serves
16
prep
1:15 hour
cook
30 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
16
people
preparation
1:15
hour
cooking
30
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
The style of décor is commonly called a “half-nude” or “scraped”, referring to the way the frosting is applied to the sides and then scraped away, revealing the cake layers and leaving only a sheer layer of frosting behind.
Ingredients
Cake
- 3⅓ cups (425 g) cake & pastry flour (see Note)
- 1⅓ cup (265 g) granulated sugar
- 5 tsp (15 g) baking powder
- 2 tsp (6 g) ground cardamom
- 2 tsp (6 g) ground ginger
- 1½ tsp (4 g) ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp (2 g) ground cloves
- ¾ tsp (2 g) ground black pepper
- ¾ tsp (3 g) salt
- 1⅓ cup (265 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1⅓ cup (300 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into pieces
- 1⅓ cup (330 m) buttermilk
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3 tsp (15 ml) vanilla extract
Maple meringue frosting
- 3 large egg whites
- ½ tsp (2 g) cream of tartar
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp (35 g) granulated sugar
- 280 ml pure maple syrup
- 1½ tsp (7 ml) vanilla extract
To decorate
- Fresh edible flowers (pansies, rose petals, etc)
- 1 egg white
- ½ cup (100 g) superfine sugar, granular sugar and or decorator sugar
Serves 16 as dessert, 24 as a special occasion tasting portion.
Cooling time: 1 hour. Setting time: 1 hour.
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease three 23 cm (9 inch) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Dust the sides of the pans with flour, tapping out any excess.
2. Sift the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, spices and salt into a large mixer bowl or into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix in the brown sugar and then add the butter, mixing in the butter (using electric beaters, if not a stand mixer) on medium-low speed until no large bits of butter are visible, about 2 minutes.
3. Whisk the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla together and add this all at once to the flour mixture and mix starting on low speed until blended and then increase the speed to medium, beating until the mixer is very smooth and a little lighter in colour, about 3 minutes. Divide the batter between the pans and spread to level it.
4. Bake the cakes for about 25 minutes, until a tester inserted in the entre comes out clean. Cool the cakes on a rack for 30 minutes, then run a palette knife around the inside edge of each pan and turn the cakes out to cool completely.
5. For the frosting, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl with electric beaters or in a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment on high speed until foamy. While whipping, gradually pour in the sugar and continue to whip almost until the beaters hold a soft peak when lifted. Bring the maple syrup up to a full boil over high heat (it will bubble up a bit, but there is no need to stir) until it reaches 116°C (242°F) on a candy thermometer. With the mixer running, pour the hot syrup carefully down the side of the bowl into the whites and continue whipping until the meringue has cooled almost to room temperature, about 2 minutes – the whites will triple in volume. Beat in the vanilla. Work with the frosting immediately.
6. Place a cake layer on a platter or cake stand and dollop and then spread a layer of frosting on the top. Repeat with the remaining two cake layers. For the “half-naked” or “sheer” effect on the sides, spread a sheer layer of frosting around the sides of the cake, filling in any gaps between the layers but allowing the sides of the cake to show through. Let the cake sit out, uncovered, for an hour to set. Do not refrigerate.
5. For the décor, spread the edible flowers out onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Lightly whisk the egg white to loosen it, and using a small brush, paint the flowers lightly with the egg white and sprinkle the sugar over each, shaking off any excess. Let the flowers air-dry for at least an hour (this can be done up to 6 hours before serving – the sugar layer preserves the flowers. Arrange the sugared flowers on top of the cake and serve.
Notes
• Cake and pastry flour, available from some supermarkets and specialist retailers, usually has a finer texture and lower protein content, which yields a tender cake crumb, but you can easily use plain flour instead in this recipe.
• The recipe above makes a three-layer cake. This cake also suits being made in a tiered cake, perhaps for a wedding. For a 2-tiered cake that feeds 32-40 people, bake the recipe as a 23 cm (9 inch) base cake and then divide the measurements in half to bake a 15 cm (6 inch) top tier. The meringue frosting will need to be made in 2 separate batches, since you want to work with it freshly made for each tier.
Source: Undefined / Bake With Anna Olson
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
The style of décor is commonly called a “half-nude” or “scraped”, referring to the way the frosting is applied to the sides and then scraped away, revealing the cake layers and leaving only a sheer layer of frosting behind.
