Princess cake

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a baking tray measuring approx 30 x 40cm with baking parchment. Beat the eggs with the sugar for about 5 mins until light and fluffy, then carefully fold in all the other ingredients by hand. The more carefully you fold, the higher the rise will be.

2. Step 2

   Pour the batter into the baking tray in an even layer and bake for 15-20 mins. Remove the finished sponge cake from the tin and let it cool, then peel off the parchment and cut out 12 circles with a diameter of 10cm.

3. Step 3

   For the custard layer, mix the milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a saucepan. Heat on low until the mixture thickens and the first bubble appears, then remove from the heat. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water, let them swell, then squeeze the water out of them and add to the warm cream. Stir until the gelatine dissolves. Cool the custard, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t form a skin, then spoon into a piping bag with a 0.5cm nozzle.

4. Step 4

   For the jam and cream layers, divide the rounds of sponge cake into four piles of three pieces. Spread one circle in each pile with jam and lay them on a board. If your jam is runny, pipe a ring of custard around the edge to contain the jam. Pipe over a ½cm thick layer of custard, then add another sponge and another layer of custard, followed by the final sponge layer. Whip the whipping cream until pillowy, then create a dome of it on top of each sponge. Put in the fridge to chill and firm up, at least 1 hr.

5. Step 5

   Colour a small piece of marzipan green and colour the rest pink. Cut off a quarter of the green marzipan, roll it out between two sheets of baking parchment to a sheet 1-2mm thick and gently cover the cakes with it. Press the marzipan into the sides of each cake and trim the edges at the base.

6. Step 6

   Make four roses from the pink marzipan and stick them to the top of the cake with a little water. Model leaves and balls, the size of peas, from the leftover green marzipan and add the leaves to the roses. Make a circle of balls around the base of each cake, pressing them in using the end of a chopstick or similar. Keep the cake chilled until you are ready to serve. Will keep chilled for up to three days.