Strawberries & cream cake

Name: Strawberries & cream cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 225 g unsalted butter, softened; 225 g self-raising flour; 225 g golden caster sugar; 4 eggs; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 2 unwaxed lemons, zest and 2 tbsp juice

Celebrate the arrival of summer with this delicious recipe from Chetna Makan, full with an abundance of fresh ingredients and colour. And for dessert what could be better than a simple cream cake plump with British strawberries

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Serves10
CourseDessert
Prepare30 mins
Cook20 mins
Total time50 mins
Plus10 mins cooling

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Ingredients

225g unsalted butter, softened
225g self-raising flour
225g golden caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 unwaxed lemons, zest and 2 tbsp juice

Filling

550g strawberries
2 unwaxed lemons, zest of all, juice of 1
4 tbsp golden caster sugar
200g mascarpone
200ml double cream

Method

Preheat the oven to 170ºC, gas mark 3. Grease and line 2 x 20cm round cake tins. In a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder, vanilla and lemon zest and juice. Use electric beaters to whisk for 2 minutes (you can also use a freestanding mixer). Once the batter is creamy and pale, divide it between the prepared cake tins. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the tins, then carefully remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, for the filling, halve all but 5 of the strawberries and put in a pan with the lemon juice and 1 tbsp sugar. Cook over a medium heat until the strawberries are tender (about 5 minutes). Remove the strawberries with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate. Return the syrup to the heat and gently simmer for a further 4-5 minutes, or until thickened and reduced. Put the strawberries back in the syrup and set aside to cool.
Once the cakes have cooled, put the mascarpone and remaining 3 tbsp sugar in a bowl and beat until smooth. Whisk in the cream and lemon zest until it just forms soft peaks. Finely chop the 5 reserved strawberries and fold them through the cream. Put one cake on a plate or cake stand, spread over ½ the mascarpone cream, then top with ½ the compote. Put the second cake on top, spread over the remaining cream and finish with the compote.