Wedding Cakes
Gold Hearts Three Tier Wedding Cake Recipe
This magnificent three-tier wedding cake is a masterpiece of British confectionery, featuring a sturdy yet light vanilla Madeira sponge layered with raspberry conserve. Encased in white chocolate ganache and smooth sugar paste, it is finished with exquisite hand-painted gold hearts and delicate edible gold leaf for a truly romantic aesthetic.
- Prep
- 360 min
- Cook
- 120 min
- Serves
- 100
- Level
- Advanced
- Per serving
- 480 kcal
Method
Preheat your oven to 160°C (140°C fan). Grease and line three deep cake tins: 10-inch, 8-inch, and 6-inch.
Cream the softened butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla bean paste.
Fold in the self-raising flour gently, adding the milk to reach a dropping consistency. Divide the batter between the three tins, ensuring they are filled approximately two-thirds of the way up.
Bake the cakes: approximately 90 minutes for the 10-inch, 60 minutes for the 8-inch, and 45 minutes for the 6-inch, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Prepare the white chocolate ganache by melting the chocolate and double cream together. Stir until smooth and leave to set to a spreadable peanut butter consistency.
Level each sponge and cut into layers. Fill with a thin layer of raspberry conserve and Swiss meringue buttercream. Crumb coat each tier with the white chocolate ganache to achieve sharp edges, then chill for 2 hours.
Knead the sugar paste until pliable. Roll out and cover each tier individually, smoothing with a cake smoother to remove air bubbles. Trim the edges for a clean finish.
Insert food-grade dowels into the 10-inch and 8-inch tiers to support the weight of the tiers above. Stack the tiers using a small amount of ganache to secure the cake boards.
Mix the gold lustre dust with a few drops of rejuvenator spirit to create a paint. Cut small hearts from spare sugar paste, paint them gold, and adhere to the cake with a tiny amount of water. Apply flecks of edible gold leaf randomly across the tiers for a sophisticated look.
Notes
Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature to prevent the batter from curdling.
A white chocolate ganache crumb coat is essential for providing the stability needed for a three-tier structure.
When applying gold leaf, use a dry brush and avoid touching it with your fingers as it will stick to your skin immediately.
Always use a cake board for each tier that is exactly the same diameter as the sponge for a seamless stacked look.
