The kitchen table●

What you’ll need

• Food-contact packaging suitable for the serving temperature
• Grease-resistant sleeves and shallow trays
• Ruler and a sample assembled burger
• Plain paper for sizing mock-ups only

What you’ll need

• Smooth chilled round cake
• Lavender, blush, ivory and muted green buttercream
• Fine round tip and small blossom tip
• Small palette knife and parchment

What you’ll need

• Cooled rectangular cake on a rigid board
• White buttercream and a little green icing
• Offset spatula, scraper and piping bags
• Petal tip or small palette knife
• Edible modeling paste for optional flowers

What you’ll need

• A tested sponge recipe and its specified pan
• Digital scale and oven thermometer
• Large bowl, whisk or electric mixer
• Wide flexible spatula and cooling rack

Ingredients

• 210 g all-purpose flour
• 280 g granulated sugar
• 35 g Dutch-process cocoa
• 25 g black cocoa
• 10 g baking powder
• 3 g fine salt
• 3 large eggs
• 180 g whole milk
• 100 g neutral oil
• 150 g hot water
• 5 g vanilla extract
• 450 g blackberries, fresh or frozen
• 60 g sugar
• 15 g lemon juice
• 8 g cornstarch
• 20 g water
• 300 g softened unsalted butter
• 500 g sifted icing sugar
• 20 g heavy cream
• 3 g vanilla extract
• 2 g fine salt

Let’s make it

1. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F conventional (155°C fan). Grease and line three 6-inch pans. Mix both cocoas with the hot water until smooth and leave for 5 minutes.
2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. In another bowl whisk eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Combine the wet mixture, dry mixture and cocoa mixture just until smooth. Divide evenly between pans.
3. Bake for 27–32 minutes until the centers spring back and a skewer has no wet batter. Cool for 15 minutes in the pans, then turn out and cool completely.
4. Simmer blackberries, sugar and lemon juice for 8–10 minutes. Press through a fine sieve and discard the seeds. Return the puree to the pan and reduce to 230 g, weighing carefully in a heat-safe bowl if needed.
5. Mix cornstarch with 20 g water, stir into the puree and simmer for 1–2 minutes until thick. Cool completely. Reserve 50 g for the buttercream; divide the rest between the two filling layers.
6. Beat the buttercream butter until pale. Add icing sugar gradually, then cream, vanilla and salt. Beat in the 50 g cold berry mixture a teaspoon at a time. Stop and chill briefly if the frosting becomes loose.
7. Level the sponges. On the first sponge, pipe a buttercream dam and spread half the reserved filling inside it, followed by a thin layer of buttercream. Add the next sponge and repeat. Top with the third sponge.
8. Crumb-coat, chill for 20 minutes, then cover with the remaining berry buttercream. Chill at least 30 minutes before cutting to reveal the contrasting layers.

Kitchen notes

Allow 2 hours or more for the sponges and berry mixture to cool and the assembled cake to chill. Contains wheat, eggs and milk. If black cocoa is unavailable, replace it gram for gram with Dutch-process cocoa; the cake will be browner. The reference uses different components, so the texture and slice pattern will differ.

Recipe in development · not kitchen-tested.

Ingredients

• 250 g full-fat block cream cheese, softened
• 55 g icing sugar
• 5 g vanilla extract
• 150 g cold heavy whipping cream
• 5 g powdered gelatin, about 200 bloom
• 30 g cold water for gelatin
• 100 g blueberries, fresh or frozen
• 15 g sugar
• 5 g lemon juice
• 3 g cornstarch
• 10 g water
• 90 g all-purpose flour
• 15 g granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 230 g whole milk
• 15 g melted unsalted butter, cooled
• 1 g fine salt
• 1 small drop blue gel food coloring, or as needed
• 5 g butter for the pan
• 80 g cold heavy whipping cream
• 8 g icing sugar
• 6 whole fresh blueberries, washed and dried

