Another article dug out from the back of the cupboard. Yes, I still haven’t found the time to write up the latest recipes (yes yes, because the good news is that I’ve got my taste for baking back, so lots of new recipes to look forward to). But in the meantime, I’m playing the Peppa Pig joker! A cake made for my niece’s birthday… last year! It has to be said that my niece celebrated her birthday several times (family, in-laws, friends), she ate a lot of Peppa Pig (and Frozen too!). So, this very simple little cake was made before the big afternoon snack at the farm (Peppa Pig, the farm… and all that…). To make things a little easier for me (and also/especially because my niece isn’t a huge foodie), I simply used a wafer-paper disc. Handy thing, the pigs are printed; all that’s left is to place the disc on the cake and decorate it!
I made a chocolate génoise sponge and a vanilla frosting (thanks to Lilie Bakery for the recipe and the tips. Aurélie is the queen of layer cakes :D). The cake is surprising, as soft as it is moist, and the vanilla cream is delicious. The whole thing is great and went down very well (with the grown-ups, that is, because in the end my niece didn’t eat any haha)!
Ingredients & method
6 components · Full recipe
Sugar paste decorations (make the day before)
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Make the Peppa Pig family characters from fondant (pre-coloured or tinted with gel colouring), following the shapes of the characters. Leave to dry overnight at room temperature.
Vanilla cake
Ingredients
- 225 g (7.9 oz) butter
- 495 g (17.5 oz) sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 vanilla pods
- 6 g (0.2 oz) salt
- 330 g (11.6 oz) heavy cream
- 420 g (14.8 oz) flour
- 9 g (0.3 oz) baking powder
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 160°C.
2
In a food processor, beat the softened butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy. Split and scrape the vanilla pods and add the seeds.
3
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add the salt and heavy cream, then mix until combined.
4
Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold in gently.
5
Butter and flour a 24 cm (9.4 in) diameter tin (or divide between 3 tins of the same size). Pour in the batter and bake for 1 hour, checking regularly with a skewer.
6
Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before unmoulding.
Soaking syrup
Ingredients
- 25 g (0.9 oz) sugar
- 60 ml (2 fl oz) water
- 1 tablespoon rum
- 2 vanilla pods (already used above)
Method
1
Place the sugar, water and the vanilla pods used above in a small saucepan.
2
Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for at least 15 minutes.
3
Add the rum and leave to cool completely.
Chocolate ganache
Ingredients
- 400 g (14.1 oz) dark chocolate
- 480 g (16.9 oz) heavy cream
- 80 g (2.8 oz) butter
- 1 pinch of fleur de sel
Method
1
Chop the chocolate and place in a bowl.
2
Bring the heavy cream to the boil, then pour over the chocolate in thirds, mixing well between each addition to create a smooth, shiny ganache.
3
Add the butter, cut into small pieces, and the fleur de sel. Mix until smooth.
4
Leave to cool at room temperature, then refrigerate until the ganache has a spreadable consistency.
5
Once at the right consistency, whip the ganache with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Assembly
Ingredients
- KitKat bars
- fondant (various colours)
- 1 ribbon
- 1 skewer
Method
1
The edges of the cake are often a little more baked, so I like to trim it with a ring slightly smaller than the tin (22 cm (8.7 in) diameter for a 24 cm (9.4 in) tin). Cut the cake into 3 even layers using a serrated knife.
2
Place the first layer on a cake board or plate. Brush generously with soaking syrup, then spread a layer of whipped ganache.
3
Place the second layer on top, brush with syrup and spread with ganache.
4
Place the third layer on top and cover the whole cake (top and sides) with the remaining ganache. Smooth with a palette knife or scraper.
5
Arrange the KitKat bars around the sides of the cake, pressing gently so they adhere. Tie a ribbon around the outside to hold them in place.
Decoration
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Spoon the remaining ganache into a piping bag and pipe swirls on top of the cake. Arrange the fondant Peppa Pig characters on top, using skewers to hold them upright if needed. Refrigerate until serving.
Gallery
