A light and delicate dream of a cake – perfect for entertaining
Diana Henry
The Telegraph's award-winning cookery writer
Diana Henry is the Telegraph’s much-loved cookery writer. She shares recipes each week, for everything from speedy family dinners to special menus that friends will remember for months. She is also a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 4, and her journalism and recipe books, including Simple and How to Eat a Peach, are multi-award-winning. A mother of two sons, Diana can satisfy even the fussiest of eaters.
Published
This cake is both very British – elderflower and strawberries – and very Scandinavian. Whisked sponges are properly made by beating the eggs and sugar over a pan of simmering water, but it’s a bit of a palaver. If you have a good, powerful mixer you can achieve a good result, but the addition of baking powder gives the cake a bit of help to rise. This is best made on the day you want to eat it. Don’t assemble it until just before serving.
Requires 10 minutes macerating time
Overview
Prep time
30 mins
Cook time
25 mins
Serves
8
Ingredients
- butter, for greasing
- 225g caster sugar, plus more for dusting
- 150g plain flour, plus more for dusting
- 3 large eggs
- finely grated zest of ½ lemon
- 75ml hot water
- 1½ tsp baking powder
For the cream filling and topping
- 300g crème fraîche
- 300ml double cream
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 3 tbsp elderflower cordial (I use Bottlegreen; brands can vary in strength)
- 1 tbsp icing sugar (or to taste)
- squeeze of lemon, to taste
For the strawberries
- 600g strawberries
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp elderflower cordial
Method
Step
Preheat the oven to 180C/170C fan/gas mark 4.
Step
Butter 2 x 23cm cake tins and line the bases with baking parchment. Butter the parchment. Dust the insides with caster sugar and then flour, tipping out the excess.
Step
Put 3 large eggs and 225g caster sugar into the bowl of an electric stand mixer and beat until the mixture is pale and mousse-like. When you lift the beaters and let the mixture drip on to the surface of the beaten eggs, it should create a ‘ribbon’ that doesn’t disappear – it lies on the surface.
Step
Add the finely grated zest of ½ lemon and 75ml hot water. Beat to combine.
Step
Sift 150g plain flour, 1½ tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt together and fold this into the eggs using a large metal spoon. You don’t want to knock out the air so be gentle.
Step
Scrape the batter into the prepared tins and bake for 25 minutes. Don’t open the oven door while the cakes are baking or they’ll sink.
Step
After 25 minutes, the sponges should just be coming away from the sides of the tin. Leave in their tins for 5 minutes, then carefully turn them out on to a wire rack. Leave to cool completely and peel off the paper.
Step
For the filling, beat 300g crème fraîche until you’ve loosened it – it’s always quite stiff.
Step
Beat 300ml double cream until it holds its shape well but don’t over-beat it.
Step
Combine the 2 creams and add 1 tsp lemon zest plus 3 tbsp elderflower cordial, 1 tbsp icing sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste.
Step
Halve or slice 600g strawberries (depending on their size) and add 1 tbsp caster sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 4 tbsp elderflower cordial. Leave to macerate for about 10 minutes.
Step
It’s best to fill and decorate the cake on the plate on which you want to serve it, as it’s hard to move it afterwards. Spread one of the sponges – with the surface that was exposed during baking underneath – with the elderflower cream and half the strawberries. Put the other sponge on top, exposed area uppermost, and spread on the rest of the cream. Carefully spoon on the rest of the strawberries.