Ingredients
Cake:
- 4 cups sweet potato, grated
- 4 cups cake flour
- 3 cups muscovado sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 2 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon, ground
- 1 1/2 tsp mixed spice
- 1/4 tsp cardamom, ground
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups sunflower oil
- 8 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 4 tbsp orange zest
- 5 lemons, zest of
- 4 tbsp stem ginger
- 1 tin crushed pineapple
Marshmallow frosting:
- 3 egg whites, XL
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Sweet potato shards:
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
Marshmallow fondant:
- 20 marshmallows, white
- 1 tsp canola
- 2 tbsp water
- 3 1/2 cups icing sugar
- 3 tbsp margarine
Preparation method
Cake:
- Preheat oven to180 C
- Grease 3 x 22cm sandwich tins and line the base with baking paper
- Sift the dry ingredients into large mixing bowl
- Add remaining ingredients with the juice from the pineapple
- Mix to combine, then divide over the three tins
- Spoon into tins and bake for 45 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean
- Leave to cool in pans, then invert onto cooling racks and remove paper
Marshmallow frosting:
- Place egg whites, sugar, salt and cream of tartar over simmering water
- Do not let the bottom of bowl touch the water
- Whisk for 3 minutes until warmed and sugar is dissolved
- Remove from heat and beat on high speed until stiff and glossy
- Add vanilla and mix
- Stack cakes with thin layer of frosting
- Pipe with a decorative pattern
Sweet potato shards:
- Peel the sweet potato and then peel long strips
- Bring the sugar and water to the boil
- Add sweet potato and simmer slowly, until soft and slightly translucent
- Drain and lay strips crinkled on a non-stick sheet
- Bake at 100 C for 50-60 minutes, until almost crisp
Marshmallow fondant:
- Melt marshmallow, 1 tbsp margarine and 2 tbsp water
- Add icing sugar as soon as marshmallow mixture is lukewarm
- Add icing sugar one cup at a time until you reach thick and firm icing
- Knead on a clean surface until smooth
- Colour and shape fondant into the shape of a sweet potato
- Cut slices of the fondant sweet potato to decorate the cake