Cake Baking 103: Fresh Fruit Cakes Masterclass

Prepare a watermelon to fit a 16-inch cake ring, trim and remove rind, and cut into slices; sprinkle 3 g sugar and salt, then refrigerate 6–8 hours to prevent sogginess.

Preheat the oven to 150, prep a silicone mat with a 16in cake ring stencil, whip egg whites with lemon juice and caster sugar into meringue, bake 22–25 minutes, cool.

Master making pastry cream from milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, butter, and vanilla paste; cook to a thick custard, chill, fold with whipped cream and gelatin, and pipe for cakes.

assemble a fresh fruit cake by layering pastry cream and dark crust, piping from the center, brushing with rose syrup, and topping with watermelon, flowers, and greens; refrigerate 3–4 hours.

steam white sweet potato until tender, then mash with semi whipped cream and honey. cool the mashed potato, whip the cream, then fold to keep a chunky texture.

Craft a light chiffon cake by blending vegetable oil and French meringue with eggs, milk, vanilla paste, and carefully prepared dry and wet ingredients.

Warm milk to melt honey, do not boil; simmer, add tablespoon honey and cool. Whip thickened cream with sugar and vanilla paste to medium peaks, chill to prevent fat separation.

Assemble the sweet potato cake by layering sponge, soaking with milk syrup, piping the sweet potato filling, then cover with whipped cream and decorate with edible flowers before chilling.

Separate yolk from whites to craft genoise sponge, sift flour, cornstarch, and baking powder, melt butter with milk, and preheat 16 cm tin lined with baking paper to 180 degrees.

Whip egg whites with sugar to medium stiff peaks, fold in yolk, dry ingredients, and butter-milk mix to Genoa sponge, bake at 165 for about 30 minutes.

Master vanilla sugar syrup and fruit prep, halve grapes, and stabilize whipped cream with yogurt and gelatin, then flavor with vanilla and lemon zest for a fresh fruit cake.

Assemble the cake using a ring and acetate sheet, soak Genoa sponge in vanilla sugar syrup, then layer grapes with cream.

Whip cold cream to a soft texture that holds its shape. Pipe and decorate a fresh fruit cake with grapes and edible flowers, balancing flavors with yogurt acidity.