blackcurrant jam layered sponge cake - Dom in the Kitchen (2024)
by Dominic Franks
… we’ve decided to give the cottage a little bit of an internal and external facelift. Believe it or not, despite our creative bent, The Viking and I are quite the procrastinators, particularly when it comes to our own home. It has been known to take years to pick a paint colour. It begins with the recognition that the job needs doing… The Viking will mutter words such as ‘we really should get the upstairs hall painted’ or ‘i’d like to get sash windows for the front of the cottage’ and these mutterings can be years in advance of the final installation of job… years of choosing paint colours followed by months where nothing happens… followed by meeting decorators and suppliers… followed by months of nothing happening. I find it both exhausting and quite exciting. I tend to ignore him when the muttering begins but those last few weeks where we rush into a decisions where I come alive. We’ve started work on the bathroom. Something we should have done the day we moved in 11 years ago but we’ve finally chosen tiles and a new bath and have managed to lock down a man who can – believe me, in Lincolnshire, when they say they can it means they can, perhaps, next year… the kitchen is next… it needs a bit of a touch-up since being done so gloriously a few years ago and of course we’re having a new log-burning fire installed, all within a matter of weeks. It means the cottage is an absolute mess… dust sheets everywhere… dust everywhere, including my skin but I love living in the progress and since we had our kitchen ripped out three years ago i’ve got used to the idea and would much rather be on site during the process… there is no bigger critic than oneself and The Viking loves to tell me that I didn’t measure twice cut once… which of course, drives me insane….
black currant jam layered sponge cake I was in a cake baking mood this weekend which is handy because I know that February is going to be one of those blog-lite months and I wanted to pop something up here that was pretty to look at and sit as a bit of a place holder whilst i’m busy going crazy at work… the cake tasted spectacular but I went a bit too far with the blackcurrant icing and it curdled a little. I tried to revive it with some extra icing sugar but it was getting more sweet and not smooth so I gave up and went with it anyway… so, not so pretty but very tasty. I love a jam-in-the-batter cake. It always comes out so moist and fruity and a great way to add sugar without actually adding sugar, if you know what I mean…
for the cake 3 large free-range eggs 220g sugar 220g butter 220g self raising flour 1 teaspoon vanilla paste the grated zest of one orange 2 tablespoons blackcurrant jam
for the butter cream 250g butter 500g icing sugar the grated zest of an orange 1 tablespoon blackcurrant jam
pre-heat the oven to 170C and grease and line 2 x 18cm loose-bottom cake tins – I also lined the sides as this cake tends to burn easily
in a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter until soft and light and creamy (roughly 5 minutes) and then beat in 2 of the eggs, followed by half the flour, then beat in the last egg and the rest of the flour along with the vanilla paste – then, using a metal spoon, fold in the blackcurrant jam
divide the batter between the two cake tins and smooth over the tops
bake on the same shelf for 30 – 40 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool on a wore rack until cool
for the buttercream icing simply beat the butter in a large bowl until very pale and soft, then gently fold in half the icing sugar, then beat together until creamy, then fold in the remaining icing sugar along with the orange zest and beat again until creamy
use the icing to sandwich the cakes together and cover the outside, then add a tablespoon of blackcurrant jam to the remaining icing and a little milk to slacken and beat until a creamy consistency and swirl onto the top of the cake
eat and of course, enjoy!
Share this post:
Share on X (Twitter)Share on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare on E-mail
Give it some air. The magic of a light, fluffy sponge with tender crumb is to incorporate as much air in as possible. After all, it is the entrapped air that expands in the oven, creating the magic of the cake rising.
Place one cake layer upside down (flat bottom up) on a cake plate. Spread the Strawberry Cupcake Filling or jam over this cake layer, not quite to the edges. Set the second layer over the filling, top side up. (You should end up with the two flat bottoms of the cake layers meeting in the middle.)
Another possible reason is if the cake was over-baked. This generally causes a sponge to become dry but this can then lead to it being dense and heavy. If you baked it for the recommended time it may mean that your oven is running hot and that the baking time needs to be shortened slightly next time you make it.
While oil has a more neutral taste, which means that other flavours in the cake can stand out more. Our preference is still butter for a lot of recipes where possible, especially when you are aiming for a classic tasting cake such as Victoria Sponge.
Yes, you can use jam as a filling between cake layers along with whipped cream and on top of the cake. To ensure the jam sets properly, spread a thin layer of it between the cake layers and refrigerate briefly. This will help prevent the jam from making the cake layers too soggy.
If you use a cup rather than a scale there's a good chance you're using too much flour: up to 20% too much, if you use the measuring cup as a scoop then tamp the flour down. Any baked good — especially cake —with too much flour will be dry, hard, crumbly …
To avoid a leaning cake take your time as you're placing each cake layer, lowering it and then getting down to eye level and spinning the cake on a turntable to check it from all sides. To adjust a layer that's sticking out over the edge, nudge it back so it's centered.
For foam or sponge cakes, the only tool you need to test for doneness is your hand. You can tell when a sponge cake has finished baking by gently pressing the top of the cake.When the sponge springs back, it's done. If the indentation remains, give the cake a few more minutes in the oven.
Most cakes begin with creaming butter and sugar together. Butter is capable of holding air and the creaming process is when butter traps that air. While baking, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy cake. No properly creamed butter = no air = no fluffiness.
Technically any recipe that contains no baking powder or baking soda, but lots of whipped eggs or egg whites is a sponge cake. A traditional sponge cake has just three ingredients: flour, sugar, and eggs. As the name suggests, this cake takes well to being soaked with syrups.
The egg proteins conveniently form a layer around each air bubble. As the temperature of the cake rises in the heat of the oven this layer coagulates to form a rigid wall around each bubble, preventing it from bursting and ruining the cake's texture.
High-quality cakes should have a large volume, fine grain, and a moist, tender crumb. The flour used for their production is milled from low-protein soft wheats. Chlorine treatment makes it possible to produce sponge cakes with more even crumb texture, increased volume, and greater symmetry.
Most cakes begin with creaming butter and sugar together. Butter is capable of holding air and the creaming process is when butter traps that air. While baking, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy cake. No properly creamed butter = no air = no fluffiness.
Introduction: My name is Kerri Lueilwitz, I am a courageous, gentle, quaint, thankful, outstanding, brave, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
