A drip cake with madeina cake and vanilla buttercream topped with cherries and strawberries

Cherry on top: Paul Hollywood’s Drip Cake is the ultimate celebration bake

Name: Cherry on top: Paul Hollywood’s Drip Cake is the ultimate celebration bake
Prep time: 180 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 12 - 10 portions
Ingredients: 340 g of self-raising flour; 230 g of caster sugar; 230 g of soft margarine, plus extra to grease; 4 medium eggs, at room temperature; 2 tbsp of milk; 200 g of unsalted butter, softened; 400 g of icing sugar, sifted; 1 tsp of vanilla extract; 8 tbsp of raspberry jam; 125 g of white chocolate, broken into small pieces; 1/2 tsp vegetable oil Red food gel colouring; red summer fruits (raspberries, redcurrants, cherries etc)

The Great British Bake Off judge’s new book features seasonal sweat and savory bakes to enjoy throughout the year, including some indulgent summer fruit delights

180 min

medium

12 - 10 portions

By: Paul Hollywood

June 13, 2025Jun 13, 2025, 2:59 PM GMT+1

Paul Hollywood is a celebrity chef best known for his role as a judge on The Great British Bake Off, since 2010. In this, his tenth book, the famous baker, who began his career at his father's bakery in Cheshire as a teenager, takes us through his favourite seasonal bakes: from asparagus tarts in spring, to stone fruits, apples and pears in Autumn.

Paul who lives with his second wife Melissa Spalding in Kent, was appointed an MBE in the 2024 New Year Honours for his services to baking and broadcasting.

Drip cake with vanilla buttercream topped with strawberry jam and fruits — Paul Hollywood’s Celebrate, with photography by Haarala Hamilton, published by Bloomsbury Publishing, priced at £26

Ingredients

Madeira Cake

340 g of self-raising flour
230 g of caster sugar
230 g of soft margarine, plus extra to grease
4 medium eggs, at room temperature
2 tbsp of milk

Vanilla Buttercream

200 g of unsalted butter, softened
400 g of icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp of vanilla extract

To assemble

8 tbsp of raspberry jam

To decorate

125 g of white chocolate, broken into small pieces
1/2 tsp vegetable oil Red food gel colouring
red summer fruits (raspberries, redcurrants, cherries etc)

Method

The ‘drip’ decorating technique is now really popular and I think it looks incredible. You can use it with ganache, icing or melted chocolate, on all kinds of cakes. The trick is to get the consistency just right.

Heat your oven to 150°C/130°C Fan/Gas 2. Grease 2 deep 18cm loose- bottomed round cake tins and line with baking paper.
To make the cake, put all the cake ingredients into a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until smoothly combined then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute.
Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared cake tins and gently smooth the tops to level. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 1–1¼ hours until the cakes are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack. Leave to cool completely.
To make the vanilla buttercream, in a bowl using a hand-held electric whisk, beat the butter until very soft. Add the icing sugar a heaped spoonful at a time, whisking until fully incorporated after each addition. Continue to beat until the buttercream is light and fluffy. Finally, beat in the vanilla extract.
To assemble, trim a fine slice off the top of each cake to level if necessary. Slice each cake in half horizontally so you have 4 layers in total. Place one base layer in the centre of a thin cake board.
Spread half of the raspberry jam on the bottom layer, being careful not to go right to the edge, then cover with another cake layer. Spread with about a third of the vanilla buttercream and place another cake layer on top. Spread with the remaining jam and cover with the final cake layer. Trim the outside edge of the cakes so they are level.
Transfer the cake to an icing turntable. Spread a thin layer of vanilla buttercream around the side of the cake, then hold a plain cake scraper against the side of the cake and revolve the turntable with the other hand to create an even finish. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on top of the cake and level it, using a palette knife.
Place the cake in the fridge to allow the buttercream covering to firm up for at least 30 minutes.
10 For the drip topping, put the white chocolate and vegetable oil into a small heatproof bowl and melt over a pan of simmering water (or carefully in short bursts in the microwave, stirring well in between).
Remove from the heat and stir until smooth then stir through a little red gel colouring to achieve the desired colour.
Leave the red drip topping to cool slightly and thicken to the required consistency: it needs to have some substance so it cools and sets as it drips down the side of your cake. If too thin it will run straight down.
Transfer the cake to a cake stand or flat serving plate. Spoon a third of the red drip topping into a paper piping bag and snip off the tip. Pipe around the edge of the cake and allow it to slowly trickle over the side to create a drip pattern. Carefully spread the rest of the red topping on top of the cake.
Place the cake in the fridge for another 30 minutes to allow the drip topping to set. Decorate the top of the cake with fresh red fruits just before serving.