Multi-layered Cake
https://westbrookcookers.com/electric-conversions/
ElectricKit Aga
You will need:
You’ll need 3 x these ingredients for six sponges (I only used 5, not by design…the new puppy has not learned any boundaries yet.)
125g butter, softened, plus a little extra for greasing
225g self-raising flour
150g golden caster sugar
3 free range eggs
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
edible food colouring – the choices are yours
And for the icing :
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 x 250g tubs cream cheese or Mascarpone
350g icing sugar
Optional extras and alternatives
75g melted dark chocolate. 1 tsp cocoa powder to add to a small amount of the above for a layer of chocolate icing
Pic-a-mix rainbow drops bought by the cupful in the supermarket.
Cheats Royal Icing similarly from the supermarket…as shown in the photo but I have since made this with the above icing and we all preferred it.
How to make:
Heat your ElectricKit Aga oven to 180C/gas 4.
Grease 2 x 20cm round sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
Tip all the sponge ingredients, apart from the food colouring, into a mixing bowl, then beat with an electric whisk until smooth.
Weigh the mixture into another bowl to work out the total weight, then split exactly in half and put half mixture back into the mixing bowl. Pick 2 of your colours and stir a little into each mix. Keep going until you are happy with the colour – the colour of the batter now will be very similar to the finished cake, so be brave! Scrape the different batters into the tins, spread and smooth as much as possible.
Place your sponge tins on the second set of runners down from the top with the cold plain shelf beneath
Bake for about 12 mins or until springy to touch and a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean.
Gently turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool. Wash the tins and bowls thoroughly, and start again from step 1 – this time using another 2 colours. Repeat one more time to get 6 sponges, all of different colours. Leave them all to cool. Keep away from untrained hounds.
Now to make the Icing
Beat the vanilla and cream cheese or Mascarpone with an electric whisk until smooth. Sift in the icing sugar and gently fold in with a spatula. Be careful – the more you work it, the runnier it will get, increasing the chance of splitting.
Smear a little icing on your cake stand or plate – just a splodge to stick the first sponge. Decide upon your base sponge then spread with some icing right to the very edge. Repeat, sandwiching on top the other colour sponges. Spread the remaining icing thickly all over the sides and top of the cake… or roll out the royal icing and gently place it over the cake easing it down the sides and when you become exasperated with the folds neaten it all up with a wide purple ribbon…trust me stick to the butter/cream cheese icing!
Decorate with chocolate buttons or rainbow drops or whatever takes your fancy.
