Orders – Vanilla Cherry Fondant Cake

Ingredients

For Vanilla Cake Adapted from Joy of baking
• All purpose flour - 345 gram
• Baking powder - 1 tbspn
• Salt - 1/4 tspn
• Butter - 226 gram
• Sugar - 350 gram
• Egg - 5
• Milk - 200 ml
For Rum Roasted Cherries
• Sugar - 2 tbspn (more or less depending on the sweetness of the cherries)
• Rum - 30 ml ( I used bacardi brown rum)
• Pitted Cherries - 550 grams
For Mascarpone Cream layering
• Mascarpone Cream - 250 gram
• Fresh Cream - 200 ml
• Sugar - 80 gram
For Cherry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
• Egg whites - 56 gram
• Sugar - 185 gram
• Butter - 127 gram (cut them in cubes, it should not be cold but cool)
• Vanilla extract - 1 tspn
• Cherry puree - 2 tbspn (after cooking cherries with rum save some portion and make puree)

Instructions

For Vanilla Cake
• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
• Line the bottom of two 23 cm cake pans with baking paper/ parchment patter and butter the sides of the cake pan.
• In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
• In a big bowl beat the butter until soft and creamy.
• Gradually add the sugar to butter and beat until light and fluffy.
• Next add eggs, one at a time and beat well until well combined after each addition.
• Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
• Add the flour mixture in three parts along with milk fold gently (or beat on low speed) until well combined and smooth.
• Divide the batter equally between the two prepared pans.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Place the baked cakes on a wire rack to cool,
• Cool the cakes completely to room temperature before frosting.
For Rum Roasted Cherries
• In a wide pan on a medium high heat cook pitted cherries along with sugar until water from cherries evaporates.
• As soon the cherries are almost glossy and dry add rum.
• Cook on high heat until the rum evaporates.
• Let it cool to room temperature before layering.
For Mascarpone Cream layering
• Combine sugar and cream and beat until soft stiff peaks are formed.
• Carefully add the mascarpone cheese to whipped cream and beat on low speed until well combined and single stiff peaks are formed.
• This cream has to be used immediately.
For Cherry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
• Clean the whipping bowl with lemon juice to remove any grease left behind.
• Add sugar to egg whites and let them simmer over a pot of water, make sure not to boil the water,as it will curdle the eggs.
• Gently keep whisking the egg.
• Use candy thermometer to measure the temperature, constantly whisk until temperature reaches 70 C, if you don't have a candy thermometer keep whisking until the sugar gets completely dissolved in egg whites and mixture is hot.
• Take the bowl out of simmering water and start to whip until the meringue is thick, glossy. At this point bottom of the bowl feels neutral to the touch. This took around 10 to 15 minutes.
• when bowl temperature reaches normal temperature slowly start adding butter cubes, one at a time
• and start to whip with mixer on low speed until well incorporated. Keep whipping until a silky smooth texture is obtained. Don't add butter if the bowl feels warm.
• Incase if the mixture curdles keep whipping until it returns to smooth texture. If mixture gets too runny, refrigerate for about 15 minutes and continue whipping until it comes together.
• Add vanilla and cherry puree to taste and continue to whip on low speed until well combined.
Layering and frosting of the cake
• On a cake stand, first layer one halve of the cake, spread one half of whipped mascarpone cream.
• Don't take it too much to the corners.
• Next spread roasted cherries filling on the mascarpone cream.
• Spread next half of the mascarpone cream on top of the cherries.
• Frost evenly and smoothly the top and side of the cake with cherry swiss meringue buttercream using angled spatula.
• Place the cake in the refrigerator for the buttercream to set, before starting with fondant decoration.
• frosting come evenly when done on the turntable rotating cake stand
Fondant decoration.
• Roll red fondant/sugar paste to about 2 to 3 mm thick. If you are starter roll the fondant thicker
• Using plunger blossom cutter cut the flowers and place the flowers on the flower former/spoon/cupcake tins or small cups. Learn from here
• Let the flowers to dry. You can leave them overnight, for the flowers to get shape and form.
• Roll white fondant paste to about 5mm thickness and place them on the cake and set evenly. cut the excess fondant. Learn from here
• Next stick flowers using very little water (use paint brush) on the cakes.
• _I got the shine on the cake using bridal pearl dust.
• Three shades of redness was obtained by mixing red gum paste with white gum paste. Happy Baking_