A light vanilla-spiked sponge topped with pillowy whipped cream and finished off with lots of syrupy strawberries. Chic enough for afternoon tea, showy enough for dessert.
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Yields:
8 - 10
Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr
Total Time:
1 hr 15 mins
Ingredients
175 g butter, softened
175 g caster sugar
2 medium eggs
200 g self-raising flour
1 tsp. vanilla paste* We used GH Pantry Partner, LittlePod
1/2 tsp. baking powder
100 ml cream soda
FOR THE TOPPING
100 ml cream soda
150 g caster sugar
150 g strawberries, trimmed and thinly sliced
200 ml double cream
Directions
Step 1Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5 and grease and line a loaf tin. Beat butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, adding a little flour in between to stop the mix curdling. Stir in vanilla paste, then fold in remaining flour and baking powder before stirring in cream soda. Pour into tin and bake for 50-55min, until risen, golden and a skewer comes out of the middle clean. Cool in tin for 10min. Turn on to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 2Meanwhile, for the topping, add cream soda and caster sugar to a pan. Bring to the boil for 1min. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 6-8min, until reduced and syrupy. Remove from heat. Stir in sliced strawberries. Allow to cool completely.
Step 3Whip cream to soft peaks and pipe over cooled cake. Decorate with the syrupy strawberries to serve.
GH TIP
This delicious strawberry syrup is great drizzled over ice cream, too. You could also make this recipe with blueberries or raspberries instead.
Linzi joins the Good Housekeeping team as Kitchen Manager, looking after the brand-new, state-of-the art test and demo kitchens based in the heart of Leicester Square. With over a decade of experience producing food content for leading brands, she’s won awards for her recipes, battled Christmas dinners in July, and spent a lot of time pondering the next big food trend (no more pistachio, please!) Originally from the North East of Scotland, she lives in West London with her Italian husband and twin daughters, feeding them a variety of haggis and ragu - depending on the mood!
