Vanilla peach fuzz ombre cake

Basic Vanilla Sponge

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

Lightly grease three 18 cm cake tins with butter. Line the bottoms with baking paper to prevent sticking.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together using either a hand mixer or a stand mixer.

Gradually add the eggs one at a time, whipping well after each addition until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla extract for flavour.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a separate bowl.

Gently fold the sifted ingredients into the creamed mixture using a wooden spoon or a spatula. Take care to fold gently to preserve the light, airy texture of the batter.

Gradually pour in the milk, folding continuously until the batter is smooth and well combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared tins, smoothing the tops with the back of a spoon.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cakes are lightly golden brown on top and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Butter Cream Icing

Whip the butter on high for 6-8 minutes until it turns pale white (an essential!)

Gradually add sugar, continuing to whip for 4-5 minutes. Blend in the vanilla extract for flavour.

Slowly pour in the milk with the mixer on low.

Divide the frosting into three parts. Keep one white and tint the others with peach coloring, varying the intensity for an ombre effect.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler until just melted, take care not to overheat.

Whip the cream cheese and crème fraîche together and slowly start adding the melted chocolate.

Spoon into a piping bag.

Peach Compote

Place 250g of the peaches and the sugar into a medium sized pot and bring to the boil. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Remove and purée in a food processor or with a stick blender.

Return the purée to the pot and add the remaining 250g of peaches to the pot. Gently warm the peaches then add the corn starch mixed with a little bit of water. Let it thicken, remove and let it cool down completely.

Assembling the cake:

Start by placing the first sponge onto your cake stand, pipe a third of the cream cheese frosting onto the sponge starting in the middle and working your way towards a ridge on the outer rim to contain the peach compote.

Spoon a generous amount of the peach compote into the centre and repeat the first step with the second sponge.

Place the third sponge on top and press down onto the cake to ensure that it is sturdy and in its correct place.

Cover the cake with the white buttercream frosting using a pallet knife.

Start with the darker cream cheese frosting and decorate the first bottom third of the cake, repeat with the second, lighter-coloured frosting for the second third of the cake.

Using your pallet knife dipped into hot water start, rotate the cake and smooth the layers into each other to create the ombre effect.