Neapolitan Cake

This recipe yields 1 eggless portion. Neapolitan is a combination of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry and with this recipe you can make all these using just one batter.

Cake Batter

• In a saucepan, cook strawberry puree on medium heat for 5 -10 minutes (until the mixture thickens). Then lower the heat, cook and reduce the puree to 60 g. Once reduced, let it cool down and then add strawberry essence.
• Preheat the oven at 180 ̊C (OTG mode: upper rod + lower rod + fan). Grease and line three 6 inch round tins with oil & butterpaper.
• In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• In another bowl, mix milk and vinegar together and let it sit for 6 – 8 minutes.
• In a new bowl, beat butter and sugar until light, fluffy and pale. Then add in vanilla essence, curd and continue beating, for about 1 minute.
• Now add flour mixture to creamed butter mixture in batches, alternating with milk mixture (start and end with flour mixture). Mix well to form a smooth batter.
• Divide the batter equally in three batches.
• Now add cocoa powder, coffee powder and hot water to one batch. Mix well. To the second batch, add reduced strawberry puree and mix well. The third batch will be vanilla batter.
• Transfer the prepared batters to different lined tins and bake at 180 ̊C (OTG mode: lower rod only) for 30 – 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

American Buttercream

• In a bowl, beat unsalted butter until it turns pale and fluffy.
• In a new bowl, mix milk and icing sugar together, until sugar dissolves.
• Now add milk and icing sugar mixture to the creamed butter gradually while beating.
• Lastly add in vanilla essence and red gel color. Give everything a quick mix.

Soaking Syrup

• In a bowl, mix vanilla essence and water together.
• Keep aside for further use.

Chocolate Drip

• In a bowl, mix melted chocolate and cream together and form a drip ganache.
• Keep aside for further use.

Neapolitan Cake Assembly

• Firstly, if the sponges have a dome, remove those using a serrated knife.
• Now place a tissue paper on the turning table and then place cake base over it. Then pipe some frosting on the cake base.
• Now place chocolate sponge on it. Soak it with soaking syrup using a pastry brush.
• Pipe frosting on the sponge starting from centre and then spread it using palette knife. Place palette knife in the centre and keep it at an angle of 45 ̊ while spreading the frosting (apply little pressure).
• Place strawberry sponge and repeat the steps, and lastly place vanilla sponge and soak it.
• Now pipe a thin layer of frosting on the the top and sides of the cake for crumb coating. Smooth the top using palette knife and sides using metal scraper (keep it at 45 ̊ angle, touching the cake completely) . Freeze the crumb coated cake for 15 – 20 minutes or until the frosting sets.
• Now for final coating, pipe a thick layer of frosting and smooth it out using palette knife for top and scraper for sides.
• To remove excess frosting from the edges at the top, keep palette knife at the level of the cake and move inwards.
• For drip effect pipe ganache on the edge of the cake (warm the ganache just a little, if needed, it should be of flowy consistency).
• Pipe frosting on the top using 1M nozzle. Finish off by sprinkling colourful sprinkles on top.