Icing with Cream

One of the quickest, easiest and most effective ways to fill and ice a cake is with whipped cream. Pastry chefs frequently use creme Chantilly - its vanilla flavour goes well with plain sponge cake and fresh fruits to make a truly fabulous dessert. Here a whisked sponge cake is used, cut into three layers and imbibed with sugar syrup and kirsch. For a 25-cm cake, you will need about 500 ml cream and 200 g fruit.

1. Cut and imbibe the cake; place on a cake card. Spread the layers with crème Chantilly and top with thinly sliced fresh fruits, arranging them in even layers.

   

2. Smooth any excess filling around the sides of the cake with a palette knife, then spread an even layer of crème Chantilly over the top of the cake, making the surface as smooth as possible

   

3. Using a “paddling” motion with the tip of the palette knife, spread more cream on the sides, rotating the cake with the help of a turntable if available.

   

4. Use a flat scraper to smooth off the sides. Keep it at a 45° angle as you rotate the cake. Repeat with a toothed scraper to make a decorative ridged edge.

   

5. Transfer cake to a smaller card. Place the cake on an icing turntable over a sheet of paper; gently press chopped toasted nuts around the base.

   

6. Score the top of the cake into twelve equal sections with the tip of a sharp knife, then pipe a rosette of cream on each section using a large star nozzle.

   

7. Decorate the top of the cake as shown, with strawberry halves dipped in red jam glaze and nuts. Alternatively, experiment with fruits, nuts, and flavourings of your choice.