Champagne Heart Cake

So this is my attempt at one of The Great British Bake Off's Showstopper Cakes! It's a vanilla sponge cake, with champagne flavoured icing which are iced to look like roses, with a "secret" pink marzipan centre.

Now try saying that with your mouth full of cake :)

I have to admit, this is probably one of the most difficult and most technical cakes I've ever made. It took me forever, but it was worth it!

Oh, and its finished with a sprinkling of edible pink glitter, of course.

I'm entering my cake in to the Bakespiration Challenge hosted by Stuck In the Tree, which you can click right here to find out more. Wish me luck!

As you read on, I will provide step by step instructions and talk through the highs and lows of this particular cake (believe me, there were many)!

For example, I had the HUGE problem of the buttercream being wayyy to runny. Because, as I explain later this wasn't a simple buttercream recipe. Oh no, it was some 8-egg-five pounds of butter- two cups of sugar-full-on-heart-attack kind of thing. I probably got the sugar syrup wrong. Or my butter was too melty. Either way, my buttercream curdled. 

It was a disaster. 

Nooo. Must be a solution. Help! That's like 8 eggs that went into the buttercream. Think of something!!!

30 minutes of whisking and an extra three bags of icing sugar later, I managed to pull back some buttercream that looked normal.

Phew.

The buttercream was still a bit soft, but whatever. I managed to pipe some roses, so it couldn't have been that bad.

I think I spent about an hour taking photos so get the perfect one. I was aiming for a Great Gatsby-esque type photo, but couldn't choose which background to have. It was close between the salmon pink one above or the blue and magenta one below. I've included both (because I'm indecisive)... which one do you think looks better?

Either way, after hours and hours and baking and piping and scraping and re-piping and moulding I finally got here with the finished product. And it's got glitter! Wohoo!

Step by step instructions (see bottom of page for printable full recipe and ingredients)

You will need:

For the sponge

225g caster sugar

225g softened butter

4 eggs, beaten

225g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp milk

For the marzipan heart

220g marzipan

Claret or dark pink edible food coloring paste

Edible pink glitter (optional)

For the buttercream (you can substitute with normal butter + icing sugar buttercream, since the below recipe is quite difficult)

340g caster sugar

8 large egg yolks

600g unsalted butter, very soft but not runny

6 tablespoons Champagne at room temperature

1. Start off by making two normal sponge cakes (sponge cake instructions at the bottom of the page). If you have a cake with a raised middle, that's great, since its useful to fill the buttercream icing inside the grooves. If not, don't worry - my trusty British Bake Off Baking Bible told me you can do it this way...

2. Wrap the cakes in clingfilm and chill overnight, so its easier to cut and avoids crumbs going everywhere. Place a bowl that's about 2cm in from the edge on top of the cake and score around it. Use a knife to cut out a disc in the middle of the cake, about 1cm deep (see below)

3. Do the same with the other sponge. Put both back in the fridge to chill.

4. In the meantime, get your marzipan and red food colouring paste/gel. Work a tiny bit of the gel in at a time, and roll the marzipan until it is dark pink in colour (almost red).

5. Roll the marzipan into a long sausage shape, about 30cm long and 3cm in diameter.

6. Use a cocktail stick to make an indent in the top of the marzipan roll (to form the V shape at the top of the heart), and mould the bottom of the roll into a point. Cut out a cross section of the roll to make sure it does look like a heart, then join the ends together. Leave aside for a bit to firm up.

7. Okay, before I go on - this buttercream recipe is probably the most complication buttercream ever. It required a sugar thermometer, and I don't have that. So that's probably why I messed up. If I were you, I would just make up a HUGE quantity of normal butter + icing sugar buttercream. But you are brave and want to give this buttercream recipe a go, then I salute you.

You will need 8 egg yolks, 340g sugar and 600g butter. And probably a diabetes appointment at the hospital :P

8. Whilst the egg yolks a little first. Then, gently heat the sugar with 16 tablespoons of water (thats like, half a cup?), then bring to boiling until it hits 110C on a sugar thermometer. If you don't have a sugar thermometer, you can drop a little bit of the sugar syrup into a bowl of ice cold water - it should form thin threads.

9. Gradually add the sugar syrup into the egg yolks, whisking all the time, then keep whisking until the mixture has doubled in volume and is pale in colour.

10. Keep whisking. Add about 6 tablespoons of champagne (normal or rose, prosecco and sparkling all work fine too!). Keep whisking.

Stop whisking. Pour yourself some champagne and take a break.

When you're done, add the butter (which should be soft but not melted). Keep whisking.

