Juliet Sear tries out the latest viral food trends!
They’re the hottest new baking trends spreading like wildfire on social media, but what exactly is a ‘burn cake’ and how do you make it? Juliet Sear will be lighting up the studio with her take on the viral birthday treat. And, with news of a new 1 kilo bag of mini eggs hitting the shelves this easter, she’s making some eggs-tra special mini egg treats, including a no bake fridge cake and some delicious fudge.
Burnaway cake
Makes 1 8-inch round 2-tiered cake
Ingredients
1 edible icing image, to fit the top of the cake 1 printed wafer paper image, the same size
For the sponge: 200g caster sugar200g soft butter4 medium eggs200g self-raising flour, with ½ tsp baking powder whisked through1 tsp vanilla extract or bean paste
For the buttercream:600g unsalted butter, softened 1.2kg icing sugar, sifted2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
For the frosting and decoration:100g white ready-to-roll icing Icing sugar, for dustingSprinkles of your choice, plus extra for the base and topFood colour of your choice
Method
1. To make the sponge, preheat the oven to 180C, and grease and line 2 8-inch tins on the base and sides.
2. Place the butter, sugar and vanilla into a mixing bowl and combine. Using a mixer, beat at high speed (if using a wooden spoon, beat vigorously) until the mixture is very pale, soft and fluffy, and there are no visible sugar granules.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each in slowly. Gradually add the flour, mixing gently at a slow speed, until it has been mostly incorporated (or fold with a metal spoon if doing so by hand). Take care not to mix or beat vigorously at this point, or the sponge can turn out quite tough.
4. Divide the batter between the 2 tins and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until a knife comes out clean.
5. To make the buttercream, beat the butter and vanilla until soft, pale and creamy. Gradually beat in the icing sugar, until the butter cream is light and fluffy.
6. To assemble the cake, crumb coat and cover the cake with a thin layer of the buttercream.
7. Place the bottom cake layer onto an 8-inch round cake card, using a little buttercream to stick it in place, making sure it is centred.
8. Spread a layer of buttercream over the bottom cake, place the second cake on top, and smooth down the sides.
9. Using a palette knife, generously spread buttercream all around the sides of the cake, filling in any gaps and smoothing the surface. Spread a layer over the top, and use the palette knife to sweep all around the cake firmly, to smooth off any excess and make it as flat as you can.
10. Place the cake in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes. Once set firm, cover over with a neat second coat of buttercream to finish. (Add any sprinkles to the side at this point, if you wish.)
11. To decorate, dust your work surface with icing sugar and roll out the white icing thinly. Remove the edible image from its backing and smooth it onto the icing, making sure there are no air bubbles. (It should stick without water, but if it is not, add a very little water to the icing with a pastry brush to slightly dampen.)
12. Cut around the image, and place it centrally on the cake. Pipe more buttercream around the top of the cake with a large star nozzle to frame the image (if you wish, you can add food colour to match your theme or image). Repeat with a second ring, to give the cake edge some height, to separate the main cake from the paper image that will place over it.
13. Cut out the wafer paper image, and press this gently onto the piped icing. Seal over and decorate around the image using a smaller open star nozzle around the edge. Add more decoration to the base of the cake if you like.
No bake mini eggs tart
Serves: 10
Ingredients
For the base: 300g Digestive biscuits 150g butter, melted1 tbsp caster sugar
For the filling: 160g mini eggs400g dark chocolate, chips or chopped 250g double cream 60g softened butter 80g mini eggs, to decorate, some crushed, some whole
Method
1. Butter a fluted loose based tart tin.
2. Blitz the biscuits with the sugar and mix with the melted butter. Add to the tin (use a glass to press the edges down), and chill for about an hour in the fridge, until set.
3. To make the filling, bash the mini eggs to break them up, and set aside. Place the chocolate in a large heat-safe bowl. Boil the cream and pour over the chocolate. Cover the bowl with a baking sheet or large plate, and let stand for 5 minutes to melt the chocolate.
4. Remove the plate, and add the softened butter. Whisk through to finish melting. Stir the mini eggs through the filling.
5. Pour the filling over the base in the tin, and decorate with the extra whole and crushed mini eggs. Chill until firm, and serve.
Mini eggs fudge
Makes: 12-16 squares
Ingredients
500g white chocolate, melted 1 tin condensed milk, slightly warmed100g mini eggs, whole and chopped/crushed
Method
1. In a bowl mix the white chocolate and condensed milk until just combined.
2. Transfer to a lined baking tin, and briefly smooth with a palette knife.
3. Press in mini eggs across the top of the fudge, and leave to set in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.
4. Cut into bite size pieces and serve.