Bea Vo’s carrot and cheesecake layer cake, p74
RECIPES: BEA VO, JOHN WHAITE, CHETNA MAKAN, LOTTIE COVELL. PHOTOGRAPHS: GARETH MORGANS, MAJA SMEND. FOOD STYLING: LOTTIE COVELL, REBECCA WOOLLARD. STYLING: DAVINA PERKINS, TONY HUTCHINSON
sweet things.
Chetna Makan’s chocolate & marshmallow mini egg traybake, p72
The alternative simnel cake
Since winning Bake Off, John has trained in patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu, written two cookbooks and launched his own cookery school in Lancashire
Caramelised white chocolate, burnt butter and tahini cake By Bake Off champ John Whaite
SERVES 20. HANDS-ON TIME 1 HOUR 40 MIN, OVEN TIME 1 HOUR 20-25 MIN, PLUS CHILLING
Caramelised white chocolate reminds me of the Caramac bars I enjoyed as a child. The sweetness lends itself to more bitter notes, and after playing around with a few things (including Marmite – unsuccessfully) I discovered that tahini’s nuttiness was just right.
MAKE AHEAD
This cake is best on the day it’s baked but you can wrap the sponges in cling film and freeze for up to a month.
• 150g white chocolate (we used Waitrose Belgian white chocolate), chopped
• 300g unsalted butter, diced
• Grated zest 1 lemon
• 300g caster sugar
• 300g self-raising flour
• 6 large free-range eggs
FOR THE SESAME SEED BRITTLE
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g liquid glucose (from the baking section of supermarkets)
• 200g mixed white and black sesame seeds (or use all white)
FOR THE TAHINI BUTTERCREAM
• 225g unsalted butter, at room temperature