MOTHER’S DAY CAKE
Grease and line a 23cm square cake tin and preheat the oven to 160C/Gas3
Sift the two types of flour together into a bowl
Put the margarine and caster sugar together in a large mixing bowl and beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy
Add the eggs one at a time with a spoonful of the flour, beating well after each addition; beat in the vanilla and fold in the remaining flour
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top; bake for about 2 hours until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean
Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then tour out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely
Place the broken pieces of chocolate into a large bowl
Gently heat the cream in a saucepan and bring up to boiling point; remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate; leave for 3 minutes until the chocolate has melted; leave to cool completely then whisk lightly; cover and place in the fridge for at least ½ hour; remove from the fridge and beat until thick
cut the rice paper into 30 rectangles about 4 x 8cm; they must stand higher than the edge of the cake; place some baking parchment on to a tray
Melt the chocolate and dip the smooth side of a rectangle shape into the chocolate; place onto the tray; coat 4 or 5 rectangles then, holding both edges of the tray, bang it on the work surface a couple of times to dislodge any air bubbles; repeat this procedure until all the rectangles have been covered; leave to set
To prepare the cake, level the top and turn it upside down, slice into two or three layers and re-assemble, filling the layers with the ganache
Spread ganache over the sides and top of the cake; peel the rice paper backing off the strips; press the white chocolate strips around the sides of the cake, overlapping them as you go
Fill the top with chocolates and gently tie a bow around the outside of the cake
