Chelsea Flower Show - Floral Printed, Sugar Paste Dahlia, Orange Cake

May 29, 2016

Chelsea Flower Show - Floral Printed, Sugar Paste Dahlia, Orange Cake

In honor of the RHS Chelsea Flower show this week, I desired to create a blooming beautiful orange cake decorated with sugar paste Dahlia's. Although the sugar paste flowers are a little fiddly they sure make for a elegant looking cake; perfect for summer garden parties.

On to the recipe:
Orange Cake
Ingredients -
225g margarine/butter
225g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g caster sugar
100g brown sugar
4 eggs
The zest of 2 oranges
1tsp vanilla extract

Buttercream icing -
500g icing sugar
150 g butter
50ml orange juice
zest of 1 orange
Fondant paste

1. Preheat the oven to 180C / Gas Mark 4
2. Line 2 victoria sponge tins with butter and parchment paper
3. Cream together the caster sugar, brown sugar and margarine
4. Whisk the 4 eggs lightly with vanilla extract
5. Gradually add the eggs to the margarine sugar mixture - don't worry if it looks curdled it will be corrected when you add the flour
6. Add the flour and orange zest to the mixture until combined and smooth
7. Fold in the baking powder
8. Divide the cake mixture in half and place in tins smoothed on top
9. Bake for around 25 - 30 minutes.
10. Allow to cool down and then make the icing
11. Whisk together the icing sugar, butter, juice and zest until it makes a smooth paste
12. Smooth over the cake in between the layers and all over the side using a spatula so the cake is 'crumb coated'
13. Roll out the white fondant using cornflour so it does not stick to the surface, once thin place over the cake and smooth over the buttercream.
14. To make the Dahlia I read instructions through an absolutely amazing book called 'Cakes in Bloom' by Peggy Porschen; I'd highly recommend the book if you'd like the opportunity to make some amazing flowers
15. If you'd like to decorate the fondant with the intricate pink flower design, simply combine icing sugar, a little water and red food colouring and place into a piping bag with a small nozzle and make up a freehand flower design.