But, nonetheless, I am proud of the result. Granted, I didn't win the contest but the cake was still delicious. Just a warning for all of you wanting to try it. The cake is very sweet. And while I don't mind a more-than-natural dose of sugar some friends and family told me that it was a bit too much on the sweet side. You are warned...
Ingredients for the cake:
• 170 gram butter (room temperature)
• 140 gram sugar (fine sugar)
• 3 eggs
• 140 gram flour
• 1 ½ tablespoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 30 gram grated coconut
Ingredients for the filling:
• 115 gram butter (quite soft)
• 450 gram icing sugar (you might need more depending on your taste)
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (add more depending on your taste)
• 2 tablespoons milk (cold)
Decorations:
• Fondant in 3 different colours
• Edible beads
Recipe:
Start with pre-heating your oven at 180 °C. Grease 2 baking tins (20 centimeters which is about 7,9 inches) and cover the baking tin with parchment paper. If you only have 1 baking tin, bake the halves after each other. I don’t recommend baking the batter in 1 small baking tin since oven heat and baking time won’t allow it to set firmly then.
First you prepare your cake.
Beat the butter and sugar until it is smooth, airy and pale. After, add the eggs one by one and beat them through the batter. Then sieve the flour, baking powder and salt above the mixture and add the vanilla extract and grated coconut. Beat everything until it’s a smooth batter. Divide the batter into the two baking tins and bake for about 20-25 minutes.
When the cake is done, remove the baking tins and parchment paper and put aside to cool down completely.
Second you prepare your filling.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until it’s smooth. Add in the remaining ingredients and beat until the mixture resembles a thick frosting. Chill slightly before using.
When the cake and filling are cooled you can prepare the cake. Cut off the tops of the cakes so you have two smooth, same-sized layers of cake to work with. Put ¾ of the filling onto the bottom layer. When done, gently push the top layer on top of the bottom one. Then, cover the entire cake with the left-over filling and put in the fridge while you prepare your fondant.
When working with fondant, you might want to use gloves to keep it from sticking to your fingers. First, knead the fondant until it feels workable. Spread a bit of icing-sugar over your worktop to keep the fondant from sticking and apply some icing sugar onto a rolling pin. To cover this entire cake you need about 250 grams of fondant. Roll out the fondant until it fits the cake.
When done, get the cake out of the fridge and gently lift the fondant over the rolling pin and position it so that it covers the entire cake. Shape the fondant to the sides of the cake If an air bubble appears, insert a pin on an angle, release air and smooth the area again. When done, trim off excess fondant using a spatula or sharp knife.
When the cake is covered in fondant you can decorate it as you wish using either fondant or pre-made sugar flowers.
~ Enjoy!
