Made using the Lakeland Anti-Gravity Pouring Cake Kit
INGREDIENTS
Sponge Cake
200g soft butter
200g white sugar
200g plain flour (sifted)
1 teaspoon baking powder
Vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
Sugar Syrup
150ml water
Churros, Coconut, Chocolate & Ricotta Cake
140g caster sugar
Vanilla essence
Churros
500ml water
125g butter
by Kitchen Star VINCENZO PROSPERI
METHOD
Photograph by Vincenzo Prosperi
Sponge Cake
1.
Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
2.
Mix 200g soft butter, sugar and sifted plain flour.
3.
Add a pinch of salt, drop of vanilla essence and a teaspoon of baking powder to your
mixture and mix through really well.
4.
Grease a 7-inch round cake tin and pour your mixture inside. Bake the cake in the oven
for 50 minutes - 1 hour.
150g desiccated coconut
5.
Once the cake is ready, leave it to the side to cool, then remove it from the cake tin.
Cocoa
Ricotta Balls
320g plain flour
Pinch of salt
Ricotta Balls
300g fresh ricotta
150g white sugar
1.
Place the ricotta in a mixing bowl and squash it down using a fork.
2.
Add 150g of desiccated coconut and mix through.
3.
Put half of your mixture into another bowl and leave it to the side.
4.
Get a small amount of the mixture and roll it into a ball using your hands.
Cinnamon
5.
Prepare a bowl with 100g of desiccated coconut and place the balls in there one at a
time, rolling them around and covering them well.
Chocolate Icing
6.
To create the chocolate balls, you will need to divide the cocoa in two. Add half to your
remaining ricotta mix (which you put to the side earlier) and the other half to your
bowl of freshly topped up desiccated coconut.
7.
Repeat the steps above, making small balls and then rolling them in the coconut, until
there is no mixture left.
8.
Try and keep them the same size and as round as possible, making sure not to press
down on them when you are covering them and transferring them to a serving tray.
9.
Leave to harden in the fridge for at least 3 - 4 hours before serving.
Filling
300g fresh ricotta
150g sugar
Lemon zest
400g dark chocolate
500g melted butter
Churros
1.
Pour 500ml of water into a small pot on medium heat and place 125g butter inside until it melts, stirring regularly.
2.
Remove from the stove and let cool, then add a pinch of salt and 320g plain flour (sifted). Combine the mixture really
well until it forms a soft dough.
3.
Pour the mixture into a piping bag and seal with an open star nozzle.
4.
Using a deep fryer or a medium size saucepan, heat vegetable oil to a temperature of 190 degrees Celsius (maximum).
5.
Squeeze out a portion of the churros mix into the oil and gently turn until it begins to brown and is cooked well.
6.
Scoop the churros out of the oil and leave to drain on paper towels. Once slightly cooled, move them into a tray or flat
plate and cover them with cinnamon and icing sugar.
Filling
1.
Add 300g ricotta and 150g sugar to a mixing bowl. Mix together well until it becomes a creamy consistency. If the ricotta
crumbles or remains hard, add a touch of milk and mix through. This should help to soften it.
2.
Add the zest of half a lemon and a few sprinkles of cinnamon then mix through.
Chocolate Icing
1.
Add 400g dark chocolate with 500g melted butter and mix well until smooth and creamy.
Sugar Syrup
1.
Bring 150ml water and 140g caster sugar to the boil.
2.
Add a drop of vanilla essence and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Leave to cool.
To Assemble Cake
1.
Cover the base of your Lakeland Anti-Gravity Pouring Cake Kit with fondant.
2.
Then use a long cake knife to slice the cake in half, cutting horizontally, right through the centre.
3.
Wet the centre of the cake with sugar syrup, using a pastry brush, then place the base on top of the anti-gravity base,
right through the plastic stick which is attached.
4.
Spread a layer of your ricotta mix on top of the cake base, trying to make it as even as possible. Then, add the next layer
of the cake on top.
5.
Cover the cake generously with the chocolate icing, then place the churros around the outside of the cake. Make sure
they cover the whole cake and leave to set.
6.
Cover the anti-gravity plastic pole with chocolate icing and place the ricotta balls on top – the icing will help them to
stick. These should cover the pole and create a mini tower. You can then decorate the top of the cake with more ricotta
balls, creating a unique effect as though they are spilling out.
7.
Once the cake has set, add a sprinkle of crushed nuts on top, tie a string around the churros and place a small cardboard
box on top of the tower of ricotta balls.