Wrenovator Lynne has shared her showstopping cake, perfect for enjoying with family and friends to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
With a love for baking, Lynne has all the ingredients to perfect her sweet treats in her Shaker Forest kitchen. The traditional design includes sparkling Quartz worktops that are ideal for mixing, kneading and rolling and a stylish Neff Slide&Hide oven for baking.
For the Platinum Jubilee, sweet tooths are covered with her four-layer cake, soaked in the ultimate Summertime tipple of Pimms! Each layer is filled with Pimms buttercream and fresh strawberries and topped with a pale buttercream with touches of edible silver and fresh fruit. It is a total celebration of the wonderful Royal weekend!
Ingredients
Cake:
- 350g caster sugar
- 350g margarine or unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 350g Self-raising flour
- 6 large eggs
- 6 tablespoons Pimm’s (around 70ml)
- Zest of 2 oranges
Pimms Syrup:
- 125ml Pimm’s
- 50g caster sugar
- Juice of 1 orange
Buttercream:
- 500g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1kg icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons of milk
- Fresh strawberries for filling and to decorate. You can use strawberry jam if you prefer for filling.
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 170°C or 160° fan. Line the base and sides of two deep round 7″cake tins and set aside.
2. Beat the margarine and sugar in a stand mixer, with paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, along with a spoonful of the flour. Mix, then continue to add each egg, with some flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary, then add the remaining flour, Pimm’s and orange zest. Mix gently to combine. Divide equally between the two tins, level the tops.
3. Bake both cakes for around 1 hour, until lightly golden and the top springs back when gently pressed. Remove from oven, allow to cool in the tins for 15 minutes before turning out to cool fully.
4. Meanwhile, make the Pimm’s syrup. Add all the syrup ingredients to a small pan and heat gently. Allow to simmer for around 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Pour into a dish and allow to cool.
5. Make the buttercream. Cream the butter in a stand mixer with paddle attachment until it is very pale. This can take at least 5 minutes. Add in the icing sugar a little bit at a time. Add the vanilla extract and a splash of milk if needed.
6. Finely dice 4-6 strawberries, then mix with a spoonful of the Pimm’s syrup.
7. When ready to assemble, slice any domed top off the cakes, then split each cake in half through the middle to give 4 layers. Place first layer on your plate or cake stand. I always use the bottom of one of the cakes. Brush the top with some of the Pimm’s syrup, just for flavour. Do not soak the cake. Add a dollop of buttercream on top, spread with a knife or offset palette knife. Top with a spoonful of the fresh strawberries, but don’t put them too close to the edge.
8. Add the next cake layer on top. Repeat the syrup, buttercream and strawberry layers. Continue until you have used all 4 layers. Use the bottom of one of the cakes, upside down, as your top layer. This gives you a flat top.
9. Use an offset palette knife, or an ordinary knife, to spread a thin layer (crumb coat) of buttercream all over the cake. Place cake in fridge for half an hour.
10. Remove cake from fridge. Add a thick layer of buttercream all over the cake, then run a palette knife around to smooth it. Remove any excess. Scrape over the top to smooth. When you’re happy, use your palette knife to draw long vertical indentations from the bottom to the top of the sides, all the way around. Chill the cake.
11. When ready to serve, add a few fresh strawberries on top. You can add touches of edible silver leaf or spritz with edible silver glitter dust if you like. If you prefer to add fresh flowers, please use a flower/posy pick to protect the cake from anything which may leak from the stems.
12. Enjoy!
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How to Get Great Results Every time
Wondering how to prep your abode (or palace!) so it’s fit for a queen or king to mark the Platinum Jubilee celebrations? Check out our pre-party planning guide here.
For a further source of food inspiration, visit the recipe page on our blog. And if you’re looking for inspiration to whizz up royal-themed mocktails and cocktails, follow our recipe guide.
To find out more about Lynne’s traditional and charming #wrenovation, click here.
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