I had started out with quite a respectable idea for a triple layer birthday cake. Still a big cake by anyone's standards but nothing like the monster that actually transpired.
The problem was two fold.
Firstly, after the success and sheer magnitude of the triple layer peanut butter and chocolate cake made a matter of weeks ago, when the three layers of spiced walnut cake came out of the oven they looked, well, a bit flat and would certainly not sit together to comprise a cake anything like as magnificent as the peanut butter and chocolate cake.
And so, I set about making another three layers.
Why not?
It was at that point that I realised what the true problem had been. I hadn't put enough flour into the original batch. Ive no idea why. The recipe clearly stated '300g plain flour', I read this, registered it, weighed out 200g and proceeded with the cake mixture. And so, my next batch of three cakes turned out magnificently plump. Both batches tasted wonderful. Should I make a 6 layer cake? I debated it. The 6 cakes piled on top of each other without frostings were 20cms high!!! It would be a ridiculous cake! But what about the opportunity?! The opportunity to create such a huge cake!!! It would surely not arise again? I slept on it (the idea not the cake) and the next day decided just to go for it.
I layered up the cakes and soon found that with the two different fillings in between each layer the cake layers naturally did not want to stay put and were sliding every which way. The fillings were a cream cheese one, like that found on top of a cheese cake and also a caramel one. Delicious!
So I decided to keep the cake in place by cutting down 4 skewers and plunging them into the cake. It worked fantastically! The cake was constructed and was willing to stay in place!
Next was time for the marshmallow frosting. The whole recipe was from 'Make, Bake and Celebrate' by Annie Rigg. I had to make up twice as much marshmallow frosting as was originally required. This was quite a tricky frosting and I had never attempted it before. It required the use of a sugar thermometer. When the sugar and egg whites reached 60 degrees, you tipped the mixture into a large bowl and whisked for several minutes until it thickened.
Then you raced to dollop this on the cake and use a palette knife to encourage it into place before it set!
At this point I had what looked like a huge marshmallow.
As the sponge was a spiced walnut concoction and I had walnuts left over. I decorated the top with walnut halves.
Then I whizzed up the remaining walnut halves into pieces and sprinkled these around the bottom to create what looked like some kind of turbo cake from the 1980s!
Finally it was complete and we were ready for our guests, all 4 of them. Oh dear. I may have made a bit too much cake.
Then it was time to set up the birthday table. A cake like this needed to be accompanied with a drop or two of champagne, some good cake plates and of course, proper cake forks!
In the end we ended up dividing a slice in half to serve.
However....
An hour later.....
And soon enough. It was gone...
Not all was consumed on the night, I think that would have been severely medically advised against. Several pieces were taken away and we were left with crumbs.
And the taste? Well, such a combination of flavours was hard to imagine but worked very well indeed. The sponge was soft and moist with the spiced flavour of carrot cake (without the carrot) and the warming flavour of ground roasted walnuts. The frostings in between the layers were rich and indulgent, sweet, thick and creamy and the marshmallow frosting that encased this beast was utterly delicious. Light and fluffy, delicately flavoured but gooey, sticky and moreish. It's delicate sweet flavour worked excellently with the spice of the cake. yum!
What a birthday cake!
