Strawberry, White Chocolate and Champagne Vintage Valentine’s Cake

For the white chocolate sponge: 

Pre-heat the oven to 175c.

In a saucepan, melt the butter, stir in the white chocolate until combined and set aside to start cooling. 

Once warm, add the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract to the mixture and combine.  

In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking powder and slowly add to the warm, wet mixture and mix until combined. 

Distribute the mixture evenly between three 7”x 7.5” heart shaped baking tins (lined with baking paper and buttered generously). 

Bake for 18-20 minutes. 

For the white chocolate cream filling: 

In a saucepan, heat the double cream until almost boiled.  

Add white chocolate to the double cream and combine. 

Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 4 hours. 

Remove the mixture from the fridge, transfer to a mixing bowl and mix on high until thickened, making sure not to overwhip the mixture. 

For the strawberry and champagne jam: 

Quarter the strawberries and place into a saucepan with the remaining ingredients. 

Add the saucepan to a low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. 

Increase to a high heat and boil for 10 minutes, stirring continuously.   

Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool. 

For the white chocolate buttercream: 

In a small bowl, Melt the white chocolate and cool (remaining melted). 

In a large mixing bowl, whip the butter until white and pale and start adding sugar spoon by spoon whilst whisking.  

Using a paddle, continue very slowly whisking and add the melted white chocolate.  

Add a small amount of pink gel food colouring to the bowl and mix until a pale pink colour is achieved throughout. Transfer a third of the buttercream between two separate bowls and set aside for decoration later.  

To assemble: 

Apply a small amount of buttercream to the center of a cake board and use to secure the first of the sponges. 

Apply a layer of the white chocolate cream filling to the top of the sponge and smooth. Create a border around the edge of the cream topped sponge with the cream and fill with a generous amount of the strawberry, champagne jam. 

Repeat this process until you are left with the third sponge, smooth side up at the top of the cake. 

Cover your heart shaped cake structure with the pink white chocolate buttercream and smooth.  

Apply extra amounts of pink gel food colouring to the two bowls of buttercream you set aside earlier so that you have a bowl of dark pink coloured buttercream and a bowl of buttercream coloured a shade between this and the colour of the cake. 

Using the dark pink buttercream, pipe a border around the base of your cake and a heart shaped border 2cm inside the top of your cake. Then, using the middle shade pink buttercream, pipe alongside the dark pink borders at the base and top of the cake. 

Using a small round piping tip, pipe a cute valentines message in the center of the top of your cake using the dark pink butter cream. Using the same buttercream, pipe a ribbon effect around the side of your cake and garnish with something small, sweet, round and edible to achieve a “pinned” effect at the peaks of the ribbon. 

Serve and enjoy with the ones you love!