White Chocolate and Lavender Cake with Blueberry Compote

Method

1. Prepare three round 8 inch cake tins with parchment paper circles in the bottom then grease and flour the sides. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. In a separate bowl side together the flour, Royal Baking Powder and salt in a medium sized bowl, add the dried lavender and set aside.
3. Add the butter, sugar, oil and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined. Slowly add the Parmalat milk and mix until well combined.
6. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter once the flour has been added.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the cakes pans and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
8. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
9. Once the cake has cooled soak the sponges with warm *Lavender Simple Simple.

Lavender Simple Syrup

1 + 1/2 cup water
1 + 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp dried lavender

Method

1. Cook the sugar, water and lavender in saucepan until sugar has completely dissolved.

2. Allow lavender to steep for further 5 – 10 minutes and then strain the syrup and *brush over cake sponges.

Blueberry Compote

2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
1 tsp cornflour + 1 tbsp water

Method:

1. Add the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and water to a pot, stir and bring to the boil. Allow it to boil for about 5 minutes, stirring often to stop it from scorching.
2. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer and thicken for 10 minutes. It will thicken further as it cools. If necessary, stir 1 teaspoon cornstarch into 1tsp water, add it to the blueberry compote and cook for a further minute.
3. Set aside to cool to later be added to cake.

Smoked White Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream

125g butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
250g high fat cream cheese
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cups melted white chocolate

*Lavender smoking

Method

1. Melt chocolate over double boiler and allow to cook slightly but the chocolate should still be warm enough to have pourable consistency.
2. Cream butter and butter sugar until it clumpy and too thick to incorporate. Add the cream cheese and whisk on stand mixer until smooth, and whisk in lemon juice.
3. If the mixture is runny so far, let it firm up in the fridge before continuing.
4. Slowly pour in the melted white chocolate and whisk until thick and homogeneous.
5. Smoke with apple wood chips and lavender (OPTIONAL).
6. Set aside before assembling of the cake.

Caramelised White Chocolate Buttercream

2 cups butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp fresh cream
225g caramelised white chocolate Method

1. Whip butter until pale in colour and then add powdered sugar, vanilla, salt and cream and whisk until smooth.
2. Add in the pourable caramelised white chocolate and whisk until well incorporated. Set aside for assembling.

Assembling the Cake

1. Place soaked sponges on cake board. Spread thin layer of the smoked white chocolate cream cheese buttercream, being sure to pipe a border of buttercream along outer edge of cake.
2. Fill the middle with blueberry compote.
3. Repeat until all cake sponges are stacked.
Crumb coat the cake with the caramelised white chocolate buttercream and decorate with the caramelised buttercream too.
4. Be creative and bake more memories!