cointreau
  • icing sugar, for dusting
  • RASPBERRY CRUSH
  • 300g frozen raspberries
  • 1/4 cup raspberry jam, melted

Method

  • To make the White Chocolate Ganache, heat cream in a saucepan until almost boiling. Remove from heat and stir in 600g white chocolate melts until fully melted. Refrigerate, preferably overnight, until thick.
  • To make the White Chocolate Curls, gently melt the remaining 150g white chocolate in a double boiler or Microwave on Medium for 2 minutes at a time, stirring until melted. Pour onto a marble bench or chopping board and allow to almost set. Use a palette knife or plastic scraper to scrape chocolate into curls. Refrigerate until needed.
  • To make Sponge Cake, beat eggs and sugar together until thick and creamy – approximately 10 minutes. Sift flour, cornflour and baking powder onto the surface of the mixture and gently fold in. Pour the Galliano down the side of the bowl and fold in. Pour into a buttered and lined 25cm round or square cake tin. Bake at 180°C for 40-45 minutes or until golden and cooked when tested. Remove from tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.
  • To make Raspberry Crush, combine raspberries and jam together and allow to stand until completely thawed. Lightly crush raspberries with the back of a spoon.
  • To assemble cake, cut sponge horizontally into three layers, spread with crushed raspberries and sandwich back together. Use a pastry brush to brush away any stray crumbs from the surface of the cake. Beat White Chocolate Ganache with the whisk attachment of an electric mixer until whipped and use to spread over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate until firm. Garnish with White Chocolate Curls and dust with icing sugar just before serving.
  • ALTERNATIVES: – Chocolate Hazelnut Celebration Sponge: Substitute dark chocolate for ganache and curls, replace 1/4 cup cornflour with cocoa powder, replace Galliano with coffee liqueur and use 1 cup chocolate hazelnut spread whipped with 1/2 cup cream in place of Raspberry Crush. Sprinkle with cocoa. – Café Au Lait Celebration Cake: Add 2 tablespoons strong espresso coffee to the sponge mixture, substitute Galliano with coffee liqueur, replace Raspberry Crush with 1 cup cream whipped with 1/4 cup coffee liqueur. Garnish with milk chocolate curls instead of white, and sprinkle with cocoa.

Tips

  • Cake can be fully assembled and refrigerated 24 hours beforehand. Bring to room temperature before serving.
  • STYLING Use a skewer or tweezers to carefully position the chocolate curls in a pile on top of the cake.
  • DRINK Moscato

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