Let’s make it

1. Line the base of a 6-inch springform pan or ring and line the sides with parchment. Simmer the filling blueberries with sugar and lemon juice for 4–5 minutes. Mix cornstarch with 10 g water, stir in and simmer for 1 minute until thick. Cool fully.
2. Sprinkle gelatin evenly over 30 g cold water and leave for 5–10 minutes. Beat cream cheese with 55 g icing sugar and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl whip 150 g cream to soft peaks.
3. Warm the bloomed gelatin gently just until dissolved; do not boil. Stir 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture into the gelatin, then immediately whisk that mixture back into the remaining cream cheese. Fold in the whipped cream.
4. Spread half the filling in the lined pan. Spoon the cold blueberry mixture in the middle, leaving a 1 cm border. Cover with the remaining filling and smooth. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, until firm all the way through.
5. For the crêpes, whisk flour, sugar and salt. Whisk in the egg and half the milk to make a smooth paste, then the remaining milk, melted butter and a small amount of blue gel. Rest for 20 minutes and strain.
6. Heat a 20–22 cm nonstick pan over medium-low heat and lightly grease it. Pour in just enough batter to cover the base in a thin layer, about 45–50 g, and swirl immediately. Cook until set, about 60–90 seconds, then flip for 15–20 seconds. Repeat for at least 6 good crêpes plus any spares, and cool completely.
7. Whip the finishing cream with 8 g icing sugar to medium peaks. Unmold the chilled cheesecake and cut into six equal wedges with a warm, wiped knife.
8. Wrap each wedge in one cool crêpe, folding the edges over and tucking the seam underneath. Use a small dab of whipped cream if a fold needs help staying in place. Transfer to a plate and chill for 20 minutes.
9. Pipe a small cream rosette on each parcel and add a blueberry. Serve cold and keep leftovers refrigerated.

Kitchen notes

The cheesecake needs at least 6 hours in the refrigerator; overnight is easiest. Total time includes chilling. Contains wheat, eggs and milk; gelatin is animal-derived unless the label states otherwise. Do not replace gelatin with agar gram for gram; it needs a different method. No-bake refers to the cheesecake filling—the crêpes and berry center are cooked.

Recipe in development · not kitchen-tested.

Ingredients

• 350 g all-purpose flour
• 12 g baking powder
• 4 g fine salt
• 240 g unsalted butter, softened
• 300 g caster or fine granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature (about 50 g each without shells)
• 10 g vanilla extract
• 200 g whole milk, at room temperature
• 450 g unsalted butter, softened
• 810 g icing sugar, sifted
• 54 g heavy cream, plus a little only if needed
• 9 g vanilla extract
• 3.6 g fine salt
• 1 g food-grade rosewater, optional
• 2 small drops pink and green gel food colors, or as needed

Let’s make it

1. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F conventional (155°C fan). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans, line their bases with parchment, and set them on the middle rack when baking. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.
2. Beat the cake butter and sugar for 3–4 minutes until noticeably lighter. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions. Add the vanilla.
3. On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions. Stop when the last streaks of flour disappear; do not keep beating.
4. Divide evenly between the prepared pans and level. Bake for 30–35 minutes, checking toward the early end. The centers should spring back lightly and a skewer should emerge without wet batter. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn onto racks and cool completely.
5. Beat the buttercream butter for 4 minutes. Add the sifted icing sugar in four additions on low speed. Add cream, vanilla and salt; beat until smooth, then mix on low for 2 minutes to reduce air pockets. If using rosewater, add just 1 g and taste. Reserve about 300 g frosting for flowers and leaves.
6. Tint part of the reserved frosting blush pink and a small amount green. Pipe pink and ivory roses on parchment squares using a flower nail and petal tip, or plan to pipe rosettes directly on the cake. Freeze separate flowers for 15–20 minutes.
7. Level the cakes and sandwich with about 220 g buttercream. Crumb-coat and chill for 20 minutes. Add a smooth coat to the top and a slightly thicker coat to the sides.
8. Pipe overlapping vertical pleats around the sides with a flat tip, or pull vertical strokes through the frosting with a small spatula. Keep the top rim clean.
9. Lift firm flowers from their parchment and attach around the top edge using tiny dabs of buttercream. Add small green leaves between clusters. Use remaining frosting for a narrow border at the base if desired.
10. Refrigerate until stable. Before serving, allow only the needed portions to soften slightly at room temperature.

