I had some over-ripe bananas and planned to make my standard no-fat banana bread, but instead I decided I wanted to something more summery, like some kind of sponge cake with strawberries and cream.
I looked for a recipe I fancied trying and I couldn't find one. So I adapted 2 recipe's and came up with my own Blueberry & Raspberry Summer Sponge cake, complete with the requested strawberries and cream on top. It's not the low fat cake I had intended to make, but it was fresh and delicious. And the fruit surely counts as at least 1 of your 5-a-day, right?
Here is the recipe, if anyone fancies giving it a try:-
Ingredients
For the cake
200g butter, softened (I used Stork)
200g caster sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
4 eggs
200g self raising flour
100g raspberries
100g blueberries
For the topping
250ml double cream, whipped
as much fruit as you like - strawberries, raspberries and blueberries
Now, I only own one round cake tin, which is a 9 inch cake tin. I planned to bake this in 2 halves, one after the other, but as my cake tin is quite big and shallow and there was not enough mixture. If you use smaller tin, you can split this into 2 and create a layer cake like a Victoria sponge, with cream in the middle, or strawberries, or jam! Or alternatively double up the amounts to make 2 layers.
Method
For the cake
- Pre-heat oven to gas mark 5 (190C / 170C fan). Prep the cake tin(s) with grease proof paper
- Put butter, sugar and vanilla
extract into a bowl and beat well to a
creamy consistency
- Slowly beat in the
eggs, one by one
- Fold in the flour
and mix well
- Gently fold in 3/4 of the raspberries and blueberries
- Pour the mix into the tin(s) & put the remaining fruit on top - it will sink in when the cake rises
- Put in the pre-heated oven to bake for about 40 mins (20 mins if splitting the mix in half) until it rises and has a golden brown colour. The cake should spring back when
gently pushed in the middle
- When ready,
remove from the oven and allow to cool
for 5 mins in the tin, before transferring onto a wire rack and cooling completely
For the topping whip up the double cream and once the cake is completely cool spread it on top and then arrange the rest of the fruit in a pretty way.
Eat, enjoy & feel smug about the amazing cake you have just made!
Let me know in the comments if you give this a try, or if you have and adaptions or improvements.
Peace & Love xo
