The Barefoot Contessa inspired me with this recipe. She made 3 cakes, each one smaller than the other and then tiered them up to make a pink tower. I thought this looked amazing.
She had the little girls at the party she was holding decorate it themselves with pink and mauve candy it looked amazing.
One of our staff had a 21st so this was a good opportunity to try this out for a big girl.
I only had 2/23 cms tins so I had to make some changes. 2 cakes instead.
These quantities are enough for this.
I also added the raspberries to make an adult cake.
To make the cakes you will need
280 gms softened butter
3 cups castor sugar
6 eggs room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1 ½ tbs vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon
3 cups plain flour
1/3 cup cornflour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp plain salt
Grease and flour 2 x 23 cm tin,
Heat oven to 185◦ C
Cream butter and sugar till fluffy and add eggs one at a time till all mixed in really well.
Add sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest.
Sift the flour, baking soda, cornflour and salt and when all the wet ingredients are fully combined slowly add the dry ingredients a bit at a time, at this stage do not over mix.
Pour into the 2 tins.
Check after 40 minutes with a skewer if it comes out sticky back in for another 5 minutes.
Take out cool about 5 minutes in the tin, then turn out and cool completely on a rack.
Meanwhile make the icing.
It seems an enormous amount and there will be left overs but these are the proportions you need.
340 gms unsalted butter room temperature
750 gms icing sugar
½ cup milk
1 tbs vanilla extract
Hot pink food colour…about 10-14 drops
Cream the butter and sugar add the milk and the food colouring till desired hot pink is reached.
1 pkt frozen raspberries, reserve a handful for the deoration and puree the rest.
Several mint leaves
Slice each cake horizontally and place bottom of one cake on a flat round plate, sitting on top of a bowl for easy icing. You can turn it around while you are doing the sides.
If you have a turntable all the better.
Cover 1st layer with thinly spread raspberry puree, and then icing...continue to layer and rapsberry and ice the other 3 pieces, till you have got your tower.
Then ice the outside of the cake as per the picture and decorate with the reserved raspberries and mint leaves.
Isn't it gorgeous?