This simple sponge cake was created by Barbara Peters from the Shops at Dartington. The cake is taken to new heights with a zingy passionfruit curd and butter icing filling
SERVES 8
FOR THE CAKE
- 225g caster sugar
- 225g butter
- 4 large eggs
- 225g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- Dash of good quality vanilla extract
FOR THE BUTTER ICING:
- 225g butter
- 100g icing sugar
- 1–2 tsp milk
FOR THE FILLING
- Passion fruit curd, for spreading
- 1 passion fruit (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Grease two 20cm sandwich cake tins. Beat together the caster sugar and butter in a mixing bowl until pale and creamy. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then add them slowly to the sugar and butter mixture. If it starts to look like it is curdling, add 1 tbsp of the flour. Fold in the remaining flour with the baking powder and add the vanilla extract.
- Divide the mixture between the two greased cake tins and level them off with a spatula. Place them in the oven for about 20 mins or until the cake springs back when gently pressed and is golden brown.
- Leave to cool in the tins for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the butter icing, put all the butter icing ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat together until smooth.
- For the filling and decoration, take one of the cakes and spread a layer of passion fruit curd onto it. Add a thin layer of butter icing and top with the second cake. Decorate the top with a layer of passionfruit curd and pipe butter icing around the edge of the cake. Decorate with some fresh passion fruit pulp, if you like.
The Devon Cook Book compiled by Will Savage in partnership with Food & Drink Devon, published by Meze Publishing