Staying in the weekend? I’ve got the perfect (quaran-)cream cake recipe for you to try at home. It’s guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and importantly help fill your time (and stomachs) during self-isolation.
I’m not usually known for my baking skills, and anyone who watches Bake Off and say’s “I could do that!” is foolishly mistaken. It’s certainly harder than it appears and for someone who’s known for their lumpy custard and many a baking fail, I seem to have found my jam; quite possibly because this is so simple you can’t go wrong!
So, here’s what you’ll need:
For the cake:
4 eggs
6oz sugar
6oz self-rising flour
For the filling:
A tub of whipping cream
Vanilla Essence
Strawberry or raspberry jam
Fresh strawberries washed and chopped
Icing sugar for dusting
The Method:
Pre-heat your oven to a moderate heat and grease two 8-inch round cake tins.
To start with, use an electric mixer to beat together your eggs and sugar, until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Top tip: to test whether the mixture is thick enough, use your beaters to make a trail in the bowl. If this sinks straight away back into the mixture, then it’s too runny – so keep on mixing. If it stays put and sinks slowly, the mixture is ready.
Now fold in your flour, bit by bit, until it’s all added to the mix. That’s your cake made!
Share the mixture evenly between the two cake tins and place in the oven for 12-15 mins, keeping an eye on them and possibly switching them around half-way through. Leave to cool on a cooling tray.
As your cake halves are cooling, begin preparing your fillings. To whip the cream, add as much as you feel to a bowl with a drop or two of vanilla essence. Then proceed to whisk, again using an electric whisk, until it’s the perfect consistency. Be careful not to overwhip the cream.
To decorate, start by added a generous layer of jam to one half of the cake. Next, add another thick layer of whipped cream and top with chopped up strawberries.
To finish, place the plain half on top, dust with some icing sugar and use up any spare strawberries and cream.
Let me know how your cakes go and if there’s any recipes you particularly enjoy baking. I would love to branch out from making sponges (as delicious as they are!)
Eleanor Margaret 