Recipes

Teatime Treats

1 Sponge Cake – 4 ways

"One cake, decorated with care on a beautiful plate can change a mood of despondency to optimism and happiness." BASIC SPONGE CAKE Ingredients 4 extra large eggs 250 g (300 ml) Huletts Castor Sugar 280 g (500 ml) cake flour 15 ml baking powder 250 ml milk 100 g butter 5 ml vanilla essence

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
2. Beat eggs and castor sugar together until thick and creamy.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder together and fold into egg and sugar mixture.
4. Heat milk and butter together, but do not boil.
5. Add vanilla essence.
6. Stir into batter.
7. Spoon into 2 x 22 cm round greased cake pans.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes until done.
9. Cool on wire rack.

STRAWBERRY CREAM CAKE Ingredients 1 basic sponge cake 125 ml strawberry jam 250 ml fresh cream 5 ml vanilla essence Huletts Castor Sugar, to taste a mixture of fresh or frozen berries Huletts Icing Sugar for dusting

Method

1. Sandwich the cake layers with strawberry jam.
2. Also spread top of cake with the jam.
3. Beat the cream until stiff and flavour with vanilla essence and castor sugar to taste.
4. Spread cake generously with the beaten cream.
5. Wash and hull the berries (defrost if using frozen berries).
6. Decorate cake with berries.
7. Dust with sifted icing sugar just before serving.
8. Serve immediately.

CUSTARD CAKE Ingredients 1 x Basic Sponge Cake FILLING 500 ml milk 40 g (75 ml) custard powder 1 ml salt 125 g soft butter 210 g (250 ml) Huletts Castor Sugar 5 ml vanilla essence

Method

1. Cut the two sponge cake layers horizontally in halve ending with 4 layers.
2. Heat 400 ml milk to boiling point.
3. Mix custard powder with remaining milk to form a smooth paste and stir into boiling milk.
4. Keep on stirring until the mixture thickens. Remove from stove and cover with cling wrap to prevent crust forming.
5. Leave to cool completely.
6. Beat the butter and castor sugar in food processor until light and creamy.
7. Add the vanilla essence and spoon in the thick custard, a little at a time, with the machine running constantly.
8. Spread a third of the custard mixture over the first sponge cake layer.
9. Repeat the process, ending with the last sponge cake layer topped with the custard filling.

SPONGE CAKE WITH LEMON FILLING Ingredients 1 x Basic Sponge Cake 190 ml lemon curd (see below) 250 ml cream, whipped icing sugar LEMON CURD 60 g butter or margarine 70 g (80 ml) Huletts Castor Sugar 2 extra-large egg yolks 60 ml lemon juice

Method

1. Spread the lemon curd over one of the sponges and top with whipped cream.
2. Place the remaining sponge on top.
3. Dust with icing sugar.

Method for Lemon Curd

1. Heat the butter and sugar together in a double cooker.
2. Beat the egg yolks and add to the mixture along with the lemon juice, beating continuously.
3. Continue stirring until the mixture begins to thicken.
4. Remove from stove plate and leave to cool.