Midsummer Sponge Cake

Celebrate the Solstice with a delicious treat highlighting nature’s bounty.

The traditional Midsummer food are pickled herring, potatoes served in a sour cream and dill sauce with hard-boiled eggs, Swedish meatballs, gravadlax (cured salmon), Västerbottensost cheese pie, assorted breads and crispbreads. Schnapps and beer is enjoyed with these foods, and for dessert, there is only one way to end your Midsummer picnic meal, and that’s with a slice of berry cake called Gräddtårta med Jordgubbar in Swedish.

The cake is traditionally made with a fatless sponge cake, has three layers at least, all filled with an egg-enriched cream and packed with sweet berries.

 

CAKE

6 eggs

250g of caster sugar

90ml of warm water

2 tsp baking powder

100g of self-raising flour

50g of potato flour

FILLING AND TOPPING

350ml of double cream

4 tbsp of icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

450g of strawberries, hulled and cut in half if very large

200g of fresh raspberries

Method

1

Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4. Line a round cake tin (30cm x 10cm) with baking paper

2

Whisk the eggs with the sugar until light and fluffy; mix the dry ingredients together and then gently fold them to the whisked eggs. Add the boiled water and then mix until all amalgamated, but do not over mix. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until it has risen and is golden brown. Turn out of the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack

3

Meanwhile, make the Chantilly cream by whisking the cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract together until the cream holds firm peaks; cover it and store in the fridge until needed

4

When the cake is cold, carefully cut it into three slices, and place one slice on a serving plate; spoon a third of the cream over the cake, then add the strawberries and raspberries;

5

Continue to layer the cake this way, ending with the top which is also decorated with cream, strawberries and raspberries

6

Serve cut into slices with extra fruit on the side