blind date with a cake

'Blind dates can be awkward, humiliating, and terrifying.' Not this one.

We can stop whining about not meeting the significant other and start dating cakes.

First step: find a recipe. Always search for more information, look online for ‘profile’. Make a backup plan if something goes wrong. Dress appropriately, so that you are comfortable while on a ‘date’. It is important to keep an open mind and change a recipe if needed. Don’t eat entire thing.

Hocus pocus No.1 – evening hours, kitchen

for the base:

4 eggs (separately beaten)

50g icing sugar

50g caster sugar

20g plain flour

30g cocoa powder

tsp vanilla paste

Baileys liqueur for sprinkling (about 100ml)

Preheat the oven to 180^oC. Beat the egg yolks with icing sugar until pale and double in size and add vanilla paste. Separately whisk the egg whites with caster sugar until firm. Combine everything carefully to keep the air. Sift in flour and cocoa powder and combine carefully again. Fold into a lined tin and bake for about 20 minutes (or until the cake tester comes out clean). Leave the cake to cool completely and when cooled halve horizontally.

For the filling:

400ml whipping cream (already sweetened)

100ml Baileys liqueur

2 tbsp icing sugar

tsp vanilla paste

10g powdered gelatine

Place the water (4 tbsp of cold water) in a small bowl and sprinkle over the gelatine. Set aside for about 5 minutes or until the gelatine has been absorbed. Place the liqueur in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it’s hot (but not boiling) take it from the heat, stir in the gelatine until dissolved.

Whip the cream with icing sugar until soft peaks. Add vanilla paste and Baileys mixture to it, and whisk to combine.

Put one layer of the cake on a plate and sprinkle over the liqueur. Spread the filling over it and sit the second layer on top, press with hands a bit and sprinkle over liqueur. Let cool in the refrigerator at least for 3 hours.

For the topping number 1:

100g white chocolate

3 tbsp whipping cream

Place the white chocolate and cream in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir occasionally until smooth. Spread over a cooled cake and leave it in the fridge until thickened.

For the topping number 2:

100ml whipping cream (already sweetened)

Whip the cream till it’s thickened and spread over the cake.

I won’t tell you anything more about the cake, the texture, the taste.. a blind date secrecy.