CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY CELEBRATION CAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Grease and line the bases of 2 x 20.5cm (8in) round cake tins. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and creamy, about 5min. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition and adding a little of the flour if the mixture begins to curdle. Beat in the vanilla. Sift remaining flour and baking powder over mixture with a pinch of salt and fold in with a large metal spoon until completely combined. Finally, fold in milk to loosen. Divide equally between the tins and level. Bake for about 30min until risen and golden. Leave to cool for 10min in the tin, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

  Make the white chocolate and shortbread shards: melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Once melted, remove about 3tbsp to a small bowl and stir in about ¼tsp red food colouring to colour the chocolate pink. Pour melted white chocolate into a parchment-lined baking tin (about 20.5cm/8in square), tilting tin to spread chocolate in an even layer. Add spoonfuls of the pink chocolate and use the tip of a knife to marble it through. Scatter over shortbread pieces and freeze-dried strawberries, then leave to set in a cool place

  Meanwhile, make the syrup: gently heat Prosecco and sugar in a pan. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and bubble for about 3min until just beginning to turn syrupy. Leave to cool at room temperature.  

  Cut each cooled cake in half horizontally to make 4 even layers. Make sure all are cut-side up, then drizzle each layer with 1tsp Prosecco syrup.

  For the icing, beat butter until light and creamy, then beat in icing sugar in stages until just combined, add the remaining Prosecco syrup – about 3tbsp – and vanilla bean paste and beat for 2min until smooth and creamy. Remove 5tbsp of icing to a small bowl and set aside.

  To finish, remove the cake from the fridge. Crush the freeze-dried strawberries to a powder using a pestle and mortar, and add half to the reserved icing. Spread thinly all over the cake.