Three layers of Christmas Punch flavoured sponge. Filled with homemade preserve and Christmas Punch flavoured buttercream. Decorated with fresh figs, blueberries and physalis.
For a more intense festive assault on the taste buds, replace all the caster sugar with Sugar and Crumbs natural flavoured icing sugars.
Decorate with your own choice of fruits if you wish.
This recipe will lend itself to any flavoured icing sugars. Experiment with different flavours and seasonal fruits.
190gramsChristmas Punch flavoured icing from 'Sugar and Crumbs'
150gramscaster sugar
6large eggs lightly beaten
340gramsself raising flour sieved
Topping and Filling.
200gramsunsalted butter softened
250gramsChristmas Punch flavoured icing sugar
150gramsplain icing sugar
approx 8 rounded tablespoons of your favourite preserve
4figs sliced into quarters
Handfull of blueberries and Physalis or fruits of your choice
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180deg fan assisted. If using a steam bake oven as I have, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Grease and line the base and sides of 3 x 19cm loose bottomed cake tins with baking parchment. Make sure the parchment extends at least 2cm/1? higher than the sides of the tins to allow for the cake batter to rise evenly and not pour over the sides. Alternatively use deep sided cake tins.
Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, flavoured icing sugar and caster sugar until light and fluffy.
While the mixer is still beating, gradually add the eggs a little at a time, adding a heaped tablespoon of flour to help prevent curdling. Beat until well combined.
Add the remaining flour and with the mixer on the slowest setting, mix until well combined. Do not over beat or you may stretch the gluten which can often give your cakes a dense texture.
Test for dropping consistency. If needed, add up to a tablespoon of milk. Mix until well combined.
Divide and spread the cake batter evenly between the three cake tins.
Bake in the oven for 25 mins or until cooked, testing the centre of the cakes with a skewer until it comes out clean.
Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool about 10 mins in the tins, before turning out onto a wire wrack to cook completely.
If they have risen with too high a dome, you could turn two of the cakes upside down on a clean sheet of baking parchment on the wire wrack to flatten the dome a little as it cools. Leaving the other cake to be used for the top.
Filling and Topping.
While the cakes are cooling make the buttercream filling. Using a mixer, beat together the icing sugars and butter until light and fluffy and pale in colour.
Using a large piping bag fitted with your favourite nozzle, fill with approx half of the buttercream. Leave the other half in reserve for crumb coating the cake.
When the cakes are completely cool, if needed slice off the dome of 2 of the cakes. Place one of these cakes onto a large cake stand or serving plate. Spread the top of the cake with some of your favourite preserve followed by a piped layer of buttercream.
Repeat with the second cake layer pressing down a little to help spread the buttercream evenly, finishing with the third cake on top.
Leave enough buttercream in the piping bag to decorate the top of the cake.
Crumb coat the whole cake with a thin layer of reserved buttercream. Using the remaining buttercream in the piping bag, pipe decorative swirls around the top edge of the cake to anchor the fruit.
Decorate with the fruit.
Notes
This cake will keep in an air tight container for a couple of days.