Rosé Champagne chiffon cake

METHOD

PREHEAT the oven to 180°C. Grease and line two large 30cm x 20cm baking tins with baking paper.

IN a large, clean bowl, whisk the 12 egg whites until thick and stiff. Slowly whisk in 110g of the castor sugar. In another bowl, whisk the 12 egg yolks and the remaining sugar until the mixture is very thick and pale, about 10 minutes. Fold in the vanilla and flour.

LIGHTLY whisk one third of the whipped egg whites into the egg-yolk mixture to lighten it, then fold the remaining egg whites in, taking care to knock as little air out as possible. Pour the cake batter into the lined baking pans and bake in the preheated oven until springy to the touch, 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

French Buttercream

PLACE the 100g sugar and Champagne/MCC/sparkling wine in a saucepan and simmer gently until reduced by half to form a syrup. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.

CREAM the butter until very light and fluffy and set aside.

WHISK the 6 eggs and syrup together over a pot of gently simmering water with an electric hand mixer until tripled in size and hot to the touch (it should read 60°C on a sugar thermometer). Remove from heat and continue to beat until the mixture reaches room temperature.

GRADUALLY beat the egg mixture into the whipped butter, adding a few drops of pink food colouring. Continue beating until a light, smooth buttercream forms, 10 minutes.

To Assemble

Cut the sheets of cake in half lengthways so you have four long strips. Spread with a thin layer of peach jam, then spread the buttercream on the cake. Place the strips lengthways, end to end, and roll up to form a short, fat Swiss roll. Place the Swiss roll on one of its flat ends to form the cake (trim it if necessary). Allow to set in the fridge until firm, then frost the sides with buttercream to serve.

Garnish your rosé champagne chiffon cake with gold-dusted roses and Christmas decorations.