Strawberries & Cream – the epitome of British Summer!
It’s also THE thing to eat when at Wimbledon! It doesn’t get much better than tucking into a big bowlful whilst sat on Henman Hill (or Murray Mound?) enjoying the tennis.
It is a truly classic combination! I love this summery, fruity cake so much and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do. Maybe sat in the sunshine with a cheeky glass of Pimms?
This cake is based on a Victoria Sponge (it’s just SO British) and it’s filled with fresh strawberry jam and whipped cream and covered with a nude vanilla buttercream. I finished it off with a strawberry sauce drip (just like the stuff you’d put on a 99!) and decorated with some fresh strawberries, crispy meringues and some gold leaf and fresh flowers for a touch of elegance!
This recipe makes a two layer 8″ cake and gives ~8 servings of deliciousness! It will take ~2 hrs to make. The strawberry jam can be made well in advance as it will keep in a sterilised jar (see link) or you can use shop bought!
Make sure the ingredients for the sponges are all at room temperature for best results.
Ingredients:
For the sponges:
- 250 g unsalted butter, softened
- 250 g caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 250 g self raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract)
For the decoration:
- 300 ml double cream
- approx. 3 tbsp strawberry jam (I’ve got a great recipe here if you’d like to make your own!)
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 300 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- mini meringues (you can find my recipe here)
- punnet of fresh strawberries
For the strawberry sauce:
- 100 g strawberries, chopped
- 30 g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 10-50 ml warm water
Useful Equipment: two 8″ cake tins, baking paper, weighing scales, mixing bowls, spatula, whisk/hand/stand mixer, sieve, wire cooling rack, serving board, piping bag, piping nozzles, palette knife, cake scraper
Method:
For the sponges:
- Preheat the oven to 175 °C fan/350 °F and grease two 8″ cake tins, lining the base with baking paper.
- In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Whilst beating (with a whisk or mixer), add the eggs one at a time.
- Add the vanilla bean paste or extract and mix to combine.
- Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold gently until just combined.
- Finally, divide the cake mix equally between the cake tins and bake for 20-25 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool for 10 mins whilst in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack.
Decorating the cake:
- In a clean bowl, whisk the double cream until stiff peaks are formed. This should take up to 5 mins. Be careful not to over-whisk.
- For the buttercream, beat the butter until soft and gradually add the icing sugar until a smooth consistency is reached. Add the vanilla and combine. Place about 1/3 of the buttercream into a piping bag with your favourite nozzle.
- To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on your serving board and cover evenly with 3 tbsp strawberry jam. Pipe a circle of buttercream around the edge of the cake. This will help to stop the cream from oozing out the sides. Dollop the whipped double cream into the centre and place the second layer on top.
- As the cake filling is soft, I suggest chilling the assembled sponges in the fridge for at least half an hour before covering in buttercream. Using a palette knife, spread the buttercream on top of the cake and around the edges. With a cake scraper (or palette knife), smoothen the top and edges of buttercream. I went for a nude finish – it’s nice and easy and doesn’t have to be perfect! Chill the cake for a further 30 mins whilst you make the sauce.
- Place the chopped strawberries, granulated sugar, vanilla and lemon juice in a medium saucepan and cook over a medium heat for approximately 10 mins. Using a food processor, blend the strawberry mixture to a puree and then strain through a sieve into a bowl. At this point the puree will be quite thick. Add warm water, 10 ml at a time, until the desired consistency is reached (you can test it by dripping it down the side of a bowl). Drip the sauce down the side of the cake – you can use a spoon or a squeezy bottle to do this.
- Finish the cake with fresh strawberries, meringues, piped buttercream and whatever decorations you fancy! Enjoy!
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