Pink Lemonade Ombré Cake
Servings 12 people
Ingredients
Cakes
- 300 g butter room temperature
- 300 g caster sugar
- 350 g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 lemons zested
- 6 eggs medium
- 150 ml buttermilk or 100ml milk
- pink food colouring
To Finish
- 2 lemons juiced
- 60 g caster sugar
- 100 g butter room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 350 g icing sugar
- 300 g cream cheese
- 75 g raspberry jam seedless
- 225 g fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Grease and line three 18cm-diameter sponge tins, then preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4.
- Whisk together all the cake ingredients, apart from the buttermilk or milk and colouring, for 3-4 minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in the buttermilk or milk until you have a soft batter that drops quite easily from the beaters.
- Divide into three equal portions (about 450g each); keep one plain, then add ½ teaspoon food colouring to the second portion and 1½-2 tsp of colouring to the third, mixing in thoroughly (the tones will deepen during baking). Spoon each mixture into a prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes or until springy and starting to come away from the edge of the tin.
- Cool the cakes in their tins for 15 minutes. Turn out on to a wire rack, level the tops if domed and leave to cool for another 15 minutes. Meanwhile, put the lemon juice and 60g caster sugar in a small pan, heat until the sugar has dissolved then bubble for about 3 minutes or until syrupy. Brush over the sponge tops and leave to cool completely.
- For the icing, first beat the butter on its own until very soft and creamy, then add the vanilla and gradually beat in the icing sugar in batches, followed by the cream cheese until smooth. Measure out 200g into a separate bowl and mix in the seedless jam. Chill both until needed.
- To assemble, place the deepest-pink sponge on a plate or board and spread with half of the raspberry icing (leaving a 2cm border towards the edge, to allow for the icing to spread when sandwiched), followed by the lighter pink sponge and the rest of the raspberry icing. Add the plain sponge on top, flat base uppermost.
- Secure the layers together with a couple of long skewers so that they don’t slip, the nice the sides of the cake with the plainicing, and smooth the last of the icing over the top, after removing the skewers. Decorate with the raspberries to serve.