12 MONTHS OF BIRTHDAYS

RECIPE:

For the rhubarb compote & puree:

800g fresh pink (forced) rhubarb

160g white caster sugar

Zest and juice of 1 orange

1tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean pod scraped

For the rhubarb shards

2 stems of pink rhubarb, trimmed and cut in half

Sugar syrup

For the crème patisserie (custard) filling:

4 egg yolks (whites reserved for buttercream)

250ml whole milk

250ml double cream

120g white caster sugar

50g cornflour

Zest of one orange or lemon

1tsp vanilla bean paste

For the buttermilk orange cake:

285g unsalted butter (room temperature)

285g golden caster sugar

5 medium organic eggs

285g self-raising flour

1/2tsp salt

Zest of 1 orange

1tsp vanilla bean paste

200ml room temperature buttermilk

For the vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream:

4 egg whites (reserved from earlier)

300g white caster sugar

450g unsalted butter (diced at room temperature)

2tsp vanilla bean paste

Pinch of salt

Rhubarb puree

Rose pink food gel colour (optional)

Equipment:

Saucepan

Sharp knife

Blender

Sieve

Mandolin

Lined baking trays

Mandoline slicer