Today is my youngest daughter’s 8th birthday and this is the birthday cake I have made for her. This cake is perfect for any celebration but as her favourite toys at the moment are Moshi Monsters, after I took the photo above I removed the raspberries from the middle and added some Moshi Monster characters for her:
The sponge cakes are vanilla flavour with raspberry jam swirled through them before cooking. The 2 layers are sandwiched together with raspberry jam, fresh raspberries and vanilla buttercream. Buttercream is then spread over the top and sides with chocolate finger biscuits attached.
The fresh raspberries on the top are best added at the last minute as the juice can run onto the buttercream and this cake has to be eaten within a couple of days (not a hardship!!) due to the fresh raspberries between the layers.
INGREDIENTS
SPONGE CAKE
- 100g unsalted butter
- 180g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 125g self raising flour
- 125g plain flour
- 125ml semi skimmed milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp seedless raspberry jam
- 100g unsalted butter
- 60ml semi skimmed milk
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 500g icing sugar
TO DECORATE
- 3 x 125g boxes of chocolate fingers
- 2 x punnets of raspberries
- Moshi Monster plastic figures (optional)
TO MAKE THE SPONGES
- Preheat the oven to 170Fan/GM4/180C
- Line the base of 2 sandwich tins
- Cream together the butter and the caster sugar until pale and fluffy
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The mixture may curdle a little but don’t worry
- Put the milk in a jug and add the vanilla extract to it
- Combine the 2 flours together
- Add a third of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar and beat well
- Add a third of the milk mixture and beat again
- Continue until all the milk and flour has been added
- Gently fold in the 3 tbsp of raspberry jam. I find using a chopstick is best for this as you want swirls of jam rather than an overall pink cake mixture
- Spoon into the 2 prepared cake tins
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the cakes are browned and they feel firm to the touch
- Turn out onto wire racks after 5 minutes and allow the sponges to get completely cold before assembling the cake
TO MAKE THE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
- In a mixing bowl beat together the butter, milk, vanilla extract and half of the icing sugar until smooth. To save covering your kitchen in a fine icing sugar dust I place a clean teatowel over the mixer and the bowl until the icing sugar is amalgamated
- Gradually add the remaining icing sugar and beat well until the buttercream is smooth and creamy
TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE
- Spread a layer of raspberry jam onto one of the sponge cakes
- Then add a layer of fresh raspberries on the top
- On the other sponge cake, spread a thin layer of the vanilla buttercream
- Then place this layer on top of the raspberry one
- Now you need to spread the remaining buttercream over the top and the sides of the cake. I find it easiest to do the top first and then the sides as the sides are more crumbly and you don’t want to get crumbs in the icing on top of the cake. Do not worry too much about getting the sides smooth as you are going to cover them with the chocolate finger biscuits:
- Continue like this all the way around the cake
- Now you can decorate the top with the remaining raspberries and any other decoration you wish to use. Chocolate curls in the middle would be good
Looks amazing!! I’ll be trying this soon
😃 Thanks!