Vanilla Layer Cake with Cashew Cream and Dark Chocolate Drips

It's my husbands birthday today which means it's great excuse for me, I mean him, to eat cake.



Vanilla Layer Cake with Cashew Cream and Dark Chocolate Drips
adapted from My Recipes

For the Cake:
225g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups caster sugar
1 cup milk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups plain flour (I used cake flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
5 egg whites, at room temperature

For the Cashew Cream:
3/4 cup whipping cream

170g cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 cup cashew nut butter

1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Dark Chocolate Drips:

100g dark chocolate buttons

50g cream

Make the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease 3 x 20cm round cake pans and line the bases with baking paper. Set aside

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium until light and fluffy, about 5 - 6 minutes.

Put the milk into a jug and stir in the vanilla. Set aside

Sift the flour and baking powder together. Set aside.

Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add a third of the flour mixture followed by half of the milk mixture. Add another third of the flour mixture followed by the remaining milk mixture, then add the remaining flour mixture. Mix until just combined.

In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gradually add them to the cake batter, a third at a time, folding gently to keep as much air in the batter as possible.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool in the pans for 5 minutes before turning them out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Make the Frosting:
Whip the cream to soft peaks and chill.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the icing sugar, cashew butter, honey, vanilla and beat until incorporated. Fold in the whipped cream with a spatula, all in one addition.

Make the Chocolate Drips:
Heat the cream and chocolate together gently in a small saucepan over the lowest possible heat until the chocolate starts to melt. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool to room temperature.

Assemble the Cake:
Place one cake on a cake plate. Take a about 1/4 cup of the cream, spoon it on top of the cake and spread it evenly to the edges. Place another cake on top and repeat until you have three layers of cake with cream in between the layers. Spread the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of cream. Drizzle the chocolate drips around the edges and down the sides of the cake.