Teenage birthday cake

Serves 30
INGREDIENTS
For the sponge cake
4 egg yolks
1 egg1 cup (200g) sugar
1/4 cup (65ml) water
200g butter, melted
200g couverture chocolate
melted1 cup walnuts,
chopped1 cup (120g) flour

For the chocolate cake
6 eggs
2 ¼ cups (450g) sugar
2 ½ cups (300g) flour
1 cup (100g) cornstarch
3 tablespoons bitter cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
3/4 cup (185ml) milk
150g butter

For the filling Chocolate

For the orange syrup
1 cup (200g) sugar
½ cup (125ml) water
¾ cup (185ml) orange juice

For the frosting
1 cup (approx. 6-7) egg whites
3 cups (600g) sugar
3 tablespoons icing sugar
orange colouring

For the Royal Glaze
1 egg white
250g icing sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice

PREPARATION
Sponge cake base
Beat egg yolks, egg, water and sugar with an electric mixer for about 10 minutes or Until thick. Mix in melted butter and melted chocolate. Fold in walnuts and sifted flour. Pour the batter into a well greased and floured 34cm round tin and bake in a cool oven for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool over a wire rack.

Chocolate cake
Beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer for 15 minutes. Sift together flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter. Bring to the boil. Fold sifted ingredients into egg mixture, alternatively with the hot milk and butter until well blended.Pour mixture into a well greased and floured 30cm round tin and bake in a moderate oven for about 50 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Remove from oven and allow to stand for some minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Orange syrup
Place sugar, orange juice and water in a saucepan. Cook over a strong heat and allow to boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.
Assembling the cakePlace sponge cake base onto a serving dish. Spread sponge with dulce de leche (creamy caramel) and chocolate butter cream. Sprinkle with broken meringue disc.

Cut chocolate cake in half horizontally. Spoon syrup over cakes without reaching borders and sandwich them together with dulce de leche , chocolate butter cream and meringue crumbs.

Decorating the cakeFrostingPlace egg whites and sugar in a saucepan and cook over a medium heat, stirring continuously, until sugar dissolves completely.

Remove from heat and beat with electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold in orange colouring until you obtain a delicate light orange shade.

Beat in icing sugar.Spread a thin layer of frosting over top and sides of cake. Then, spoon some frosting into a piping bag fitted with a 2D nozzle and pipe frosting around the sides of the cake.

Fit piping bag with a # 48 nozzle and use the plain side (the one used to imitate basketry pattern) to decorate the top of the cake.

At the center of the top a square is drawn, using nozzle #48. Complete decoration with Royal glaze. Pipe small rosettes of it using a small fluted nozzle #2 or 3.

To make it look more beautiful, you can use different shades of orange glaze. The final touch can be given by adding two tiny bouquets at the sides. They can be made with wire and Royal glaze sprinkled with sugar.