Juliet Sear's magical reindeer cake

It’s time for the unicorn to make way for our more festive friend.

Juliet Sear’s been busy in the kitchen giving her signature cake a makeover by transforming it into Rudolph.

So if you want to add some festive fun to your Christmas table, don’t miss Juliet’s guide to making the most magical Christmas cake around!

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

FOR THE CHOCOLATE ORANGE SPONGE

400g soft unsalted butter560g light muscovado sugar8 medium eggs, beaten320g plain 70% choc chips or chunks broken, melted and cooledFinely grated zest of two medium oranges275g plain flour

FOR THE CHOCOLATE ORANGE BUTTERCREAM FILLING AND COATING

225g plain dark chocolate (70%)75 ml double cream500g soft unsalted butter1kg of unrefined icing sugar, siftedZest of 2 oranges

BISCUIT ANTLERS AND EARS (this makes plenty, any excess can be used to make little biscuits or be frozen and used at a later date)

200g soft butter200g light muscovado sugar1 large free range egg375g plain flour1 tbsp ground gingerhalf a teaspoon of cinnamona large pinch of ground cloveswooden lollipop sticks, kebab skewers or cocktail sticks

TO DECORATE

200g white and 200g red ready to roll sugar paste 50g green ready to roll sugar pasteSmall ball yellow ready to roll sugar pasteEdible gold glitter or shimmer spray2 tsp cocoa powder

EQUIPMENT

20cm cake card and 30cm red cake boardLarge plastic piping bag with a large open star nozzle (we’ve used a Wilton 1M)Small piping bag with a small round nozzle or you can just snip the bag openHolly leaf cutter (optional)

Method

FOR THE CHOCOLATE ORANGE SPONGE

• Preheat oven to fan 160C. Grease and line three 20cm cake tins.

• Beat butter and sugar slowly till combined then on fast until white, pale and fluffy. Add your beaten egg a little at a time on slow until each bit is incorporated

• Pour all the cooled chocolate into your mix, beating all the time.

• Stir in or mix on very slow the orange zest then fold in or slow mix the plain flour.

• Spoon evenly into the tins and bake for 35-40 minutes until cooked through and the testing knife or skewer is not glossy but a paste texture. The cakes should be well risen, but still wobble a bit when shaken, the crust will sink back into the cake as it cools. Cool in the tin.

FOR THE CHOCOLATE ORANGE BUTTERCREAM

• Melt the chocolate and cream together in a microwave for 30 seconds at a time, until all melted and amalgamated and leave to cool.

• Whip the butter until pale and creamy then add the icing sugar and beat on high speed until very pale and fluffy

• Add the cooled chocolate and orange zest and beat well again.

FOR THE BISCUIT ANTLERS AND EARS

• Preheat the oven to 180C. Combine the sugar and butter until amalgamated but not creamed.

• Add the egg and mix in to combine, then tip in the flour and spices and form a dough. Roll out with additional plain flour to about 5-6mm thick.

• Cut around the templates (make two sets incase of accidents!). Any additional dough can be saved. Make sure you make pairs of antlers by flipping the template over to create opposite pairs.

• Add the lolly sticks and bake on a parchment lined tray for about 15 minutes, or until cooked through and firm. Allow to cool.

TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE

• Stack up your layers onto a cake board, filling with a layer of the frosting.

• Crumb coat the cake and pop in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes to one hour.

• Add more buttercream to the cake to coat as cleanly and neatly as you can.

TO DECORATE

• Roll out a long sausage of white and red icing and twist together to make a candy cane rope collar for the base. Wrap it around the base and secure at the back, trimming off any excess.

• Roll out a little green icing and cut two holly leaves with either with a cutter or just with a knife in a rough holly shape.

• Roll out a little red icing to add the detail on the ears then make the little balls for the berries and a large round ball for the nose. You can add red glitter to the nose if you wish.

• Mark out for the eyes with a round cutter, cup or lid – you need something with a round shape to guide you when piping the eyes.

• Take a little of your left over buttercream (about 50g) and darken it by adding 2 tsp cocoa powder and a little water to loosen. Pop into the small piping bag and pipe the eye detail.

• Position the red nose, using a cocktail stick to secure it in place.

• Add the red to the ears by cutting a little tear shape to fit within the ear with a knife, you can use a little water to stick it on.

• To finish, place the remaining buttercream in the large bag with the star nozzle and pipe some swirls on the top of his head with the buttercream for the hair.

• Pop in the antlers and ears, and continue to pipe around these until you have enough hair on his head. Now add the holly and berry on his hair to one side.

The cake will last well for up to 5 days and can also be frozen.