sugar to a large bowl and beat with a handheld electric whisk until pale and fluffy (or use a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk attachment).Add a little milk to make the consistency easier to spread.Transfer 150g of buttercream to a separate bowl and whisk in the Biscoff spread.The Biscoff can stiffen the buttercream, so you can add an additional two teaspoons of milk to make it easier to spread.Then add the vanilla to the remaining (larger amount of) buttercream, plus a little milk again to help with the consistency. 6. Once the cakes are completely cool, level the tops with a serrated knife.To assemble, place the first cake layer on a flat serving board, spread the Biscoff buttercream on top (making it thicker at the sides than the centre), drizzle the caramel in the centre and place the second cake layer on top. Spread the vanilla buttercream in a thin layer over the top and sides to ‘crumb coat’.As this is the first coat, it doesn’t need to be extremely neat, and you will see crumbs coming through. 7. Chill the cake in the fridge for at least one hour, or in the freezer for 10 minutes until the buttercream is chilled and firm.Then cover the whole cake in another layer of vanilla buttercream to cover most of the crumbs. Use a
palette knife (heating it under hot water for a smoother finish) to smooth the buttercream around the sides, then smooth the buttercream on the top, smoothing it in from the edges and towards the centre. (Make sure there is a little vanilla buttercream left for the decorations). Scatter sprinkles all along the bottom of the cake, then chill in the fridge for at least one hour again, or in the freezer for 10 minutes until the buttercream is firm. 8. Meanwhile, divide the remaining vanilla buttercream between different bowls and add food dye to colour as desired.You will need one colour for the piped swirls and your colours for the cat design (black for the face features, and one colour to contrast). 9.When the cake is chilled, use a cocktail stick to mark out your cat outline. Use a palette knife to spread buttercream within the outlines for the cat face. Chill the cake again in the fridge or freezer, then pipe the facial details on top. Place the black buttercream in a piping bag and cut a small tip then pipe the facial features to finish.You can customise this however you like; pipe extras, like a decorative border or a party hat, and sprinkles work a treat! Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or three days at room temperature.
Photo: PA Photo/Ellis Parrinder
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