Kitchen notes

Allow for sponge cooling, a crumb-coat chill and 20 minutes to firm the piped flowers. Contains wheat, eggs and milk. Rosewater strengths vary greatly; it is optional and should remain subtle. All flowers in this adaptation are piped buttercream, even though the source design appears to use real flowers.

Recipe in development · not kitchen-tested.

Ingredients

• 160 g all-purpose flour
• 5 g baking powder
• 2 g baking soda
• 3 g ground cinnamon
• 1 g ground ginger
• 2 g fine salt
• 2 large eggs
• 140 g light brown sugar
• 100 g neutral oil
• 60 g plain yogurt
• 180 g peeled carrots, finely grated
• 5 g vanilla extract
• 100 g full-fat block cream cheese, cool but pliable
• 50 g softened unsalted butter
• 120 g sifted icing sugar
• 400 g orange candy melts
• 50 g green candy melts

Let’s make it

1. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F conventional (155°C fan). Grease and line a 9 × 13-inch pan with parchment, leaving handles at the sides. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt together.
2. Whisk eggs, brown sugar, oil, yogurt and vanilla until combined. Fold in the flour mixture, then the finely grated carrot. Spread evenly in the pan.
3. Bake for 20–25 minutes until the center springs back and a skewer has no raw batter. Cool fully, then refrigerate the sheet for at least 45 minutes.
4. Beat the filling butter with the icing sugar until smooth. Add the cream cheese and mix briefly just until combined. Chill if soft.
5. Use the parchment template to cut twelve tapered carrot shapes. Spread a thin layer of filling over six pieces, leaving a narrow edge, and sandwich with the other six. Smooth any gaps with filling and refrigerate for 30–45 minutes.
6. Melt the orange coating according to the packet. Set one cold cake on a rack over parchment, spoon coating over it and smooth the sides with a small spatula. Transfer carefully to a lined tray. Repeat and let the shells set.
7. Put remaining orange coating in a piping bag and drizzle narrow lines across each carrot. Melt the green coating, pipe six leafy tops onto parchment and let them harden. Attach each with a small dot of orange coating.
8. Refrigerate the finished cakes in a covered container. Serve with a small knife or fork; the coating will have a gentle snap.

Kitchen notes

Allow about 2 hours for cooling, firming the filling and setting the candy coating. Contains wheat, eggs and milk; check candy-melt labels for other allergens. Yield depends on the template and your cutting layout. Use full-fat block cream cheese; spreadable tub cheese may make the filling too loose.

Recipe in development · not kitchen-tested.

Ingredients

• 210 g all-purpose flour
• 300 g granulated sugar
• 60 g natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 6 g baking powder
• 3 g baking soda
• 3 g fine salt
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 180 g whole milk
• 100 g neutral oil
• 150 g hot water
• 5 g vanilla extract
• 250 g pitted cherries, fresh or frozen
• 35 g sugar
• 10 g cornstarch
• 20 g water
• 10 g lemon juice
• 350 g softened unsalted butter
• 500 g sifted icing sugar
• 60 g sifted unsweetened cocoa
• 80 g heavy cream
• 5 g vanilla extract
• 2 g fine salt
• 150 g fresh cherries, washed, dried and pitted

Let’s make it

1. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F conventional (155°C fan). Grease and line three 6-inch round pans. Whisk the cocoa with the hot water until smooth and let it stand for 5 minutes.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Separately whisk eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients and cocoa mixture to the dry ingredients; whisk only until smooth. Divide between the pans.
3. Bake for 27–32 minutes, until the centers spring back and a skewer has moist crumbs but no wet batter. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out and cool completely.
4. For the filling, simmer cherries, sugar and lemon juice for 5–8 minutes. Stir the cornstarch with the water, add it, and simmer while stirring for 1–2 minutes until thick. Transfer to a shallow bowl and refrigerate until cold.
5. Beat the frosting butter for 4 minutes. Gradually beat in icing sugar and cocoa on low speed. Add cream, vanilla and salt. Beat until smooth, then mix slowly to reduce air bubbles. If too soft to hold a ridge, chill briefly.
6. Level the cakes if needed. Set the first layer on a board, spread a thin coat of frosting, pipe a buttercream dam at the edge and add half the cherry filling inside. Repeat with the second layer, then place the third layer on top.
7. Crumb-coat the cake and chill for 20 minutes. Smooth on the final coat, reserving about one third of the buttercream. Pipe a shell border at the base and around the top; use a small round tip for optional bows.
8. Add the dry pitted cherries inside the top border. Chill until the cake is stable, then cut with a warm, wiped knife. Keep covered in the refrigerator.

