Double Berry Layer Cake With White Chocolate Cream and Gin-Lime Syrup

INGREDIENTS

6 eggs, at room temperature
1¾ cups (375g) caster sugar
1/3 cup each plain flour, self-raising flour and cornflour
40g butter, melted and cooled
Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lime
¼ cup (60ml) gin, such as Grown Spirits Garden Grown Gin
2 x 250g punnets strawberries, halved or quartered, depending on size
2 x 150g punnets raspberries
Icing sugar, to dust
White chocolate cream
200g white chocolate, finely chopped
300ml pouring cream
400g crème fraiche

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Butter and line two 20cm-diameter cake tins with baking paper. Beat eggs, 1 cup sugar and a pinch of salt with an electric mixer until thick, pale and tripled in volume.

2. Sieve the flours together into a bowl, then gradually sieve flour mixture over egg mixture and fold to combine with a large metal spoon. Fold in melted butter and half the lime rind to combine. Divide mixture evenly between tins, smooth top and bake, turning occasionally, for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and centre springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 5 minutes in the tins then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

3. For white chocolate cream, place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and put in oven, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes until caramelised. Transfer to a blender. Bring cream to the boil in a saucepan, pour onto white chocolate and stand for 5 minutes. Blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate until thickened slightly. Whisk in the crème fraîche to form soft peaks; refrigerate until required.

4. Combine gin, remaining sugar and ¼ cup water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir to dissolve sugar. Bring to the boil, cook for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Stir in lime juice. When cooled completely, stir in remaining rind. Set aside.

5. To serve, halve each cake horizontally with a large serrated knife. Place a cake base on a serving plate, brush lightly with gin-lime syrup and spread top with a third of the white chocolate cream and a quarter of the berries and top with another layer of cake. Repeat until all cake is used. Top with berries, dust with icing sugar and serve with gin-lime syrup drizzle.