Gluten Free Chocolate Orange Ballerina Cake
User Reviews
5
Gluten Free Chocolate Orange Ballerina Cake
Description
This cake uses a combination of gluten-free flours, including hazelnut flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda. The batter is blended with buttermilk, coffee, milk, melted butter, and fresh orange zest mixed with caster sugar to enhance citrus aroma. The thick batter is baked in large 28 cm cake pans at a moderate temperature until a skewer inserted comes out clean, ensuring a tender crumb.
The icing is a classic buttercream with butter whipped light and fluffy, combined with sifted icing sugar, orange zest, and vanilla. This layer can be enriched with cocoa powder for a mocha version. The cake layers are assembled and coated with buttercream, then covered with fondant for decoration. The cake benefits from starting preparation days in advance to allow layers to cool and firm before decorating.
Ingredients
- 550 gm caster sugar
- 3 whole orange zest zest only
- 350 gm gluten free flour I used 250 hazelnut flour and 100 gluten free flour
- 135 gm cocoa powder dark
- 2 teaspoons baking powder gluten free
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 200 ml buttermilk
- 200 ml coffee cooled
- 200 ml milk
- 125 gm butter melted
Buttercream
- 200 gm butter unsalted
- 400 gm icing sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2.5 kg sugar paste fondant or roll out icing
Instructions
- I used a 28 cm cake tin (12 inch) and baked this recipe 3 times. I start this about 2-3 days ahead. Line and spray the tins very well.
- Combine the zest and sugar in the bowl of a mixer and mix for 1 minute to extract the flavour. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix.
- Melt the butter and set aside
- Mix the eggs, liquids and eggs together. Add the wet ingredients and butter to the dry ingredients and beat several minutes till smooth. Bake each layer at 170 deg ( 340 F) for approx 40-50 minutes. Insert a skewer into the centre of the cake. It should come out clean. Cool completely
Buttercream
- Beat the softened butter with the very finely zested orange and vanilla till
- very light. Add the sifted sugar and beat till very light and fluffy. You can add cocoa to this buttercream if desired. Add 1/2 a cup at a time.
Decorate
- Layer the 3 cake layers with 1/2 of the buttercream. Setting the rest aside for coating the cake.
- Put the cake into the fridge to set 1/2 an hour or more. Once cooled put the cake onto the base it will be served on. Spread the remaining buttercream onto the cake smoothing out the top and sides as much as you can. The edges should be crisp and smooth.
- Set aside at least 700gm of icing for the shoes. Dust the bench with powdered sugar and knead the sugar paste till smooth. Roll out the sugar paste as you would pastry making sure that the bench is dusted with enough icing sugar to stop it sticking.
- Measure the sides of the cake. the paste needs to reach over the sides and across the 28 cm (12 in) top. Roll the paste onto the cake using the rolling pin and smooth down eliminating all the air. It will stick to the buttercream. This can be put into an airtight container and put into the fridge.
- To make the shoes. Shape two pieces of sugar paste into logs and then gradually into ballet shoes.
- I decorated the shoes with satin look ribbon and sugar balls. Make an edible sugar paste glue by using a Tablespoon of egg white and enough sifted icing sugar to make a stiff paste. Leave the shoes out of the fridge to dry
- The Tuille skirt ( 1 metre) is gathered together and tacked with blue cotton before sitting the cake on top.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
You'll Also Love
Tofu and Charred Broccoli Bowls with Kimchi–Miso Dressing
