Strawberry & Vanilla Cream Sponge
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
For the sponge:
knob of butter, melted
225g butter, at room temperature
225g caster sugar
4 large free-range eggs
225g self-raising flour, sifted, plus 1 tbsp extra for dusting the tins
To serve:
250-275ml double cream, lightly whipped
1 vanilla pod
2 tbsp good quality strawberry jam
150-200g fresh strawberries, stalk remove and halved or quartered
2 tbsp sieved icing sugar, plus extra for dusting the finish cake
You will also need 2 x 15cm-17.5cm cake tins
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC/fan 160ºC fan oven/gas 4.
First of all, to prepare the tins brush inside with the melted butter. Place a circle of greaseproof paper in the base of both tins, then coat the inside edges with a dusting of flour.
Place the butter and caster sugar in a bowl and beat well until light, creamy and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, with a spoonful of flour with each egg, to prevent the mixture from curdling, the gently mix in the remaining flour.
Divide the mixture evenly between the tins. Spread over the surface with a palate knife or spatula and place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when pressed gently with a finger and are pale golden in colour.
Remove from the oven and take them out of the tins after about 5-10 minutes. Place them on a wire rack to cool completely (for about half an hour).
While the cakes are cooling, place the cream in a bowl. Split the vanilla pod, and scrape out the seeds into the cream. Add the icing sugar and whip to form soft peaks.
Once the cake is cool, spread the jam on the surface of one sponge, and the cream on the other. Sit the strawberries on top of the cream, and place the strawberry jam sponge on top, pressing lightly to hold in place.
Dust the top of the cake with icing sugar and serve.
Recipe provdided by Jo Pratt and Leisure
Tagged in Recipes