LOG IN SIGN UP

FOLLOW NIGELLA ON:

Related Book

  • FEAST

    FEAST

    ‘Food can never just be about the bald story of the… Read on

Related Recipes

BIRTHDAY CUSTARD SPONGE

I always used to make an elaborate cake for my children's birthdays but they've since got much more demanding - the car from Grease, James Bond, that sort of thing - so I graciously pay up and allow Jane Asher to make one for me. Still, a very basic and heartlifting birthday cake is necessary in your repertoire: and this is beautiful and delicious and the one, incidentally, I make for adults who are less keen on sugarcraft.

Recipe posted by Nigella

Ingredients

  • Nigella Recipe
  • Vegetarian
  • 200g plain flour
  • 3 tablespoons Bird's custard powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 4 eggs
  • 225g soft butter
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM FILLING

  • 125g icing sugar
  • 4 teaspoons Bird's custard powder
  • 75g soft unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water

FOR THE CHOCOLATE ICING

  • 60ml water
  • 2 tablespoons golden syrup
  • 125g caster sugar (or use 50g if using milk chocolate)
  • 175g dark chocolate
  • 1 pot hundreds and thousands

Method

Serves: Makes up to 12 slices, though
  1. Make sure everything you need is at room temperature before you start. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C, and butter and line two 20cm sandwich tins.
  2. Put all of the above ingredients except the milk, into a food processor. Process to a smooth batter, and then add the milk a tablespoon at a time to make a soft dropping consistency. Divide between the two cake tins and bake for 20 minutes. The cakes will have risen and feel spookily puffy; this is because of the cornflour in the custard powder.
  3. Let the tins sit on a cooling rack for 5 minutes and then turn them out on to the rack, peeling away the paper.
  4. FOR THE BUTTERCREAM ICING - Process the icing sugar and custard powder to get rid of any lumps, and then add the butter, processing again to make the buttercream come together. Feed the boiling water down the funnel with the motor running to make the filling easier to spread. Then sandwich the cooled sponges together with the custardy buttercream.
  5. FOR THE CHOCOLATE ICING - Combine the water, syrup and sugar in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve over a low heat.
  6. Let it come to the boil and then take it off the heat.
  7. Break up the chocolate into small pieces if you are not using chocolate buttons (as I do for cooking, but good quality not confectionary standard), and then add to the pan, swirling it around to cover in the hot liquid. Leave to melt for a few minutes, and then whisk the icing to make it smooth and shiny. Pour over the buttercream filled cake, letting it drip down the sides, and then sprinkle generously with the hundreds and thousands before the icing sets.
  8. Prong with candles, light them and sing.
Equivalents & Conversions
Stockists

Comments

  • Hi Nigella. Baked the cake and it's delicious! Thanks. Is there anything that I can add on to the icing as the icing seems to melt non-stop until I can see the surface of the cake.I made the cake and had it outdoor. The weather here is humid and hot. Like to make it again for my son's birthday this 22 June. Thanks

    Posted by kelatae on 14th Jun 2011 at 7.46

  • I'm 13 and I made this for my fathers 50th birthday! It was really tasty and my whole family loved it. It was quick and easy and I didn't have any trouble making it. Now I have been commissioned to make more cakes!

    Posted by Harriet :) on 5th Aug 2011 at 9.01

  • With the Bird's custard in the centre, it sounds almost like the cake equivalent of a Nanaimo Bar - dangerously decadent! Bookmarking for when I've got a bit more room in my belt...

    Posted by rubymoukli on 15th Dec 2011 at 12.42

Add Comment