Dan's Rhubarb and Custard Vertical Layer Cake
Dan H created this dish for Great British Bake Off ™ 14. Built around rhubarb grown in his own garden, this vertical layer cake stood the bakers' brief on its end — a Swiss roll coiled upright to reveal concentric rings of sponge, vivid pink compote and silky custard buttercream. Prue Leith praised its tent-like shape as cute and the rhubarb-and-custard flavours for coming through just as the challenge demanded. It topped the very first signature of the series and helped earn Dan the opening Star Baker title.
- Time: 180 min
Source: Relaxed Recipes
Ingredients
- FOR THE RHUBARB COMPOTE
- fresh rhubarb, trimmed, cut into 1 cm pieces
- granulated sugar, adjust to the tartness of the rhubarb
- orange juice, plus a little zest
- cornflour , slaked in 1 tbsp cold water
- FOR THE VANILLA CUSTARD
- egg yolks
- caster sugar
- cornflour
- whole milk
- vanilla bean paste, or seeds of 1 vanilla pod
- FOR THE VANILLA SPONGE
- large eggs, room temperature
- self-raising flour, sifted
- salt
- unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- vanilla extract
- FOR THE VANILLA CUSTARD BUTTERCREAM
- unsalted butter, softened
- FOR THE CREAM CHEESE ICING
- full-fat cream cheese, cold and well-drained
- icing sugar, sifted
- FOR THE POACHED RHUBARB DECORATION
- slender pink rhubarb stalks, for long, thin ribbons
- granulated sugar
- water
- grenadine or a splash of rhubarb syrup