Strawberry Sponge Cake

Serves: 8
Ease of preparation: Easy
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins

Ingredients

Sponge Mixture
• 37.5g Plain Flour
• 75g Self-Raising Flour
• 110g butter
• 3 Eggs
• 110g Caster Sugar
• 20g Hot Water


White Chocolate Cream
• 150g Eggs White
• 225g Sugar
• 150g Whipping Cream
• 250g White Chocolate for Cooking

1. Start by mixing together the butter and sugar until the mixture is smooth.
   
   
2. Beat the eggs and add this to the mixture a little at a time, along with the plain flour and self raising flour, ensuring to keep the same smooth consistency.
   
   
3. Finish the mixture by adding hot water. Make sure the mixture does not get too wet or dry when the other ingredients have been added.
   
   
4. Divide the mixture into two lined baking trays and place in the pre-heated oven at 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for 25 minutes, until the sponge is cooked. Remove it from the oven and place to cool.
   
   
5. While the sponge is cooling, start to prepare the meringue filling: separate the eggs whites into a Bain Marie. After separating, bring the egg whites to a temperature of between 55-60°C, this will ensure volume when beating.
   
   
6. Beat the egg whites until peaks have formed, at this stage the sugar can be folded into the mixture.
   
   
7. Whisk the cream until it is at a whipped stage. Melt the white chocolate over a hob and add this to half of the freshly whipped cream. Then add the rest of the whipped cream and the meringue mixture.
   
   
8. Use half the cream filling to cover one of the sponge halves and spread jam over the other half. Sandwich the two halves together.
   
   
9. Finish by covering all the cake with the remaining cream and decorate with milk chocolate shavings.

Strawberries, white chocolate and softly whipped cream, make this an irresistible recipe. The difficulty on this recipe is not to eat it all in one go!.