White Cake For Christmas

Ingredients:
For Cake:

• Cake flour : 2 ¼ cup
• Whole milk : 1 cup (at room temp)
• Butter 12 Tbsp (at room temp)
• Egg whites:  6
• Vanilla essence : 2 Tsp
• Granulated sugar : 1¾ cup
• Baking powder : 4 Tsp
• Salt : 1 Tsp

For preparing 1 cup of cake flour, mix ¾ cup of all purpose flour and 2 tbsp of cornflour. Sieve it twice.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. In a bowl whisk together egg whites and vanilla essence. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a separate bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Then, add butter pieces one by one into the dry ingredients and mix it on low speed until it reaches fine crumbs. Then, pour half of the wet ingredients into it and beat it for 1 to 2 mins. When it turns pale and fluffy, add the rest of the wet mixture and beat it for 30 secs. Transfer it to a greased 9 inch cake pan and bake it for 23 to 25 mins. Remove it from the oven and cool it well.

For the Whipped Cream Icing:

• 2 Bluebird whipped cream packets (any brand should do)
• Vanilla essence : 1 Tsp

For preparing the cream, chill the bowl and whipping blade for ½ hr. Then, pour 90 ml of cold water into the cream mix (for 1 packet) and whip it for 5 mins or until it turns thick, at high speed. Again cover and chill it for 15 mins.

Layer the cooled cake and fill it with whipped cream. Then, cover the whole cake with rest of the whipped cream. Chill it well. Then decorate the cake with fondant snowman, holly leaves and tree.

For Fondant Icing :

• Gelatin : 1 Tsp
• Water : 1 Oz
• Liquid glucose : 1 Tbsp
• Glycerine IP : ¼ Tsp
• Icing sugar : 400 g

Combine gelatin, water and liquid glucose in a sauce pan. Melt it well using the double boil method. Add glycerine and icing sugar into the melted mixture and knead it well until it becomes a smooth dough. Cover the prepared icing well with a cling film or keep in an air tight container. Then, add the necessary colour into the fondant and mix well.

[Recipe Courtesy for the Fondant icing: Anitha Issac, Manna - The Cookery School]