Pretty-as-a-peony cake

 

 

Behind an elegant exterior lies a nutty brown butter cake layered with sour cream ganache.

 

Ingredients

• 300g unsalted butter, chopped
• 265g (13/4 cups) plain flour
• 50g (1/3 cup) self-raising flour
• 355g (13/4 cups, firmly packed) brown sugar
• 5 eggs
• 360g (1 1/2 cups) sour cream
• 300g white chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 x 500g pkts Orchard White Icing
• Pure icing sugar, to dust
• Pink food colouring
• Ribbon, to decorate
• Fresh flower, such as a peony, to decorate

Method

1. Step 1
   Stir the butter in a saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes or until dark golden. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Set aside to set.
2. Step 2
   Preheat oven to 160C. Grease two 15cm (base measurement) round cake pans. Line the base and sides with baking paper to reach 2cm above the side of the pans.
3. Step 3
   Sift the combined flour into a bowl. Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the flour mixture and 3/4 cup of sour cream, in alternating batches. Spoon among prepared pans. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Step 4
   Place the chocolate and remaining sour cream in heatproof bowl over a saucepan half-filled with simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Stir until chocolate melts and is smooth. Set aside until ganache is thick and spreadable.
5. Step 5
   Trim tops of cakes. Cut each horizontally into 3 layers. Place 1 layer on a cake stand or plate. Spread with a little ganache. Continue layering with ganache and remaining cake. Spread remaining ganache over top and side.
6. Step 6
   Knead icing on a work surface dusted with icing sugar. Dust surface with a little more icing sugar and roll out until 5mm thick. Wrap the pastry around the rolling pin dusted with icing sugar and carefully unroll it over the cake. Dust your hands with icing sugar. Gently press the top of the cake, easing the icing down the side to avoid any pleats. Smooth the surfaces with the palms of your hands. Trim the base and reserve excess icing.
7. Step 7
   Use reserved icing to make light, pale pink and dark pink icing (see tip, right). Roll out dark pink icing on a work surface dusted with icing sugar until 2mm thick. Use an 8cm fluted cutter to cut 3 discs from the icing. Use a 4cm round cutter to cut out centres. Cut each fluted disc in half. Holding a small paintbrush at a slight angle, roll the end along the fluted edge to frill. Carefully open out to form a strip. Brush side of the cake, about 2cm up from the base, with water. Gently press the strips, frilled-edge down, onto the cake. Repeat with the pale pink and light pink icing, overlapping the frilled edges slightly. Wrap ribbon around the cake to cover the top of the light pink strips. Secure with double-sided tape. Tuck a flower stem under the ribbon to secure. (taste.com.au)