Kitchen notes

Allow about 2 hours for cooling, chilling and setting, in addition to hands-on work. Contains wheat, eggs and milk. These are original recipe-development quantities, not the source baker’s formula. If using stemmed cherries for styling, remove and pit them before serving.

Recipe in development · not kitchen-tested.

Ingredients

• 175 g all-purpose flour
• 6 g baking powder
• 2 g fine salt
• 120 g unsalted butter, softened
• 150 g caster or fine granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature (about 50 g each without shells)
• 5 g vanilla extract
• 100 g whole milk, at room temperature
• 50 g additional milk for infusion losses; top up the strained milk to 100 g
• 6 g loose Earl Grey tea
• 100 g cold mascarpone
• 80 g cold heavy whipping cream
• 20 g icing sugar
• 3 g vanilla extract
• 187.5 g unsalted butter, softened
• 337.5 g icing sugar, sifted
• 22.5 g heavy cream, plus a little only if needed
• 3.75 g vanilla extract
• 1.5 g fine salt
• 2 small drops green and red gel food colors, or as needed

Let’s make it

1. Heat the cake milk together with the extra 50 g milk until steaming. Add the tea, cover and steep for 10 minutes. Strain, then add fresh milk if needed to reach exactly 100 g. Cool to room temperature.
2. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F conventional (155°C fan). Grease two 6-inch (15 cm) round cake pans, line their bases with parchment, and set them on the middle rack when baking. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.
3. Beat the cake butter and sugar for 3–4 minutes until noticeably lighter. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions. Add the vanilla.
4. On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions. Stop when the last streaks of flour disappear; do not keep beating.
5. Divide evenly between the prepared pans and level. Bake for 25–32 minutes, checking toward the early end. The centers should spring back lightly and a skewer should emerge without wet batter. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn onto racks and cool completely.
6. Whip the mascarpone, filling cream, 20 g icing sugar and 3 g vanilla together on medium-low speed just until thick and spreadable. Refrigerate until needed.
7. Beat the buttercream butter for 4 minutes. Add the sifted icing sugar in four additions on low speed. Add cream, vanilla and salt; beat until smooth, then mix on low for 2 minutes to reduce air pockets. Reserve 2 tablespoons each for green and red details before coating the cake.
8. Level the cooled sponges. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on the bottom sponge and pipe a dam at its edge. Add the mascarpone filling within the ring, top with the second sponge and chill for 20 minutes.
9. Apply a thin crumb coat and chill for 15 minutes. Cover with the remaining ivory buttercream, keeping the reserved portions for decoration. Smooth the sides and make a shallow spiral on top with the end of an offset spatula.
10. Tint the reserved frosting and pipe small green branches around the lower sides. Add red buttercream dots and chill until serving.

Kitchen notes

Include time for the tea milk to cool, the sponges to cool and the filled cake to chill. Contains wheat, eggs and milk. Use the strained, measured tea milk in the batter wherever the method says milk. The colors are optional; a plain ivory finish works equally well.

Recipe in development · not kitchen-tested.

Ingredients

• 175 g all-purpose flour
• 6 g baking powder
• 2 g fine salt
• 120 g unsalted butter, softened
• 150 g caster or fine granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature (about 50 g each without shells)
• 5 g vanilla extract
• 100 g whole milk, at room temperature
• 200 g softened unsalted butter
• 320 g sifted icing sugar
• 150 g real white chocolate, chopped
• 25 g heavy cream
• 3 g vanilla extract
• 1 g fine salt
• 80 g purchased edible candy gems, assorted sizes

