raspberry & white chocolate cake
a shark cake for florence
this is my submission for the next australian women’s weekly children’s birthday cake book
a wobbegong is a type of shark, a harmless shark, often seen in the waters near me
and this was a birthday cake for my lovely friend florence, who i swim with weekly
the base is a raspberry & white chocolate almond sheet cake, coated in cream cheese frosting and dusted with cocoa powder for the signature wobbegong spots
if, for some reason, you don’t need a shark cake in your life this would also be nice as a regular sheet cake - just skip the cocoa powder and the eyes
feeds many hungry swimmers
ingredients
raspberry & white chocolate cake
120g butter, melted
60g vegetable oil
140g dark brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
200g kefir
60g milk
270g self-raising flour
50g almond meal
200g frozen raspberries
100g white chocolate chips
cream cheese frosting
500g cream cheese, softened
60g butter, softened
30g dark brown sugar
pinch salt
assembly
2 mentos for the eyes
cocoa powder to dust
method
raspberry & white chocolate cake
preheat the oven to 180°C
line a deep sheet tray with baking paper
whisk together the melted butter (120g), oil (60g), sugar (140g), eggs (3), vanilla (2 tsp), kefir (200g), and milk (60g) until smooth
fold in the flour (270g) and almond meal (50g) until just combined
add the raspberries (200g) and white chocolate (100g) and fold into the batter
pour into the prepared tin
bake for 28-35 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean
cool completely, then wrap and chill overnight for cleaner cuts
cream cheese frosting
add the cream cheese (500g), butter (60g), dark brown sugar (30g), and a pinch of salt to a bowl and beat together until smooth and creamy
assembly
once the cake has been chilled overnight, it’s time to get carving!
carve the cake into an abstract shark cake (see photos for reference) and reserve the cut-offs to make the fins
it should look a little dopey
transfer the cake base to your serving platter
use a layer of cream cheese frosting to glue the fins onto the cake, then cover the cake again and chill to firm up
cover the cake with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting to start, then use the remaining frosting to shape the fins, forehead, and tail
cover again and transfer to the fridge to set up again
just before serving, dust cocoa powder in stripes across the wobbegong cake
press two mentos into the face for eyes
best served 1-2 hours out of the fridge, with prosecco and party hats