11. Now you are ready to ice the cake with buttercream! 

12. Put one sponge on a cake board with the hollow surface at the top. Spread enough buttercream so it just fills the hollow, and set the marzipan ring on top with the pointy V side downwards (see photo). Gently press down on the buttercream. Spoon a bit more buttercream into the centre of the marzipan ring and around the outside of it so the filling is level with the rim of the sponge - the marzipan ring will be slightly taller.

13. Spread buttercream into the hollow side of the other sponge, and sandwich the two together (be very careful when you're inverting the other sponge!). Spread a thin layer of buttercream over the top and sides of the cake to cover. Chill for 5 minutes.

14. Fill the piping bag with buttercream. 

15. Pipe large rose like swirls on the top and the sides (I gave up on the sides).

16. Argh! This is when disaster struck again. My piping bag split and a huge blob of buttercream basically pooped onto my cake. But the great thing is, you can just simply scrape off the swirl and start again.

17. And if you feel like it, sprinkle some edible glitter on top of the roses of bring out the effect! Lastly, return the cake to the fridge to firm up for about 2 hours before you cut it (this is important, I was in a rush and didn't do that and the buttercream on the inside was a bit gloopy). Eat within 3 days and serve at room temperature.

Ta da! Yay, done. Have a great week everyone!

Champagne Heart Cake From the Great British Bake Off – The Showstoppers This cake takes a while and if not for the faint hearted! For the sponge 225g caster sugar 225g softened butter 4 eggs, beaten 225g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tbsp milk For the marzipan heart 220g marzipan Claret or dark pink edible food coloring paste Edible pink glitter (optional) For the buttercream (you can substitute with normal butter + icing sugar buttercream, since the below recipe is quite difficult) 340g caster sugar 8 large egg yolks 600g unsalted butter, very soft but not runny 6 tablespoons Champagne at room temperature You will also need 1x20cm Victoria Surprise loose based sponge set (2 sandwich tins with a raised base), greased and lined. You will also need a large piping bag fitted with a 6 point tube. If you don’t have the surprise tins, two normal cake tins will do. Heat oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Butter two tins and line with non-stick baking paper. In a large bowl, beat all the cake ingredients together until you have a smooth, soft batter. Divide the mixture between the tins, smooth the surface with a spatula or the back of a spoon, then bake for about 20 mins until golden and the cake springs back when pressed. Turn onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely. To make the cake using two conventional sandwich tins - wrap the cakes in cling film and chill overnight, so its easier to cut and avoids crumbs going everywhere. Place a bowl that's about 2cm in from the edge on top of the cake and score around it. Use a knife to cut out a disc in the middle of the cake, about 1cm deep (see photos above). Wrap back in cling film and put in the fridge until ready to use. In the meantime, get your marzipan and red food colouring paste/gel. Work a tiny bit of the gel in at a time, and roll the marzipan until it is dark pink in colour (almost red). Roll the marzipan into a long sausage shape, about 30cm long and 3cm in diameter. Use a cocktail stick to make an indent in the top of the marzipan roll (to form the V shape at the top of the heart), and mould the bottom of the roll into a point. Cut out a cross section of the roll to make sure it does look like a heart, then join the ends together. Leave aside for a bit to firm up whilst you make the buttercream. To make the buttercream, put the sugar and 16 tablespoons of water (about half a cup) into a small heavy based pan and heat gently, without boiling, until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and boil until the temperature reaches 110C/225F on a sugar thermometer. If you don't have a sugar thermometer, you can drop a little bit of the sugar syrup into a bowl of ice cold water - it should form thin threads. Don’t let the syrup start to caramelize. Meanwhile, put the egg yolks into a heatproof bowl and mix briefly. Gradually add the sugar syrup into the egg yolks, whisking all the time, then keep whisking until the mixture has doubled in volume and is pale in colour. Add the Champagne and keep whisking. Now you are ready to ice the cake with buttercream! Put one sponge on a cake board with the hollow surface at the top. Spread enough buttercream so it just fills the hollow, and set the marzipan ring on top with the pointy V side downwards (see photo). Gently press down on the buttercream. Spoon a bit more buttercream into the centre of the marzipan ring and around the outside of it so the filling is level with the rim of the sponge - the marzipan ring will be slightly taller. Spread buttercream into the hollow side of the other sponge, and sandwich the two together (be very careful when you're inverting the other sponge!). Spread a thin layer of buttercream over the top and sides of the cake to cover. Chill for 5 minutes. Fill the piping bag with buttercream. Pipe large roses into the top and the sides of the cake. If you make a mistake simply scrape off the swirl and start again. Return the cake to the fridge, uncovered, for about 2 hours to firm up. Then place it into a cake box and keep in the fridge or at cool room temperature – the cuts best the day after it is assembles. Eat within 3 days and serve at room temperature.