Celebrate New Year's Eve with a slice of this gorgeous vanilla and black currant layer cake. Ready-made rolled fondant makes a polished finish so easy to create.
- Portion size 16 servings
- Credits : Canadian Living Magazine: January 2014
Ingredients
Cake:
Vanilla icing:
Method
Cake: Grease two 9-inch (1.5 L) round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside. In bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy; beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in vanilla. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; stir into butter mixture alternately with milk, making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of milk. Scrape into prepared pans.Bake in 350 F (180 C) oven until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks; peel off paper. Let cool completely.
Make-ahead: Wrap in plastic wrap and store for up to 24 hours.
Vanilla Icing: In bowl, beat butter until light; beat in icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Beat in milk and vanilla.
Cut each cake in half horizontally to make 4 layers. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on cake plate; slide strips of waxed paper between cake and plate. Spread 1/2 cup of the jam over cut side. Spread 1/2 cup of the icing over cut side of second layer; invert, icing side down, onto first layer. Spread 1/2 cup cup of the jam over top of stack.
Spread uncut side of third layer with 1/2 cup of the icing; invert, icing side down, onto stack. Spread remaining jam over top of stack. Spread 1/2 cup of the icing over cut side of remaining layer; invert onto stack. Using palette knife, spread thin layer of icing all over cake to seal in crumbs. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
Using palette knife, spread remaining icing evenly over top and side of cake, filling in any gaps between layers and smoothing surface; remove paper strips. Refrigerate until firm. (Make-ahead: Cover loosely and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)
Lightly dust work surface with icing sugar; roll out white fondant into 17-inch (42 cm) circle. Roll fondant gently onto rolling pin; drape over cake, leaving overhang on all sides.
With icing sugar–dusted hands, gently stretch and smooth fondant down over side of cake. Using fondant iron and circular motion, smooth all surfaces to adhere fondant to icing underneath. Using rolling cutter, trim excess fondant at base of cake, reserving scraps.
Cut 1 small and 1 large clock hand from white fondant scraps; set aside.
From cardboard, cut out 9-inch (23 cm) circle, 8 1/2-inch (21 cm) circle and 4 1/2-inch (11 cm) circle for templates. Lightly dust work surface with icing sugar; roll out black fondant to 1/8-inch (3 mm) thickness; place 9-inch (23 cm) template over fondant. Using sharp paring knife, cut around template; set aside scraps. Centre 8-1//2-inch (21 cm) template on fondant circle; using sharp paring knife, cut around template to form 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick ring. Brush bottom of ring lightly with water; centre, wet side down, on top of cake.
Centre 4-1/2-inch (11 cm) template on remaining fondant circle; using sharp paring knife, cut out circle. Brush bottom of circle with water; centre, wet side down, on top of cake.
From black fondant scraps, cut out Roman numerals; using small end of plain piping tip, punch out 8 dots. Brush numbers and dots with water; arrange, wet side down, on top of cake to make clock face.
Press together black fondant scraps; roll out into 15-inch (38 cm) long rectangle; cut two 15- x 1/2-inch (38 x 1 cm) wide strips. Brush bottoms with water; press, water side down, around base of cake, trimming to fit. If necessary, using slightly damp cloth or pastry brush, wipe black fondant on top and side of cake to remove any excess icing sugar.
Tips from The Test Kitchen: Fondant comes out of the package a little on the stiff side—not great for rolling out into a smooth sheet. So before you start rolling, knead the fondant on the work surface for a minute or two until soft, pliable and easy to work with. Also, fondant requires a couple of tools for a smooth finish. A rolling cutter looks—and works—just like a pizza cutter. It's great for cutting off excess fondant at the base of a cake. A fondant iron is a flat piece of plastic with a handle, shaped like an iron, that helps press fondant down onto the surface of a cake for a perfectly smooth finish. Look for both in the cake-decorating aisle of kitchenware, craft or bulk stores.
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Nutritional facts per serving: about
- Fibre 1 g
- Sodium 314 mg
- Sugars 102 g
- Protein 6 g
- Calories 776.0
- Total fat 30 g
- Cholesterol 117 mg
- Saturated fat 18 g
- Total carbohydrate 124 g
%RDI
- Iron 11.0
- Folate 21.0
- Calcium 7.0
- Vitamin A 27.0
- Vitamin C 3.0
