A lovely and different tea time treat.
You will need:
A Battenberg baking tin or a tin 29cm x 19cm which you can divide in the middle - I have done this with tinfoil.
INGREDIENTS
142gms Baking Margarine
142gms Unsalted Butter
265gms Caster Sugar
265gms S.R. Flour
1 Level Teasp Baking Powder
5 Large Eggs
1 Tube Freeze dried Strawberries
1 Teasp Vanilla Extract
Pink colouring
Pinch Salt
600 grams of fondant icing
FOR THE FILLING
200gms Fresh Strawberries plus a few extra for final finishing.
240gms Unsalted Butter – softened
420gms Sieved Icing Sugar
Half a jar of Strawberry Jam (No bits)
Sprig of Mint to finish
METHOD
Set oven to 180°C / 170°C Fan
- Husk the 200gms of strawberries and puree in a blender. Place in a small pan and bring to a simmer, reduce by a half. Set aside to cool.
- Cream the margarine, butter and sugar
- Gradually add the whisked eggs.
- Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt
- Halve the mixture and add the vanilla extract to one half and the freeze dried strawberries to the other half. Add colouring to the strawberry half until it is pink in colour.
- Place the two halves into the tin.
- Bake for approx 15-20 minutes until the sponge springs back when touched.
- Cool slightly then turn out on to a rack to cool.
- While the cakes are baking make the strawberry buttercream filling. Cream the butter and 100 gms of the icing sugar, add half the strawberry puree. Add another 100gms icing sugar then the rest of the puree and icing sugar.
- Cut each half of the cooled sponges lengthwise into two, trim neatly and stick alternate sections together (2 on the bottom and 2 on the top) with strawberry jam and some of the strawberry buttercream to form a square. (Leave enough buttercream to cover the sponge thinly and to pipe a few rosettes on the top to finish)
- Roll out the fondant and cover the cake, trim to neaten.
- Pipe some rosettes down the middle of the top and place on a few fresh strawberries and a sprig of mint.
Eat within 2 days.
