Ingredients
- Filling:
- Cake - (Butter, sugar & flour in equal quantities by weight)
- 340 g unsalted softened butter
- 340 g all-purpose flour
- 340 g sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
- 20 ripe, fresh strawberries
- 2 tbs confectioners or icing sugar
- Cream:
- 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 56 g cream cheese (optional) - i added
- 2 tbs lemon curd (optional) - i added
- 2 tbs icing or confectioners sugar & more for dusting on top of cake.
Preparation
Step 1
Line 2 qty 9" cake pans with parchment paper. Use some non-stick baking spray to adhere the sheets to the bottom of the pans.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl or electric stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until you get a pale, fluffy mixture that drops off the spoon easily.
Then in a separate jug beat the eggs thoroughly with a whisk.
Add the eggs 2 tbs at a time into the creamed butter & sugar mixture, thoroughly combining before adding the next bit.
Why not dump the whole lot of eggs in? Adding the eggs in a little at a time won't allow the mixture to curdle. And the reason this is important in a sponge cake is because some of the hidden air that by now has been beaten into the mixture will escape if the mixture 'breaks' and as air is what makes a cake light, curdling will make the cake heavier.
When the eggs have been incorporated, keep a metal tablespoon or a rubber spatula handy. Have the measured flour & baking powder in a sieve resting on a plate, then lift the sieve high above the bowl and sift about a quarter of it on to the mixture - then replace the sieve on the plate and lightly and gently fold the flour into the mixture (if you beat the flour in, you'll lose some of the precious air).
Then repeat this until all the flour is incorporated: lifting the sieve up high above the bowl will ensure the flour gets a good airing before it reaches the mixture.
Now that the flour has been added you should have a mixture that will drop off the spoon easily when you tap it on the side of the bowl. If not, add some hot water, 1-2 tsp as needed.
Divide the mixture equally between the cake pans. You don't need to weigh the cake mixtures because as long as one is fractionally larger than the other, it shouldn't matter.
Place them on the centre shelf of your preheated oven @ 180deg C, and they'll take about 25-30 minutes to cook. Good to know: Under no circumstances open the oven door and steal a peek or that'll be the end of your sponge cakes for they simply won't rise once you let the cold outside air into the oven.
When they are cooked, the centres will feel springy when lightly touched with a little fingertip and no imprint remain. Remove the cakes from then oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Then turn them out on to a wire cooling tray, loosening them around the edges with a palette knife first. Then carefully peel off the parchment papers and leave the cakes to cool completely.
Good to know: Once the cakes have been allowed to cool for a few hours, they can be stored in airtight cake tins till needed for up to 2-3 days on the counter top. They can also be wrapped in wax papers and a zip loc bag and stored on the counter top. They should not be refrigerated. Once the cakes have been assembled with cream and filling, they need to be refrigerated immediately and consumed in a day or two.
Strawberries: Wash and pat dry. Cut away the tops and slice lengthwise into slices. Place in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with 2 tbs icing or confectioners sugar. Slowly stir with spoon and set aside till ready to use.