Miss Cherry Shakewell cake

Gorgeous, delicious,and crowned with glittering cherries, Restoration Cake's Charlotte White shows us how to make this stunning creation.

First of all, you will need to make her chocolate mud cake, to decorate like above.

Ingredients:

An 8” chocolate mud cakeButtercream (Charlotte used chocolate for the centre and vanilla for the outside edges)Black cherry jamWhite chocolate cigarillos RibbonFresh cherriesHologram red edible glitter

Equipment:

A large serrated knifeA large palette knifeA side scraper

Method:

• Begin by removing any risen peaks from your cakes with a sharp knife

• Spread the cut side of one cake with black cherry jam and the cut side of the other cake with buttercream. Sandwich your cakes together so that the jam and buttercream are in the centre.

• Use a large palette knife to spread your remaining buttercream over the top and sides of your cake. Dollop a friendly helping of buttercream onto the top of your cake and spread all over your cake. I would suggest that you add more than you think you will need at this stage.

• Tidy up the edges of your cake by holding a side scraper flush against your work surface and slightly into the buttercream on the side of your cake. Slowly, pull the scraper towards you and you should see the excess buttercream being removed as you work around the cake. You will need to stop and clean off the scraper every now and then to create a smooth finish. Use your scraper to scrape the top edges of the cake in towards the centre toachieve a clean top edge.

• Line up your chocolate cigarillos around the edge of your cake, one by one. Press each cigarillo lightly into the buttercream to secure. When you have completed covered the outside of your cake, carefully tie a ribbon around the middle of the cake. This makes the cake look pretty andalso helps to keep the cigarillos secure.

• Rinse your cherries under cold water to clean, then pat dry with kitchen towel. Whilst still on the towel, take a hearty pinch of Hologram Red edible glitter and sprinkle this onto your cherries. Once you are content that they are sufficiently glistening, arrange them atop your cake like precious jewels.

From Burlesque Baking by Charlotte White