Leap Year Rose Quartz Cake
 
 
Author:
Serves: Serves 10-12
Ingredients
For the cake:
  • 225g (8oz) butter, soft
  • 2 cups (400g) caster sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 5 egg whites
  • 3 cups (450g) plain flour
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1½ cups (375ml) milk
For the bark:
  • 200g (7oz) white chocolate
  • food colouring of your choice (pastes, gels or powders work best)
  • sprinkles, pretzels, edible glitter, etc
For the buttercream/filling:
  • 400g (14oz) butter, soft
  • 800g (28oz) icing sugar (powdered sugar)
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 2 tsp lemon zest
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 punnet (125g) fresh raspberries
  • 4 passion fruit, pulp strained through a sieve to get the juice
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease and line 4x18cm (7inch) cake tins (or use two and wash them between uses).
  2. Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest on a highe speed until very pale in colour. Continuing to beat, add the egg whites, a little at a time, until completely incorporated.
  3. Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt, and alternate adding this dry mixture and the milk, to the creamed butter and egg whites, beginning and ending with the flour.
  4. Divide the mixture evenly between the tins, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden and springing back when touched. Remove from the tins and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
  5. To make the bark, line a baking sheet (which fits in your fridge) with baking paper. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl in 30 second bursts in the microwave, and then divide between three bowls. Dye one of the bowls quartz with blue food colour, and another pale rose pink.
  6. Pour all three bowls of chocolate, randomly, onto the baking sheet, and then smooth out into a large rectangle, swirling the colours together. Sprinkle over pretzels, sprinkles, edible glitter, or whatever you like. Place in the fridge to set.
  7. To make the butter cream, beat the butter until light and creamy. Add half the sugar and beat again until creamy and light. Finally, add the remaining sugar, vanilla and zest and beat until pale and thick. Finally, beat in the lemon juice, to achieve a thick, but spreadable consistency. If needed, add more lemon juice or some milk.
  8. Remove ¼ cup of the buttercream and dye pink with food colouring. Place one layer of cake onto a serving plate, and soak with ¼ of the passionfruit juice. Top with enough buttercream to make a 1cm/ ½ inch layer, and spread to the edges. Tear over ¼ of the raspberries and press them in. Repeat with the next two layers, and then finally top with a naked layer of cake. Spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake, to lock in the crumbs, and place in the fridge to set for at least an hour.
  9. Finally, coat the entire cake with the remaining frosting, getting it as smooth as you can. Go over and dab tiny swipes of the pink frosting around the edges and top of the cake. Break the bark into large shards and stab them into the top of the cake. Add a few raspberries and serve.
Recipe by The Sugar Hit at http://www.thesugarhit.com/2016/02/leap-year-rose-quartz-cake.html