Cake for a New Year!

The festive season is the time for good food and good company. In some households, along with the holiday feasting at Christmas and New Year, there are summer birthdays! So baking is in demand, and while the kitchen may be hot, the temperature is perfect for raising doughs and keeping butters soft. While we can fall back on our true and tested recipes, it’s also wonderful to bring new friends to the mixing bowl. And what better companion than Magnus Nilsson and his Nordic Baking Book. I never feel confident baking cakes, so there is always a degree of trepidation, especially when it is a special birthday. Delving into Nilsson’s book, his recipes and writing about baking, are both precise and relaxed. The sense of humour dotted through the writing and the sureness of approach adds confidence to your baking. I turned to the sponge recipes (of which there are several), read through his explainer on types of cake, and took his advice choosing his go-to recipe for layer cakes. The sponge batter was generous, so I made three, rather than two small sponges, without thinking about the consequences. The planned 3-layer cake became 5! So double the macaroon and more syrup to keep the cake moist! I retreated to the true and tested for the macaroon layers (an excellent Lois Daish recipe), and concocted my own orange and cardamom syrup. (A citrus-flavoured cake was requested.) My vanilla custard cream wasn’t perfect, but good enough.

There is something quite delightful about designing a cake and stacking the elements of a layer cake. And when it all comes together, depsite the trepidation pre-making and the fear of the cake slanting sideways or collapsing post-assembly, it is quite a thing to behold, as well as eat!

Orange & Cardamom Layer Cake

Sliced and not collasped!