This week’s cake is a chocolate sponge layered with blackberry and raspberry compote buttercream with fresh chopped berries mixed in for added lushness.
It was crumb-coated, covered in fondant then dotted with royal icing to give it surface texture and interest.
The topping – sugared dandelion seed head (picked from my back garden, well away from car exhausts, no insecticides or weed killer).
The flower was molded using sugar paste and the baby was formed in a silicone mold that I got from Amazon.
I really enjoyed the icing. I haven’t done it for a while and need some practice!
Royal Icing
400g Icing sugar
15g dried egg white
Approx. 5 TBSP water
Beat the ingredients together with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes. The consistency depends on what you want to do with the icing. Mine formed firm peaks with some yield in them.
If you make too much, you can freeze it for a month; just give it a good beat when it returns to room temperature.
Lustre dust drizzling across the top of the cake gives it a twinkly, delicate sheen.
Three Bees in My Bonnet 