Raspberry, Pistachio and White Chocolate Cake
Sweet, salty, tangy and super light. This raspberry, pistachio and white chocolate cake is the perfect showstopper dessert!
Ingredients
Sponge
- 225 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 225 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 175 g plain flour
- 75 g ground pistachios
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 75 ml milk whole or semi-skimmed
- green food colouring optional
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 150 ml egg whites approx. 3 large eggs
- 250 g caster sugar
- 450 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 150 g white chocolate
- green food colouring optional
Filling
- 1 punnet of raspberries
Instructions
- For the sponge: Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas Mark 4. Then grease and line two 8x10in cake tins and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand whisk cream together the butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes until very light and fluffy.
- Whisk in the vanilla and eggs until just combined. Then whisk in the flour, ground pistachios and baking powder until just combined. Finally, add the milk (and a small blob of green food colouring if desired) and whisk again until just combined.
- Divide the batter between the two prepared cake tins, and bake for 25 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave for 10 minutes in the tin and then remove and place onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For the buttercream: Place the egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer and cook over a bain-marie. Whisk intermittently until the mixture reaches 70C on a food thermometer. Then take off the heat and fit to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk on a high speed for around 10 minutes until you have a glossy and thick meringue, that has cooled to room temperature.
- Then swap out the whisk attachment for the paddle attachment, and with the mixer running on a medium speed, add the butter one tablespoon at a time. Making sure each addition is fully incorporated before adding the next. Once all the butter has been encoporated, mix on a high speed for a few minutes more.
- Finally, melt the white chocolate and mix into the buttercream along with the vanilla.
- To assemble: Place all but 130g of the buttercream into a piping bag and cut off the end to create a medium sized hole. Colour 70g of the remaining buttercream with a little green food colouring, then place into a piping bag and cut off the end to create a small hole. Finally, place the remaining 30g buttercream into a piping bag and cut off the end to create a small hole. Then halve your raspberries in half and set everything aside.
- Trim the edges of your sponges so they are all the same size, then cut each sponge in half widthways (so you end up with four sponges approx. 4x5in). Then place one sponge onto a cake board or serving platter and pipe a little buttercream on top, smoothing with a palette knife or spoon. Then place 1/3 of the halved raspberries on top, pipe a few blobs of buttercream on top of this to help stick. Then place your next sponge layer on top and press down gently. Repeat this process for the next two sponge layers, until you are left with the final sponge layer to place on top. Spread a thin layer of the buttercream over the top and sides of the cake, using a palette knife or cake scraper to get this even. Then place in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.
- Once the crumb coat is chilled, remove from the fridge and spread the remaining buttercream over the top and sides of the cake. Again, using a palette knife or cake scraper to keep this even. Finally, using the green buttercream pipe small oval shapes to create 'easter eggs' all over the cake. Finish with the white buttercream to create zigzag lines on the easter eggs.
Notes
Best served on day of baking.
Can be kept in an air-tight container for 2-3 days.