Lucy’s Cipriani Cake

• 1/2 cup of Bocha Sweet Sugar
• 2 tsp Guar Gum
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 cups of unsweetened Almond Milk
• 4 egg yolks (L)
• 2 tblsp unsalted butter
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 cups of Double Cream

For the Meringue

• 8 egg whites (L)
• 2 cups Bocha Sweet Sugar
• 1 tblsp fresh Lemon Juice

Method

• Preheat the oven to 175*C
• Thoroughly combine the flours, baking powder and xanthan gum.
• Whisk together the eggs and sugar until creamy white and thickened.
• Fold the flour mix carefully and gradually into the egg mixture, taking care not to knock out too much of the air.
• Divide the cake mixture between two lined and buttered 9″ springform cake tins and bake in the centre of the oven for 12 minutes (usual cake baking testing applies)
• Cool in the tins and once cool, slice each cake carefully into half through the centre of the cake to make two thin rounds, giving 4 thin cake rounds in total.

• Whisk together the sugar, guar gum and salt in a medium saucepan.
• Whisk together the milk and egg yolks in a separate bowl until fully blended, then add to the saucepan with the butter.
• On a medium heat, whisk the ingredients constantly until the custard mix comes to a steady boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for one minute whilst continuing to whisk.
• Remove from the heat and whisk through the vanilla extract.
• Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.  Cover with clingfilm, pressing it directly onto the custard to eliminate all air and prevent a skin from forming.
• Refrigerate until the custard is thoroughly chilled and thickened.
• Once the custard is thoroughly chilled and thickened, remove from the fridge and return it to room temperature.  Then whip the double cream until thick peaks are formed.
• Slowly and gently fold one cup of room temperature pastry cream through the whipped cream and once the cream is loosened evenly, gently fold through the remaining custard.
• Place the resulting pastry cream into the fridge, covered with clingfilm until required.

For the Meringue

• Clean your bowl and whisking utensils with a piece of kitchen paper and a teaspoon of white vinegar to eliminate any trace of grease or fat.
• Whisk the egg whites with the sugar and lemon juice until thick peaks are formed and the meringue is glossy.

For the Final Assembly

• Place a layer of cake onto a clean serving or display plate.  I usually use the top of one of the baked cake pieces, placed cut side up, directly onto the plate as the base to the cake.  I use the two bottom pieces in the centre of the cake and the second top cake piece as the top of the assembled cake.
• Carefully spoon 1/3 of the pastry cream on top of the slice of cake and spread it evenly across the cake, leaving 1cm around the edge of the cake – this will squish into place as you add layers above.
• Place the second layer of cake on top of the cream and press gently to ensure the layers are neatly horizontal.
• Repeat this process one more time to give three cake layers and three layers of pastry cream.
• Add the fourth slice of cake to the top of the cake and press gently to ensure the cake is level and the pastry cream is evenly distributed on each layer.
• Then carefully spread half of the meringue mix around the sides of the cake and pile the remaining half onto the top of the cake.  Gently use a spatula or spoon to create peaks and swirls around the cake and using a chef’s blow torch, gently cook and evenly brown the outside of the meringue.

Refrigerate once fully made and it will keep in the fridge for up to three days.