The “drip” decorating technique is now really popular and I think it looks incredible. You can use it with ganache, icing or melted chocolate, on all kinds of cakes. The trick is to get the consistency right.
Drip Cake
10-12 slices
Madeira cake
• 340g self-raising flour
• 230g caster sugar
• 230g soft margarine, plus extra to grease
• 4 medium eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp milk
Vanilla buttercream
• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 400g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
To assemble
• 8 tbsp raspberry jam
To decorate
• 125g white chocolate, broken into small pieces
• ½ tsp vegetable oil
• Red food gel colouring
• Red summer fruits (raspberries, redcurrants, cherries etc)
Method
Heat your oven to 150°C/130°C Fan. Grease two deep 18cm loose-bottomed round cake tins and line with baking paper.
To make the cake, put all the cake ingredients into a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until smoothly combined then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute.
Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared cake tins and gently smooth the tops to level. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 1-1¼ hours until the cakes are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack. Leave to cool completely.
To make the vanilla buttercream, in a bowl using a hand-held electric whisk, beat the butter until very soft. Add the icing sugar a heaped spoonful at a time, whisking until fully incorporated after each addition. Continue to beat until the buttercream is light and fluffy. Finally, beat in the vanilla extract.
To assemble, trim a fine slice off the top of each cake to level if necessary. Slice each cake in half horizontally so you have 4 layers in total. Place one base layer in the centre of a thin cake board.
Spread half of the raspberry jam on the bottom layer, being careful not to go right to the edge, then cover with another cake layer. Spread with about a third of the vanilla buttercream and place another cake layer on top. Spread with the remaining jam and cover with the final cake layer. Trim the outside edge of the cakes so they are level.
Transfer the cake to an icing turntable. Spread a thin layer of vanilla buttercream around the side of the cake, then hold a plain cake scraper against the side of the cake and revolve the turntable with the other hand to create an even finish. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on top of the cake and level it, using a palette knife.
Place the cake in the fridge to allow the buttercream covering to firm up for at least 30 minutes.
For the drip topping, put the white chocolate and vegetable oil into a small heatproof bowl and melt over a pan of simmering water (or carefully in short bursts in the microwave, stirring well in between). Remove from the heat and stir until smooth then stir through a little red gel colouring to achieve the desired colour.
Leave the red drip topping to cool slightly and thicken to the required consistency: it needs to have some substance so it cools and sets as it drips down the side of your cake. If too thin it will run straight down.
Transfer the cake to a cake stand or flat serving plate. Spoon a third of the red drip topping into a paper piping bag and snip off the tip. Pipe around the edge of the cake and allow it to slowly trickle over the side to create a drip pattern. Carefully spread the rest of the red topping on top of the cake.
Place the cake in the fridge for another 30 minutes to allow the drip topping to set.
Decorate the top of the cake with fresh red fruits just before serving.
Decorating Tip
To get a really smooth finish to the buttercream around the side of the cake, you need to use an icing turntable (easily obtainable and inexpensive). I suggest you leave the cake on the cake board when you transfer it to your serving plate or cake stand, unless you have a cake lifter to help you move it to and from the turntable.
Sausage Plait
I grew up with sausage rolls in my dad’s bakery and they’re still probably my all-time number one food. This elaborate plaited version is a great way to show off your pastry skills. The sausage meat is flavoured with roasted peppers, fennel seeds and chilli flakes, but you can leave out these extras and just use your favourite sausages – it’ll still taste amazing.
Serves 10
Pastry
• 1 quantity puff pastry (you can use 500g good-quality ready-made)
• Plain flour, to dust
Filling
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed or grated
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
• 2 x 400g packs of good-quality sausages
• 450g jar roasted peppers
To Finish
• 1 medium egg, beaten, to glaze
• A small handful of poppy seeds
Method
For the filling, heat the olive oil in a small frying pan, add the onion and cook over a medium-low heat for 7-10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, fennel seeds and chilli flakes and sauté for another minute. Transfer to a medium bowl and leave to cool.
Peel away the skins from the sausages and then add the sausage meat to the cooled onion mix. Mix well with your hand until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Heat your oven to 220°C/200°C Fan. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Drain the peppers, cut them lengthways to open them up and pat dry on kitchen paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 35x40cm rectangle. Arrange half of the roasted peppers down the centre of the pastry. Now form the sausage mix into a log that will cover the centre third of the pastry. Lie the sausage log on top of the peppers and then arrange the remaining peppers on top.
Using a small knife, make diagonal cuts in the pastry down either side of the sausage filling, spacing them 1.5-2cm apart. Fold the strips in over the filling alternately to create a plait and seal the ends.
Brush the pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake the plait in the oven for 35-45 minutes until crisp and piping hot. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before slicing. It is delicious hot or cold.
An edited extract from Celebrate: Joyful Baking All Year Round by Paul Hollywood (Bloomsbury, $57).
