Cake Stella McCartney

The Stella Mc Cake... on Tumblr, a few months ago, I came across a photo of a cake that looked just like this one.
A "fashion-cake": of course it spoke to me immediately. I'd loved Stella McCartney's summer 2011 collection with its citrus motifs, followed the next season by  D&Gwith chili and bell pepper motifs (less glam, strangely enough).
I love this food & fashion concept! (I'm keeping it in the back of my mind, so I can revisit it later...) Here I am, on a frantic culinary quest, innovating and experimenting, and I think I liked it, because there's not a crumb left...
The sponge cake is made with white chocolate - I took it from a recipe in Trish Deseine's book "i love cake".
Between each disc of cake, I spread my own lemon curd (too yummy...) and reused my slightly modified recipe for butter-free icing.... a cake that's not at all sickening, light and fresh, perfect for this special occasion. month of November spring... ( I console myself as I can ...)

For the white chocolate sponge cake, you'll need:

• 120g white chocolate,
• 25cl whipping cream,
• 110g kneaded butter,
• 175g caster sugar,
• 225g flour,
• 3 eggs,
• 3 tbsp yeast.

First, heat your oven to 180°C. Heat the cream and white chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring well. In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar until the mixture whitens and becomes frothy. Add the eggs one at a time, then alternately pour in the sifted flour + baking powder and white chocolate cream, mixing well. Pour the mixture into 2 25 cm-diameter moulds (the ones I used here), then bake for around 25 minutes, checking with the tip of a knife. Unmould the cakes and leave to cool, then when completely cool, cut them crosswise into 2 to make 4 discs....

For the lemon curd between the discs, you'll need,

• 4 lemons,
• 150g sugar,
• 3 eggs,
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch.

While your sponge cake is baking, wash your lemons and zest 2 of them. Put the very fine zests in a saucepan and add the juice of the 4 lemons, then add the sugar and cornstarch, and heat the mixture over a low heat. Beat the 3 eggs in a bowl and stir into the lemon mixture. Increase the heat and continue stirring with a whisk, as the mixture begins to thicken. Don't stop stirring as soon as you've added the eggs, otherwise the lemon curd will burn. Remove from heat and leave to cool. Once the mixture is cold and thick, spread the lemon curd on the first disk and place the second on top, repeating the operation 3 times (there's no need to put lemon curd on the top of your cake); if you have any lemon curd left over, you can store it in a jam jar in the fridge.

To assemble, you'll need,

• 150 g Philadelphia,
• 20cl single cream,
• 40g powdered sugar.
• 1 lemon, 1 orange and a little mint.

Using an electric mixer, whip the cold cream until stiff. Once the whipped cream begins to thicken, add the powdered sugar a little at a time. Still using the mixer, whip the Philadelphia to loosen it, then fold it into the whipped cream. Using a stapule, spread the icing over your infernal tower of cake, a little as if you were making plaster... smooth it all out and cut your fruit and arrange it as you wish, the final touch being the mint! I don't think I've ever made such a fun cake, and it was gobbled up in less than 2 seconds... 

Bonus...