Let’s make it

1. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F conventional (155°C fan). Grease two 6-inch (15 cm) round cake pans, line their bases with parchment, and set them on the middle rack when baking. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.
2. Beat the cake butter and sugar for 3–4 minutes until noticeably lighter. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions. Add the vanilla.
3. On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions. Stop when the last streaks of flour disappear; do not keep beating.
4. Divide evenly between the prepared pans and level. Bake for 25–32 minutes, checking toward the early end. The centers should spring back lightly and a skewer should emerge without wet batter. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn onto racks and cool completely.
5. Melt the white chocolate in short microwave bursts, stirring each time, or over a gently steaming water bath. Keep water out of the chocolate. Let it cool until fluid but barely warm.
6. Beat the frosting butter for 4 minutes. Add icing sugar gradually, then cream, vanilla and salt. Beat in the cooled melted chocolate. If loose, chill for 5–10 minutes, then stir until smooth.
7. Level the cooled layers and sandwich them with about 150 g frosting. Apply a thin crumb coat and chill for 20 minutes. Add a generous final coat, smooth the sides and top, and chill until stable.
8. Shortly before serving, set out the edible gems. Place the largest pieces first, then medium and small pieces, using a tiny dot of buttercream as glue when necessary. Keep the decoration sparse enough to show the smooth frosting.
9. Cut with a warm, dry knife, taking care around hard candies. Store remaining cake covered in the refrigerator; the candy finish may soften over time.

Kitchen notes

Cool the sponges fully and allow short chilling stages before attaching the gems. Contains wheat, eggs and milk; candy decorations may introduce other allergens. This recipe does not make the two-tier cake shown in the reference. Do not substitute craft rhinestones, glue or glitter.

Recipe in development · not kitchen-tested.

Ingredients

• 175 g all-purpose flour
• 6 g baking powder
• 2 g fine salt
• 120 g unsalted butter, softened
• 150 g caster or fine granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature (about 50 g each without shells)
• 5 g vanilla extract
• 100 g whole milk, at room temperature
• 300 g unsalted butter, softened
• 540 g icing sugar, sifted
• 36 g heavy cream, plus a little only if needed
• 6 g vanilla extract
• 2.4 g fine salt
• 12 g finely ground freeze-dried strawberries
• 60 g thick strawberry jam
• 3 small drops pink, deep pink and green gel food colors, or as needed

Let’s make it

1. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F conventional (155°C fan). Grease two 6-inch (15 cm) round cake pans, line their bases with parchment, and set them on the middle rack when baking. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.
2. Beat the cake butter and sugar for 3–4 minutes until noticeably lighter. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions. Add the vanilla.
3. On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions. Stop when the last streaks of flour disappear; do not keep beating.
4. Divide evenly between the prepared pans and level. Bake for 25–32 minutes, checking toward the early end. The centers should spring back lightly and a skewer should emerge without wet batter. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn onto racks and cool completely.
5. Beat the buttercream butter for 4 minutes. Add the sifted icing sugar in four additions on low speed. Add cream, vanilla and salt; beat until smooth, then mix on low for 2 minutes to reduce air pockets.
6. Mix 160 g of the buttercream with the sifted strawberry powder. Reserve another 250 g plain buttercream for flowers, leaves and the butterfly.
7. Level the cooled cake layers. Spread a little plain frosting over the bottom layer and pipe a dam at its edge. Add the jam inside the dam, followed by the strawberry buttercream. Place the second layer on top.
8. Apply a thin crumb coat and chill for 20 minutes. Cover with ivory buttercream. Smooth the top and make shallow horizontal ridges on the sides with a comb or spatula. Chill again for 15 minutes.
9. Tint the reserved frosting in two shades of pink and a little green, keeping some plain for dots. Pipe several flowers on parchment squares and chill or freeze until firm enough to handle.
10. Mark and pipe a simple butterfly outline on the top with a fine round tip. Add a short message if desired. Attach the chilled flowers around the rim with fresh buttercream, then add small blossoms, leaves and dots.
11. Add a few flowers at the base, keeping the design balanced. Refrigerate until stable and keep covered until serving.

Kitchen notes

Allow about 2 hours for cooling, chilling the flowers and setting the assembled cake. Contains wheat, eggs and milk. The source photograph includes real floral elements; this version replaces them with edible buttercream. The exact flavor and frosting used by the source baker are not known.

Recipe in development · not kitchen-tested.