Mother’s day cake recipe

Serves 12

Decoration time 45 minutes

 

1 egg white

75g (3 oz) caster sugar

About 25 red, pink and yellow primroses

18cm (7 inch) round bought or homemade Madeira cake – click here to see

150g (5 oz) lemon curd

20cm (8 inch) round or square cream plate

Double quantity butter cream – click here to see

 

Lightly whisk the egg white in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of water until it is broken up. Put the sugar in a separate bowl. Gently pull one of the flowers away from its calyx. Using a paintbrush or your fingers lightly coat each side of the petals in egg white. Sprinkle with caster sugar until completely coated. Transfer the flower, face down to a sheet of baking parchment or greaseproof paper. If the flower starts to fall flat, losing its shape, support it on a tiny crumpled ball of greaseproof paper. Frost the remaining flowers in the same way and leave them to dry for at least 1 hour or overnight.

 

Cut the cake horizontally into 3 and sandwich the layers together with lemon curd. Place the cake on the plate.

Spread a thin layer of butter cream over the top and sides of the cake to seal in the crumbs. Spread the remaining butter cream over the cake smoothing it out with a palette knife. Arrange the frosted flowers around the top edges of the cake.

 

Tip

Frosted flowers keep well for several weeks if stored in an airtight container. Make sure they’re completely dry first, then arrange them in layers interleaving each with kitchen paper.