Midsummer Dream Wedding Cake

A spectacular three-tiered wedding cake featuring ginger, sunshine, and lemon sponge layers with Italian and French buttercreams and marzipan decorations.

Estimated Nutrition

Per Serving Total
Calories 1084.7 kcals 32540 kcals
Carbohydrates 128 grams 3840.8 grams
Fat 62 grams 1860.2 grams
Protein 10.5 grams 315.5 grams
Cook Time
120 mins
Produces
30 people
Allergies
Vegetarian
Vegan
Dairy Free
Gluten Free

Ingredients

BakingIngredients
345
g
180
g
260
g
1
stick
Icing Sugar
for sifting
100
g
150
g
50
g
Icing Sugar
sifted, plus extra for dusting
50
g
Dairy
345
g
Butter
slightly-salted
3
piece
Eggs
free-range, 65g each
750
ml
2
piece
Eggs
free-range, 65g each
325
g
Butter
slightly-salted
5
piece
Eggs
free-range, 65g each
5
piece
Eggs
large, free-range, whites only
500
g
Butter
softened, cubed
5
piece
Eggs
large, free-range, yolks only
500
g
Butter
softened, cubed
1
piece
Egg
free-range, separated
0.5
tbsp
Egg White
pasteurised
0.5
tbsp
Egg White
pasteurised
Fruits
2
piece
Oranges
zest only
100
g
Apricots
soft, chopped
5
piece
Lemons
zest only
1
piece
Pineapple
preferably unripe, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds
1
piece
Mango
preferably unripe, thinly sliced
100
ml
5
piece
Lemons
zest only
5
piece
Lemons
zest and 150ml juice
1
piece
Orange
zest only
20
g
Raspberries
freeze-dried, ground
600
g
1
handful
Cherries
fresh
1
handful
Apricots
fresh
5
g
Mango
freeze-dried
5
g
Raspberries
freeze-dried
Liquids
2
tbsp
Water
hot
3
tbsp
3
tbsp
NutsSeeds
1
tbsp
50
g
Pistachios
chopped
65
g
Almonds
ground
250
g
Almonds
ground, sifted
50
g
Pistachios
ground, sifted
30
g
Pistachios
ground, sifted
50
g
Almonds
toasted, flaked
10
g
Pistachios
roughly ground
1
piece
Pistachios
sliced very thinly
OilsFats
Other
1
tbsp
Honey
orange blossom
1
sheet
Vegetables
400
g
Rhubarb
chopped into 3mm slithers
200
g
Carrots
peeled and grated
1
piece
Sweet Potato
thinly sliced
2
piece
Beetroots
thinly sliced
250
g
Rhubarb
thinly sliced
30
g
Stem Ginger
crystallised

Steps

  • Preheat the oven to 190°C.
  • Grease and line two 28cm cake tins for the ginger cakes.
  • Melt butter, sugar, syrup, and treacle in a large pan and cool slightly.
  • Sift dry ingredients into a bowl and beat eggs with milk in another.
  • Combine the sugar mixture with dry ingredients, then mix in the egg mixture.
  • Pour into tins, scatter rhubarb on top, and bake for 40 minutes at 190°C.
  • Grease and line a 13cm tin for the sunshine cake.
  • Whisk sugar, oil, and eggs, then fold in dry ingredients and remainders.
  • Bake the sunshine cake for 25-30 minutes until golden.
  • Grease and line three 18cm tins for the lemon cakes.
  • Cream butter and sugar, gradually add eggs, then fold in flour and almonds.
  • Stir in hot water and bake batter for 15-20 minutes.
  • Reduce oven to 100°C and cook for 15 more minutes.
  • Dry pineapple slices directly on the oven shelf at 100°C.
  • Cut shapes from vegetables and mango, coat in icing sugar, and dry in the oven.
  • Mould dried pineapple into flower shapes using mini muffin tins.
  • Whisk egg whites with 50g sugar for Italian buttercream.
  • Heat remaining sugar and lemon juice to 121°C without stirring.
  • Stream the hot syrup into the whites while whisking until cool.
  • Whisk in butter pieces, limoncello, extract, and zest until smooth.
  • Whisk egg yolks and lemon zest for French buttercream until doubled.
  • Boil 300g sugar and lemon juice to 121°C and stream into yolks.
  • Whisk until cool, then beat in butter, limoncello, and extract.
  • Fold icing sugar into cream cheese and chill.
  • Mix orange marzipan ingredients into a paste and shape into 10 bees.
  • Mix pistachio marzipan, chill, roll thin, and cut out leaves.
  • Shape pistachio and raspberry marzipan into berries and chill.
  • Decorate bees with chocolate stripes, almond wings, and gold leaf for the top pair.
  • Sandwich cakes with cream cheese filling and stud lemon layers with raspberries.
  • Crumb coat with French buttercream and finish with Italian buttercream.
  • Assemble tiers using dowels and decorate with flowers, confetti, fruits, and marzipan bees.