Biscuit Layer Cake

FOR AN EXTRA DELICATE FINISH, DUST
WITH FREEZE-DRIED RASPBERRY POWDER.

MAKES 6

biscuit layer cake

Ingredients

Sweet Pastry:

  • 25g / 60ml cocoa powder
  • 225g / 375ml Supreme cake flour
  • 125g / 125ml salted butter (chilled and cubed)
  • 80g / 155ml Selati icing sugar
  • 3 large egg yolks (refrigerated)
  • Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
  • 150g egg whites (± 4 eggs)
  • 225g Selati castor sugar
  • 500g unsalted butter (cut into blocks, softened)
  • 1 juicy vanilla pod (seeds scraped but not discarded)
  • juice of 1/2 lemon

To Decorate:

  • 100g fresh raspberries
  • Freeze-dried raspberry powder

Cooking Instructions

Pastry:

  1. Place the cocoa powder, cake flour, butter and icing sugar in a food processor and process until the mixture forms a breadcrumb consistency.
  2. With the motor running, add the egg yolks and just enough water so the pastry comes together and forms a soft dough.
  3. Form into a flattened ball, wrap in cling flim and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Pre-heat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan. Grease 2 large baking sheets and set aside.
  5. On a lightly floured surface, working with 1 disc of pastry at a time, roll the pastry out onto a large sheet of baking paper 5mm thick, then cut each into a medium-sized circle (12 x 12cm).
  6. Cut out the centre of each circle so you’re left with a 2cm border.
  7. Bake the pastry discs in the pre-heated oven for 10-12 minutes.
  8. Allow to cool completely.

Buttercream:

  1. Place the egg whites and sugar in a bowl that fits over 1 of your saucepans.
  2. Fill the bottom of the saucepan with water and bring it to a gentle simmer.
  3. Place the bowl with the egg and sugar over the hot water and stir gently with a whisk (don’t whisk to aerate the mixture).
  4. Keep stirring until the mixture reaches 60°C on a thermometer or until the egg is hot to the touch.
  5. Transfer the hot mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and using the whisk attachment, whip the mixture on high until light and fluffy.
  6. Continue whipping for a good 10 minutes or until the meringue is cool to the touch.
  7. Slowly add the butter 1 block at a time.
  8. Scrape in the vanilla seeds and squeeze in the lemon juice, to taste.
  9. Place the buttercream in a piping bag with a straight nozzle.

 

To assemble the tart:

  1. Pipe blobs of buttercream on the 1st pastry disc to cover the surface area, then top with the 2nd pastry heart.
  2. Repeat with the remaining pastry layer so you have 3 in total.
  3. Decorate the top with more buttercream then arrange fresh raspberries in-between. Dust with crumbled freeze-dried raspberries.