White Magic Drip Cake

Method

The Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Grease and line 3 X 20 cm round cake tins.
3. Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat together the oil, butter and castor sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
4. While still beating, add the eggs one at a time.
5. Sift the dry ingredients together.
6. Combine the milk, yoghurt and almond essence.
7. Alternately, add the flour and milk mixtures to the egg mixture. Begin and end with the flour mixture.
8. Mix further by hand until there are no visible lumps.
9. Divide the mixture between the three prepared cake tins.
10. Bake for 25-30 mins or until a cake skewer comes out clean.
11. Turn out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before icing.
12. Should you need to, you can level the cakes by cutting off an even layer from the top of each cake.

The Butter Icing

1. Place the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
2. Beat until smooth.
3. While still beating, slowly add the icing sugar.
4. Add the almond essence and beat on high for 3-5 minutes until the icing is light and fluffy.
5. Add the pinch of violet powder food colouring and mix well. This helps to reduce the yellowness and gives a whiter icing once you add the gel colour.
6. Now add the white gel food colouring a little at a time, making sure to beat it in thoroughly every time. Stop adding colouring once you are happy with the whiteness of your icing.
7. Place the icing in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator.
8. If needed the next day, leave at room temperature overnight and re-whip before use.

The Ganache

1. Heat the cream over medium heat and when it is almost boiling, add the chocolate.
2. Remove from the heat and whisk until smooth and silky.
3. Fold in the white powder food colouring.
4. Pour into the piping bag and seal with a knot or an elastic band.

To Assemble

1. Sandwich the cakes together with the butter icing and then ice the outside of the cake. Ensure that the icing is smooth on the sides and the edges are neat.
2. Refrigerate the cake for 1-2 hours to allow the icing to harden - it should not give way at all to the touch.
3. Once hard, place on a turntable and pipe the ganache. The ganache should have the consistency of syrup or honey. If it has thickened, place it in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time until the correct consistency is obtained.
4. Cut 5 mm off the end of the piping bag. Pipe the ganache along the edge of the cake, spinning the turntable slowly as you go. In order to get a good balance of short and long drips, alter the amount of pressure you apply to the piping bag. Note: It is important to work quickly while the icing is still hard.
5. Fill the top of the cake with the remainder of the ganache and smooth it out.
6. Before decorating, choose the best “front” for the cake.
7. Arrange the decorations on the top and down one side of the cake. Placing them slightly off-centre creates interest and depth. Start with the taller pieces, like the feathers, at the back and then work down in height from there.
8. Less is more so always take a step back after each piece you’ve added to get an idea of what to place next.
9. Finish off by sprinkling some of the pearlescent sprinkles over the top of the cake.