Sponge Cake with Fresh Cream and Strawberries

It has been too long. I would like to say that it is because I have been super busy, but that would not be 100% true. I have been a bit busy, but mostly I have been lazy and avoiding baking. Throw in a holiday to Queenstown (yay!fun!) and a dysfunctional kitchen (or lack there of) and that is all the reasons why this is the first post in several months. 

So yeah. Here is a new one!

I am making a wedding cake in a couple of weeks and the Bride and Groom have requested that one layer be a sponge cake. Having not made a sponge cake since possibly Home Economics in high school I thought I better have a practice go.

So here is a beautiful light sponge cake, so quick and easy to make, with fresh cream and strawberries! Note the photos aren't the best, it has been a while ok and the light was fading :(

Sponge Cake with Fresh Cream and Strawberries

Adapted from Taste.com

What you will need

1/3 cup plain flour
1/3 cup self raising flour
1/3 cup cornflour
4 eggs, room temperat
2/3 cup caster sugar

300ml cream
2 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Strawberries

What you will need to do

Preheat oven to 180*C. Line one 8 inch round pan with grease proof paper, spray with oil and dust with flour. I did all three so there was no way the cake would stick!

Sift the flours together into a bowl three times for aeration. Set aside.

Whisk eggs and sugar together with electric mixer for 6 minutes and until the mixture has tripled in volume. Gradually sift the flour mixture over the egg mixture while gently folding in with a metal spoon until just combined.

Gently pour mixture into pan and bake for 20 minutes in preheated oven. Remove from oven when sides of the cake start to come away from pan and the top springs back when touched lightly. Turn out onto cooling racks and remove baking paper. Once cooled, cut in half and fill with whipped cream and strawberries.

To make the cream, pour cream, sugar and vanilla into a bowl and whisk until starting to hold its shape. Spread evenly over first layer of sponge. Cut tops off strawberries and then in half. Arrange strawberries on the bottom layer. Place top layer of sponge over that and repeat process.

Tiramisu Roll

I have been craving tiramisu all week! I had it a couple of weeks ago at this quaint little dessert bar in Townsville, James Kyah Dessert Bar and Cafe, and it was soo delicious I just had to make it. I wanted to add my own twist on it though so decided not to construct it from sponge fingers but instead a sponge cake. I have seen it done like this before already so decided to go one step further and make it into a Swiss Roll-like sponge cake.

I came across a few hurdles with this recipe. I didn't cook the sponge long enough, I didn't wait long enough for the sponge to cool down and the mascarpone cream mix was a bit too runny. The recipe I followed incorporated whisked egg whites in the cream at the end, however this makes it very light and runny. Leaving them out will make the cream thicker and richer!

 Tiramisu Roll

(Sponge and Tiramisu recipe adapted from Taste.com)

What you will need

1/4 cup strong espresso
1/4 cup Cappuccino Liqueur (can be substituted for Kahlua or Marsala)
2 tbsp instant coffee powder
1 tbsp caster sugar extra

For the Sponge
3 eggs
3/4 caster sugar
1 cup self raising flour
2 tablespoons boiling water

For the Mascarpone Cream
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup caster sugar
300ml thickened cream, lightly whisked
250g mascarpone cheese

What you will need to do

Preheat the oven to 200*C and line a swiss roll tray with baking paper. For the sponge, whisk the eggs and 1/2 cup of sugar together until pale and thick. Sift the self raising flour over the egg mix and drizzle the water around the edge of the bowl. Use a large metal spoon and fold the ingredients together but do not over mix. Pour the mix into the prepared tray and bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until sponge is cooked through.

While the sponge is cooking, place a sheet of baking paper on the bench the size of the swiss roll tray and sprinkle it with the remaining sugar. When the sponge comes out of the oven, immediately flip it onto the sugared baking paper. While the sponge is still warm, roll it up from one end and wrap it in a tea towel to hold the shape. Leave out to cool completely.

To make the mascarpone cream, place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until thick and pale. Fold in mascarpone cheese and thickened cream. When the sponge is completely cooled, unroll it gently. Place espresso and cappuccino liqueur together in a cup, use a pastry brush and brush it onto the sponge. Cover the whole sponge, bar a two inch strip at the bottom, with a layer of mascarpone cream. Roll the sponge up again taking care not to let too much cream squeeze out. Place the roll on a plate seam side down and cover in more cream. Leave to set in the freezer for several hours. When ready to serve, sift some instant coffee over the top and then sprinkle with caster sugar.