Sponge Cake with Cream and Berries
A tall, airy whisked sponge made with only eggs, sugar and flour, split into layers with raspberry jam, whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
About this dish
The whisked sponge, known in Ukraine as biskvit, has no butter and no baking powder: all the lift comes from air beaten into eggs. It is the classic base of a home birthday cake across Eastern Europe, filled with whatever cream, jam or fruit the season gives. It rewards patience at one stage only, the whisking, and punishes one mistake, knocking the air out when the flour goes in.
- Vegetarian
- Not vegan because of Eggs, Heavy cream
- Contains gluten because of Plain flour
- Contains dairy because of Heavy cream
Ingredients
- 6largeEggs
- 180gCaster sugar
- 1tspVanilla extract
- 180gPlain flour
- 500mlHeavy cream
- 60gIcing sugar
- 3tbspRaspberry jam
- 400gStrawberries
Instructions
Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, then off the heat with a mixer for 10 minutes, until pale, tripled and thick enough to leave a ribbon.
10 minTip: The gentle warmth dissolves the sugar and lets the eggs hold more air. Do not stop early; this foam is the only raising agent.
Sift the flour over the foam in three additions and fold it in with a spatula, then pour into a lined 22 cm tin and bake at 180°C for 30 minutes.
30 minTip: Fold from the bottom up, turning the bowl, and stop as soon as no streaks remain. Do not open the oven in the first 20 minutes or the cake will sink.
Turn the sponge out onto a rack and cool it completely, then slice it horizontally into three even layers with a serrated knife.
60 minTip: Cut only when fully cold. A warm sponge crumbles, and a day-old one slices more cleanly still.
Whip the cold cream with 40 g of the icing sugar until it holds soft peaks.
8 minTip: Cold cream, bowl and whisk whip faster and hold longer. Stop at soft peaks; past that it turns grainy.
Spread the bottom layer with jam, then a thick layer of cream and sliced strawberries; repeat on the middle layer, cap with the top, cover with the remaining cream and strawberries, dust with the rest of the icing sugar and chill for at least 2 hours.
15 minTip: Chilling lets the cream firm and the layers soak up a little moisture, which makes the cake sliceable and soft.